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Dear Mr. Speaker:   (Dear Madam President:)

Section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)) provides for the automatic termination of a national emergency unless, within 90 days prior to the anniversary date of its declaration, the President publishes in the Federal Register and transmits to the Congress a notice stating that the emergency is to continue in effect beyond the anniversary date.  In accordance with this provision, I have sent to the Federal Register for publication the enclosed notice stating that the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13894 of October 14, 2019, with respect to the situation in and in relation to Syria, is to continue in effect beyond October 14, 2024.

The situation in and in relation to Syria undermines the campaign to defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, endangers civilians, and further threatens to undermine the peace, security, and stability in the region, and continues to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.

Therefore, I have determined that it is necessary to continue the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13894 with respect to the situation in and in relation to Syria.

                              Sincerely,

                              JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

The post Letter to the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate on the Continuation of the National Emergency With Respect to the Situation in and in Relation to Syria appeared first on The White House.

Dear Mr. Speaker:   (Dear Madam President:)

Section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)) provides for the automatic termination of a national emergency unless, within 90 days prior to the anniversary date of its declaration, the President publishes in the Federal Register and transmits to the Congress a notice stating that the emergency is to continue in effect beyond the anniversary date.  In accordance with this provision, I have sent to the Federal Register for publication the enclosed notice stating that the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13894 of October 14, 2019, with respect to the situation in and in relation to Syria, is to continue in effect beyond October 14, 2024.

The situation in and in relation to Syria undermines the campaign to defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, endangers civilians, and further threatens to undermine the peace, security, and stability in the region, and continues to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.

Therefore, I have determined that it is necessary to continue the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13894 with respect to the situation in and in relation to Syria.

                              Sincerely,

                              JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

The post Letter to the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate on the Continuation of the National Emergency With Respect to the Situation in and in Relation to Syria appeared first on The White House.

Girls have the power to shake and shape our world.  They will grow up to be doctors, CEOs, artists, entrepreneurs, tradeswomen, service members, scientists, or anything they put their minds to — leading our Nation to a bigger and brighter future.  During International Day of the Girl, we honor the lives and contributions of girls worldwide, celebrate their limitless potential, and recommit to opening doors of opportunity so girls everywhere can realize their dreams. 

Girls play an invaluable role in the success of our communities.  When young women and girls are afforded the same opportunities as young men and boys, we are all better off.  Economies grow, education rates and health outcomes improve, and political instability and violence decline.  Yet, throughout the world, girls continue to face persecution, violence, and intimidation, and they are barred from fully participating in their communities — socially, educationally, economically, and politically.

That is why my Administration has taken steps to provide girls with the support they need to thrive, beginning in their homes and classrooms.  My American Rescue Plan expanded the Child Tax Credit, which reduced child poverty to a historic low.  The American Rescue Plan was also the largest one-time education investment ever in our Nation’s history, bringing more teachers, counselors, social workers, after-school and summer programs, and tutoring to public schools across the country.  My Administration continues to call on the Congress to restore the expanded Child Tax Credit, guarantee affordable high quality child care from birth to kindergarten for 16 million children, and make universal, free preschool available to every four-year-old in America.  These actions would lift girls across the country out of poverty and ensure they enter the classroom ready and excited to learn. 

In addition, my Administration made it easier for schools to leverage Medicaid to deliver mental health services to their students.  We invested over $1.5 billion to strengthen the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, invest in school-based mental health services, and launched the National Mental Health Strategy, with ongoing investments to strengthen the mental health workforce, ensure mental health parity, and connect Americans to care.  We remain dedicated to using every tool in our toolbox to empower girls both in and out of the classroom. 

We also remain committed to ensuring that girls can live free from violence, fear, and abuse.  Last month, we marked the 30th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), a bill I authored more than three decades ago.  Since then, every time we have reauthorized this law, we have strengthened it.  For example, we broadened the law’s protections to better address dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.  We expanded services for our Nation’s most vulnerable populations and invested in prevention programs for young people.  We provided more than $690 million in grants to over 40 VAWA-funded programs in States and Tribal communities nationwide.  Through VAWA and other laws like the Victims of Crime Act and the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act, we are working every day to empower girls and end gender-based violence.  

Furthermore, we are aggressively combating the harmful effects that social media can have on our children.  My White House Task Force to Address Online Harassment and Abuse worked directly with parents and teens to develop ways for children to stay safe online and prevent the misuse of technology that harms girls.  We are also tackling the next frontier of gender-based violence and abuse:  deepfake images and videos generated by artificial intelligence.  My Administration also restored and strengthened vital protections under Title IX to help keep students and employees safe from sexual assault and harassment on campus. 

My Administration continues to stand with women and girls who are facing threats to their basic human rights in far too many conflicts around the world.  We continue to condemn sexual violence committed by Russia’s forces against women and girls in Ukraine, and we condemn the terrorist group Hamas’ appalling, despicable acts of rape, mutilation, and other forms of sexual violence in Israel on October 7, 2023, and against hostages in captivity.  In 2022, I signed a historic Presidential Memorandum to promote justice and accountability for acts of conflict-related sexual violence, and I have since announced dedicated sanctions and new initiatives to hold perpetrators accountable and support survivors.  During this year’s NATO Summit, we revised the Women, Peace, and Security Policy to address emerging security threats that put girls at risk, including the climate crisis and conflict-related sexual violence.  And we are committed to eliminating child, early, and forced marriage and ending female genital mutilation and cutting, which have lifelong consequences on the health and well-being of victims, families, and communities. 

Guided by the belief that our Nation and our world are at their best when there are endless possibilities for all women and girls, my Administration is devoted to helping girls reach their full potential.  At the first Summit for Democracy, we established the Advancing Women’s and Girls’ Civic and Political Leadership Initiative to build and sustain girls’ participation in political and civic engagement.  And this year, my Administration launched Women Leading Effective and Accountable Democracy in collaboration with international allies to advance women and girls’ leadership in democratic, peace, and security processes.  And, thanks to the leadership of Vice President Harris, our Administration has galvanized more than $2.9 billion in investments to advance the economic status of women around the world, helping ensure girls will play a meaningful role in the industries of the future.

When First Lady Jill Biden spoke at the White House’s first-ever celebration of Girls Leading Change last fall, she reminded the world about the power of girls.  She said, “I hope you leave here knowing that your boldness is beautiful, that you belong in all places of power, that your future can be anything you want it to be, and that you will never be in this alone.”  On this International Day of the Girl and every day, let us each commit to doing our part to create a brighter future worthy of the talents, aspirations, and dreams of all our girls.  Because when girls do well, we all do well.

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 11, 2024, as International Day of the Girl.  I call upon the people of the United States to observe this day with programs, ceremonies, and policies that advance equity and opportunity for girls everywhere.

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

                             JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

The post A Proclamation on International Day of the Girl, 2024 appeared first on The White House.

Girls have the power to shake and shape our world.  They will grow up to be doctors, CEOs, artists, entrepreneurs, tradeswomen, service members, scientists, or anything they put their minds to — leading our Nation to a bigger and brighter future.  During International Day of the Girl, we honor the lives and contributions of girls worldwide, celebrate their limitless potential, and recommit to opening doors of opportunity so girls everywhere can realize their dreams. 

Girls play an invaluable role in the success of our communities.  When young women and girls are afforded the same opportunities as young men and boys, we are all better off.  Economies grow, education rates and health outcomes improve, and political instability and violence decline.  Yet, throughout the world, girls continue to face persecution, violence, and intimidation, and they are barred from fully participating in their communities — socially, educationally, economically, and politically.

That is why my Administration has taken steps to provide girls with the support they need to thrive, beginning in their homes and classrooms.  My American Rescue Plan expanded the Child Tax Credit, which reduced child poverty to a historic low.  The American Rescue Plan was also the largest one-time education investment ever in our Nation’s history, bringing more teachers, counselors, social workers, after-school and summer programs, and tutoring to public schools across the country.  My Administration continues to call on the Congress to restore the expanded Child Tax Credit, guarantee affordable high quality child care from birth to kindergarten for 16 million children, and make universal, free preschool available to every four-year-old in America.  These actions would lift girls across the country out of poverty and ensure they enter the classroom ready and excited to learn. 

In addition, my Administration made it easier for schools to leverage Medicaid to deliver mental health services to their students.  We invested over $1.5 billion to strengthen the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, invest in school-based mental health services, and launched the National Mental Health Strategy, with ongoing investments to strengthen the mental health workforce, ensure mental health parity, and connect Americans to care.  We remain dedicated to using every tool in our toolbox to empower girls both in and out of the classroom. 

We also remain committed to ensuring that girls can live free from violence, fear, and abuse.  Last month, we marked the 30th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), a bill I authored more than three decades ago.  Since then, every time we have reauthorized this law, we have strengthened it.  For example, we broadened the law’s protections to better address dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.  We expanded services for our Nation’s most vulnerable populations and invested in prevention programs for young people.  We provided more than $690 million in grants to over 40 VAWA-funded programs in States and Tribal communities nationwide.  Through VAWA and other laws like the Victims of Crime Act and the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act, we are working every day to empower girls and end gender-based violence.  

Furthermore, we are aggressively combating the harmful effects that social media can have on our children.  My White House Task Force to Address Online Harassment and Abuse worked directly with parents and teens to develop ways for children to stay safe online and prevent the misuse of technology that harms girls.  We are also tackling the next frontier of gender-based violence and abuse:  deepfake images and videos generated by artificial intelligence.  My Administration also restored and strengthened vital protections under Title IX to help keep students and employees safe from sexual assault and harassment on campus. 

My Administration continues to stand with women and girls who are facing threats to their basic human rights in far too many conflicts around the world.  We continue to condemn sexual violence committed by Russia’s forces against women and girls in Ukraine, and we condemn the terrorist group Hamas’ appalling, despicable acts of rape, mutilation, and other forms of sexual violence in Israel on October 7, 2023, and against hostages in captivity.  In 2022, I signed a historic Presidential Memorandum to promote justice and accountability for acts of conflict-related sexual violence, and I have since announced dedicated sanctions and new initiatives to hold perpetrators accountable and support survivors.  During this year’s NATO Summit, we revised the Women, Peace, and Security Policy to address emerging security threats that put girls at risk, including the climate crisis and conflict-related sexual violence.  And we are committed to eliminating child, early, and forced marriage and ending female genital mutilation and cutting, which have lifelong consequences on the health and well-being of victims, families, and communities. 

Guided by the belief that our Nation and our world are at their best when there are endless possibilities for all women and girls, my Administration is devoted to helping girls reach their full potential.  At the first Summit for Democracy, we established the Advancing Women’s and Girls’ Civic and Political Leadership Initiative to build and sustain girls’ participation in political and civic engagement.  And this year, my Administration launched Women Leading Effective and Accountable Democracy in collaboration with international allies to advance women and girls’ leadership in democratic, peace, and security processes.  And, thanks to the leadership of Vice President Harris, our Administration has galvanized more than $2.9 billion in investments to advance the economic status of women around the world, helping ensure girls will play a meaningful role in the industries of the future.

When First Lady Jill Biden spoke at the White House’s first-ever celebration of Girls Leading Change last fall, she reminded the world about the power of girls.  She said, “I hope you leave here knowing that your boldness is beautiful, that you belong in all places of power, that your future can be anything you want it to be, and that you will never be in this alone.”  On this International Day of the Girl and every day, let us each commit to doing our part to create a brighter future worthy of the talents, aspirations, and dreams of all our girls.  Because when girls do well, we all do well.

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 11, 2024, as International Day of the Girl.  I call upon the people of the United States to observe this day with programs, ceremonies, and policies that advance equity and opportunity for girls everywhere.

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

                             JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

The post A Proclamation on International Day of the Girl, 2024 appeared first on The White House.

On October 14, 2019, by Executive Order 13894, the President declared a national emergency pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) to deal with the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States constituted by the situation in and in relation to Syria.

The situation in and in relation to Syria undermines the campaign to defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, endangers civilians, and further threatens to undermine the peace, security, and stability in the region, and continues to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.  For this reason, the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13894 of October 14, 2019, must continue in effect beyond October 14, 2024.  Therefore, in accordance with section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)), I am continuing for 1 year the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13894 with respect to the situation in and in relation to Syria.

This notice shall be published in the Federal Register and transmitted to the Congress.

                              JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

THE WHITE HOUSE,

  October 10, 2024.

The post Notice on the Continuation of the National Emergency With Respect to the Situation in and in Relation to Syria appeared first on The White House.

On October 14, 2019, by Executive Order 13894, the President declared a national emergency pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) to deal with the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States constituted by the situation in and in relation to Syria.

The situation in and in relation to Syria undermines the campaign to defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, endangers civilians, and further threatens to undermine the peace, security, and stability in the region, and continues to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.  For this reason, the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13894 of October 14, 2019, must continue in effect beyond October 14, 2024.  Therefore, in accordance with section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)), I am continuing for 1 year the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13894 with respect to the situation in and in relation to Syria.

This notice shall be published in the Federal Register and transmitted to the Congress.

                              JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

THE WHITE HOUSE,

  October 10, 2024.

The post Notice on the Continuation of the National Emergency With Respect to the Situation in and in Relation to Syria appeared first on The White House.

Today’s report shows inflation has fallen back down to 2.4%, the same rate as right before the pandemic. We keep making progress, with inflation returning to pre-pandemic levels, 16 million jobs created, lower interest rates, and low unemployment. Our economy has grown 3.2% per year under the Biden Harris Administration—stronger than during the previous administration. Incomes are up almost $4,000, after adjusting for inflation. We are working around the clock to help the families affected by Hurricane Milton and Hurricane Helene recover and rebuild, supported by our strong and resilient recovery.

President Biden and Vice President Harris will keep fighting to lower costs—by building new homes to lower rents, capping prescription drug costs and reducing health insurance premiums, and lowering taxes for middle-class families—as Congressional Republicans keep pushing trickle-down economics that would raise costs by nearly $4,000 per family while cutting taxes for billionaires and big corporations.

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The post Statement from National Economic Advisor Lael Brainard on the September 2024 Consumer Price Index appeared first on The White House.

Today’s report shows inflation has fallen back down to 2.4%, the same rate as right before the pandemic. We keep making progress, with inflation returning to pre-pandemic levels, 16 million jobs created, lower interest rates, and low unemployment. Our economy has grown 3.2% per year under the Biden Harris Administration—stronger than during the previous administration. Incomes are up almost $4,000, after adjusting for inflation. We are working around the clock to help the families affected by Hurricane Milton and Hurricane Helene recover and rebuild, supported by our strong and resilient recovery.

President Biden and Vice President Harris will keep fighting to lower costs—by building new homes to lower rents, capping prescription drug costs and reducing health insurance premiums, and lowering taxes for middle-class families—as Congressional Republicans keep pushing trickle-down economics that would raise costs by nearly $4,000 per family while cutting taxes for billionaires and big corporations.

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The post Statement from National Economic Advisor Lael Brainard on the September 2024 Consumer Price Index appeared first on The White House.

President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. met with Taoiseach Simon Harris of the Republic of Ireland today in the Oval Office to mark 100 years of diplomatic relations between the United States and Ireland.  The President reflected on the deep cultural, people-to-people and economic ties between the two countries, and expressed confidence that the next 100 years will see even deeper cooperation.  The President and Taoiseach Harris affirmed that the United States and Ireland will continue to strengthen our partnership and friendship—founded on our shared history, heritage, and hope—in the years ahead.

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The post Readout of President Joe Biden’s Meeting with Taoiseach Simon Harris of Ireland appeared first on The White House.

President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. met with Taoiseach Simon Harris of the Republic of Ireland today in the Oval Office to mark 100 years of diplomatic relations between the United States and Ireland.  The President reflected on the deep cultural, people-to-people and economic ties between the two countries, and expressed confidence that the next 100 years will see even deeper cooperation.  The President and Taoiseach Harris affirmed that the United States and Ireland will continue to strengthen our partnership and friendship—founded on our shared history, heritage, and hope—in the years ahead.

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The post Readout of President Joe Biden’s Meeting with Taoiseach Simon Harris of Ireland appeared first on The White House.

2:59 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, thank you very much, Rabbi, for that introduction.  And before I want to be- — before I begin, I want to say, we’re prepared for another hurricane hitting Florida, and that’s what I’ve been doing and why I had to p- — push back these — this sev- — several times.  And I apologize. 

I directed my team to do everything we can to save lives and help communities before, during, and after the hurricane — the one that has just passed and this awful one that’s about to hit. 

My most important message today is for those who are in impacted areas, please, please listen to your local authorities, follow all safety in- — instructions and evacuation orders.  This is serious — very serious. 

But now to the events of the day.  You know, as the — my friends, the — the rabbis in Delaware who I’ve become friends with over the years, have been engaged with, can tell you, I was one of those lucky Christians who was raised by a — a Christian who was — he had — he understood what was going on. 

My dad was what we — you’d call “a righteous Christian.”  My dad literally raised us to believe that we had to stand up for the — any community being persecuted, and he used to rage — he used to rage at dinner about why we didn’t bomb the railroad tracks in Auschwitz and why we didn’t — and this is the God’s truth, as the rabbis at home could tell you. 

And he used to talk about how we wouldn’t let the — that one ship land and — and — with the Jewish refugees on it at the time, during — during the — Hitler’s era.  And, you know, he — he talked about how it was important for people to know what happened and not forget. 

And one of the things that it taught me was that I — every one of my children and grandchildren, when they turned the age of 14, we put them on a plane and I flew them to Dachau, because I wanted them to see — want them to see that no one could pretend it wasn’t happening. 

You go through — you walk through the gate, and you’ll be liberated.  Well, to stand — you see those beautiful homes along the outside of that gate, and you’ll know they had to know.  They had to know what was going on.  And — and I wanted them to understand.  I wanted them to see where the ovens were.  I wanted them to know what was going on and — because I wanted them to be aware — aware. 

And I think one of the things that I’m about to talk about is — you know, the country has been sort of a — I don’t know how I could say it — has not paid nearly much attention to our hi- — the history that brought us —

But when I went over shortly after the — the second, smaller holocaust, but even more vividly seen by the whole world on the 7th, it was — it was because I wanted to let the world know where I stood and where America stood.  And I saw the remnants of what had happened 10 days earlier.  I saw — and the — anyway, you all know; you understand it. 

But now, this event today — I want to thank you for joining this call, and I apologize for having had to reschedule it. 

You know, at my direction, last week, the United States military took unprecedented action again to actively assist the successful defense of Israel.  You’ve — you’ve heard me say before that I got very badly criticized as a young senator for saying, “I’m a Zionist.”  You don’t have to be a Jew to be a Zionist.  It’s not necessary. 

And the idea — I firmly believe — without an Israel, every Jew in the world’s security is less stable.  I mean that.  It doesn’t mean that Jewish leadership doesn’t have to be more progressive than it is, but it does mean it has to exist, and that’s what worries me most about what’s going on now.

You’ve heard me say before that my commitment to the safety of the Jewish people and the security of Israel as the right to exist is independent — independent of that — of everything else.  The Jewish state has to remain.  It has to remain — the ironclad commitment to it.

In the last three years, it’s been the honor to do this High Holiday with all of you from the White House in a season of joy and a season of pain.  And that’s what we’ve been going through: a season of joy and pain.

You know, you are the rock for your people.  I want to thank you for all you do every single day for your congregations, for your communities, for our country.

You know, I know this year’s call is very different, and it’s a very — a difficult time for the Jewish community and for Jews around the world.  In the midst of the High Holidays, two days ago, we commemorated the first anniversary of October 7th, the deadliest day for Jewish people since the Holocaust.

And a year later, with the trauma and the loss from that day and its aftermath, it’s still raw.  It’s hard to memorialize and mourn a tragedy that’s still ongoing.  Hostages still in captivity — some American Jews as well; loved ones still in harm’s way; survivors carrying wounds, seen and unseen, that never go away.  The families and friends left behind will never, never be the same. 

I just spoke with Pres- — Prime Minister Netanyahu for about an hour this morning and offered my condolences on this somber one-year anniversary. 

Throughout this year, my wife, Jill, and I, Kamala and Doug mourned along with all of you, including after the appalling execution of the six hostages, including America’s own Hersh Goldberg-Polin, a 24-year-old last week — who just turned — would have turned 24 last week.

My administration is doubling down on our work to secure the release of the remaining hostages, just as we have freed hostages already.  And we will not rest until they’re all home.

As you saw just last week, the United States fully supports Israel’s right to defend itself against Iran and all its proxies — Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis.  We’re doing everything we can to ease the suffering of all the people from this war against Hamas and that Hamas started.

As Israel’s ambassador to Washington said at the memorial two days ago, quote, “We remember the Jewish commandment that we are all created in the image of God,” and “the loss of innocent life — Israel — Israeli, Palestinian, Lebanese, or others — is a tragedy.”  Well, I feel the same way.  Far too many civilians have suffered far too much during this year’s conflict.

I also want you to know that I see you, I hear you, I see your pain from the ferocious surge of antisemitism in America and, quite frankly, around the world — absolutely despicable.  And I hope we h- — we learned a lesson from our parents’ generation.  We have to stand up.  We have to call it out.  It has to be stopped.

In America, we respect and protect the fundamental right of free speech to protest peacefully.  But there is no place — emphasize, no place — anywhere in America — none — for antisemitism, hate speech, or threats of violence of any kind against the Jews or anyone else.

Long before October the 7th — long before — I launched the first National Security [Strategy] to Counter Antisemitism in American history — the first time in American history.  Vice President Harris and I and our entire administration are aggressively implementing that commitment.

Since we took office, we secured a record of over $800 million for the physical security of nonprofits, including synagogues, Jewish community centers, Jewish day schools all around the country. 

Since October 7, ‘23 — in 2023, we’ve secured an additional $400 million — the largest single increase ever in funding — ever. 

And we have concrete evidence that our historic assistance is making an impact and the investment matters. 

The Department of Education has put our colleges on notice about something that should be obvious to everyone — that antisemitism is discrimination.  Say it again: Antisemitism is discrimination and prohibited under Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. 

And the Department of Homeland Security has proved — provided resources to train campus law enforcement, administrators on how to ensure Jewish students are safe on campus.  And we’re going to keep working to ensure — ensure that Jewish students can get their education free of intimidation and harassment. 

The Department of Justice is also moving swiftly to investigate and prosecute antisemitic hate crimes and hold the perpetrators accountable. 

We encourage you, as members of your community, to please report incidences to local law enforcement. 

My administration is calling on the social media companies to adopt a zero-tolerance policy toward antisemitism and other hateful content, including the vile antisemitic attacks online that we’ve seen in recent days against public officials leading responses to recovery efforts to Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton.

You know, it’s appalling, but we — it must end now.  We have to speak and end it now.

Globally, our nation’s first ambassador to the level of special envoy and to monitor and combat antisemitism is Deb- — Debor- — Deborah Lipstadt — Lipstadt.  And Deborah has mobilized more than 40 countries and international organizations to support our new guidelines for countering antisemitism around the world.  And this matters, but I know there’s so much more to do. 

And let me assure you as your president that you are not alone.  You belong, always — always have, always will be, and always must be protected. 

From the inception of our nation, Jewish Americans have enriched every part of American life.  Let me say that again.  From our very inception as a nation, Jewish Americans have enriched every part of American life, and you’re going to continue to do so for many years to come. 

Let me close with this.  I think about the wisdom I’ve learned from Jewish communities in Delaware and across the country that I’ve gotten to know over the years.  It seems to me there is a delicate yet profound balance between joy and pain to the High Holidays. 

Rosh Hashanah is a day of celebration in the Je- — of — for the Jewish New Year.  But it’s also a day of judgment.

Similarly, Yom Kippur is the most solemn day in the Jewish calendar, yet Jewish scholars say it’s also the happiest day because it’s a time of — for forgiveness and for renewal.

And in two weeks, you celebrate another holiday for the singing and dancing of the — for — for the Torah.  You know, I know you’ll do so with profound sorrow in your soul because, last year, that holiday was shattered by October the 7th.

From my perspective, Jewish people have embodied this duality of pain and joy for generations.  It’s your strength.  The Jewish people have always chosen to find joy and happiness and light, despite centuries of suffering, persecution, and pain. 

That’s the ending and — of what — this — look, this is — is enduring — it’s an enduring lesson and legacy for the Jewish people and for all of America to understand. 

So, thank you for continuing to find joy in the darkness and shine your light on the nation and on the world. 

God bless you all.  And may you have a happy New Year.

3:11 P.M. EDT

The post Remarks by President Biden During a Call with Jewish Faith Leaders for High Holidays appeared first on The White House.

2:59 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, thank you very much, Rabbi, for that introduction.  And before I want to be- — before I begin, I want to say, we’re prepared for another hurricane hitting Florida, and that’s what I’ve been doing and why I had to p- — push back these — this sev- — several times.  And I apologize. 

I directed my team to do everything we can to save lives and help communities before, during, and after the hurricane — the one that has just passed and this awful one that’s about to hit. 

My most important message today is for those who are in impacted areas, please, please listen to your local authorities, follow all safety in- — instructions and evacuation orders.  This is serious — very serious. 

But now to the events of the day.  You know, as the — my friends, the — the rabbis in Delaware who I’ve become friends with over the years, have been engaged with, can tell you, I was one of those lucky Christians who was raised by a — a Christian who was — he had — he understood what was going on. 

My dad was what we — you’d call “a righteous Christian.”  My dad literally raised us to believe that we had to stand up for the — any community being persecuted, and he used to rage — he used to rage at dinner about why we didn’t bomb the railroad tracks in Auschwitz and why we didn’t — and this is the God’s truth, as the rabbis at home could tell you. 

And he used to talk about how we wouldn’t let the — that one ship land and — and — with the Jewish refugees on it at the time, during — during the — Hitler’s era.  And, you know, he — he talked about how it was important for people to know what happened and not forget. 

And one of the things that it taught me was that I — every one of my children and grandchildren, when they turned the age of 14, we put them on a plane and I flew them to Dachau, because I wanted them to see — want them to see that no one could pretend it wasn’t happening. 

You go through — you walk through the gate, and you’ll be liberated.  Well, to stand — you see those beautiful homes along the outside of that gate, and you’ll know they had to know.  They had to know what was going on.  And — and I wanted them to understand.  I wanted them to see where the ovens were.  I wanted them to know what was going on and — because I wanted them to be aware — aware. 

And I think one of the things that I’m about to talk about is — you know, the country has been sort of a — I don’t know how I could say it — has not paid nearly much attention to our hi- — the history that brought us —

But when I went over shortly after the — the second, smaller holocaust, but even more vividly seen by the whole world on the 7th, it was — it was because I wanted to let the world know where I stood and where America stood.  And I saw the remnants of what had happened 10 days earlier.  I saw — and the — anyway, you all know; you understand it. 

But now, this event today — I want to thank you for joining this call, and I apologize for having had to reschedule it. 

You know, at my direction, last week, the United States military took unprecedented action again to actively assist the successful defense of Israel.  You’ve — you’ve heard me say before that I got very badly criticized as a young senator for saying, “I’m a Zionist.”  You don’t have to be a Jew to be a Zionist.  It’s not necessary. 

And the idea — I firmly believe — without an Israel, every Jew in the world’s security is less stable.  I mean that.  It doesn’t mean that Jewish leadership doesn’t have to be more progressive than it is, but it does mean it has to exist, and that’s what worries me most about what’s going on now.

You’ve heard me say before that my commitment to the safety of the Jewish people and the security of Israel as the right to exist is independent — independent of that — of everything else.  The Jewish state has to remain.  It has to remain — the ironclad commitment to it.

In the last three years, it’s been the honor to do this High Holiday with all of you from the White House in a season of joy and a season of pain.  And that’s what we’ve been going through: a season of joy and pain.

You know, you are the rock for your people.  I want to thank you for all you do every single day for your congregations, for your communities, for our country.

You know, I know this year’s call is very different, and it’s a very — a difficult time for the Jewish community and for Jews around the world.  In the midst of the High Holidays, two days ago, we commemorated the first anniversary of October 7th, the deadliest day for Jewish people since the Holocaust.

And a year later, with the trauma and the loss from that day and its aftermath, it’s still raw.  It’s hard to memorialize and mourn a tragedy that’s still ongoing.  Hostages still in captivity — some American Jews as well; loved ones still in harm’s way; survivors carrying wounds, seen and unseen, that never go away.  The families and friends left behind will never, never be the same. 

I just spoke with Pres- — Prime Minister Netanyahu for about an hour this morning and offered my condolences on this somber one-year anniversary. 

Throughout this year, my wife, Jill, and I, Kamala and Doug mourned along with all of you, including after the appalling execution of the six hostages, including America’s own Hersh Goldberg-Polin, a 24-year-old last week — who just turned — would have turned 24 last week.

My administration is doubling down on our work to secure the release of the remaining hostages, just as we have freed hostages already.  And we will not rest until they’re all home.

As you saw just last week, the United States fully supports Israel’s right to defend itself against Iran and all its proxies — Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis.  We’re doing everything we can to ease the suffering of all the people from this war against Hamas and that Hamas started.

As Israel’s ambassador to Washington said at the memorial two days ago, quote, “We remember the Jewish commandment that we are all created in the image of God,” and “the loss of innocent life — Israel — Israeli, Palestinian, Lebanese, or others — is a tragedy.”  Well, I feel the same way.  Far too many civilians have suffered far too much during this year’s conflict.

I also want you to know that I see you, I hear you, I see your pain from the ferocious surge of antisemitism in America and, quite frankly, around the world — absolutely despicable.  And I hope we h- — we learned a lesson from our parents’ generation.  We have to stand up.  We have to call it out.  It has to be stopped.

In America, we respect and protect the fundamental right of free speech to protest peacefully.  But there is no place — emphasize, no place — anywhere in America — none — for antisemitism, hate speech, or threats of violence of any kind against the Jews or anyone else.

Long before October the 7th — long before — I launched the first National Security [Strategy] to Counter Antisemitism in American history — the first time in American history.  Vice President Harris and I and our entire administration are aggressively implementing that commitment.

Since we took office, we secured a record of over $800 million for the physical security of nonprofits, including synagogues, Jewish community centers, Jewish day schools all around the country. 

Since October 7, ‘23 — in 2023, we’ve secured an additional $400 million — the largest single increase ever in funding — ever. 

And we have concrete evidence that our historic assistance is making an impact and the investment matters. 

The Department of Education has put our colleges on notice about something that should be obvious to everyone — that antisemitism is discrimination.  Say it again: Antisemitism is discrimination and prohibited under Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. 

And the Department of Homeland Security has proved — provided resources to train campus law enforcement, administrators on how to ensure Jewish students are safe on campus.  And we’re going to keep working to ensure — ensure that Jewish students can get their education free of intimidation and harassment. 

The Department of Justice is also moving swiftly to investigate and prosecute antisemitic hate crimes and hold the perpetrators accountable. 

We encourage you, as members of your community, to please report incidences to local law enforcement. 

My administration is calling on the social media companies to adopt a zero-tolerance policy toward antisemitism and other hateful content, including the vile antisemitic attacks online that we’ve seen in recent days against public officials leading responses to recovery efforts to Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton.

You know, it’s appalling, but we — it must end now.  We have to speak and end it now.

Globally, our nation’s first ambassador to the level of special envoy and to monitor and combat antisemitism is Deb- — Debor- — Deborah Lipstadt — Lipstadt.  And Deborah has mobilized more than 40 countries and international organizations to support our new guidelines for countering antisemitism around the world.  And this matters, but I know there’s so much more to do. 

And let me assure you as your president that you are not alone.  You belong, always — always have, always will be, and always must be protected. 

From the inception of our nation, Jewish Americans have enriched every part of American life.  Let me say that again.  From our very inception as a nation, Jewish Americans have enriched every part of American life, and you’re going to continue to do so for many years to come. 

Let me close with this.  I think about the wisdom I’ve learned from Jewish communities in Delaware and across the country that I’ve gotten to know over the years.  It seems to me there is a delicate yet profound balance between joy and pain to the High Holidays. 

Rosh Hashanah is a day of celebration in the Je- — of — for the Jewish New Year.  But it’s also a day of judgment.

Similarly, Yom Kippur is the most solemn day in the Jewish calendar, yet Jewish scholars say it’s also the happiest day because it’s a time of — for forgiveness and for renewal.

And in two weeks, you celebrate another holiday for the singing and dancing of the — for — for the Torah.  You know, I know you’ll do so with profound sorrow in your soul because, last year, that holiday was shattered by October the 7th.

From my perspective, Jewish people have embodied this duality of pain and joy for generations.  It’s your strength.  The Jewish people have always chosen to find joy and happiness and light, despite centuries of suffering, persecution, and pain. 

That’s the ending and — of what — this — look, this is — is enduring — it’s an enduring lesson and legacy for the Jewish people and for all of America to understand. 

So, thank you for continuing to find joy in the darkness and shine your light on the nation and on the world. 

God bless you all.  And may you have a happy New Year.

3:11 P.M. EDT

The post Remarks by President Biden During a Call with Jewish Faith Leaders for High Holidays 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.

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.

Roosevelt Room

5:34 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Good evening. 

Within a few hours, Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall on the west coast of Flor- — the western coast of Florida.  Already, we’re seeing impacts from the storm, including significant winds and heavy rain.  And there has also been frequent and widespread tornado warnings throughout the day, and they’re continuing and expected to expand as Milton moves over land, including a few that have already touched down in souther- — in South Florida. 

Currently, Milton is a Category 3, with wind speeds up to 120 miles per hour.  But no one should be confused: It’s still expected to be one of the most and worst destructive hurricanes to hit Florida in over a century. 

You know, both the heads of the National Hurricane Center and the National Weather Service made it very clear in conversations I’ve had with them earlier today: Milton still carries incredible destructiveness.  It can wipe out communities.  It can cause loss of life.  Storm surge is still expected to be up to 13 feet. 

So, I urge everyone in Hurricane Milton’s path to listen to local officials and follow all the safety instructions they give.  At this point, evacuation is probably difficult, so I encourage people to look for safer shelter.  Sometimes moving just a — a few miles can mean the difference between life and death. 

We’ve already approved emergency declarations for Florida.  We have thousands of federal personnel on the ground.  And we have staged and are ready to go — we have 20 million meals, 40 million liters of water. 

At my direction, the secretary of Defense, Austin, has pre-positioned search and rescue teams, helicopters, and highs-water veh- — high- — high-water speed vehicles as close to the storm as possible so they’re ready to conduct lifesaving missions. 

And the administrators of — the administrator of FEMA will be on site tonight in Florida and the state’s emerge- — in the state’s emergency operations center.  Both Administrator Criswell and I will be in constant contact with state and local officials in the hours ahead. 

Once the storm hits, we’re going to work with state officials to clear debris, restore power, and it — do it as fast as possible.  The Army Corps of Engineers will pump out water and decrease flooding. 

We’ve already directed the Department of Defense to be ready to provide active-duty service members to support Florida after the storm — after the storm surge if Governor DeSantis requests the help, which I expect he might, just like we did in North Carolina. 

I have surged over 1,000 U.S. Coast Guard personnel to perform search and rescue missions and reopen the Port of Tampa as soon as possible. 

Now, I want to reiterate a point.  I made clear earlier today to the folks who have been impacted by Helene, this impact — and will be now impacted by Milton: Over the last few weeks, there has been reckless and irresponsible and relentless promotion of disinformation and outright lies about what’s going on.  It’s undermining confidence in the people in Florida and the incredible rescue and recovery work that has been undertaken. 

Literally, there are — there are thousands of fellow Americans who are putting their lives at stake and putting it on the line to do the dangerous work that needs to be done now.  And it’s harmful to those who most need the help. 

Quite frankly, these lies are un-American.  And there is simply no place for them — not now, not ever. 

Former President Trump has led this onslaught of lies. 

Assertions have been made that property is being confiscated.  That’s simply not true.  They’re saying people impacted by these storms will receive $750 in cash and no more.  That is simply not true, either.  And they’re saying that money needed for these crises are being diverted to migrants.  What the hell — heck are they talking about?  Stop it.  It’s outrageous.  It’s just not true. 

Now the claims are getting even more bizarre.  Marjorie Taylor Greene, the congresswoman from Georgia, is now saying the federal government is literally controlling the weather — we’re controlling the weather.  It’s beyond ridiculous.  It’s so stupid.  It’s got to stop. 

Let me close with this.  As difficult as these days and weeks have been, we’ve seen incredible courage by so many of our fellow Americans. 

I want to thank all the first responders for running toward danger instead of away from it, for saving lives and making a difference: FEMA personnel risking their lives, climbing on hillsides to reach people who — cut off by Helena [Helene]; Army National Guard flying through gale wind force that — it’s amazing what they’re doing; firefighting lifting collapsed wood and metal in attempt to get — see if there are survivors — any survivors under the debris, risking their lives; Coast Guard teams repelling from helicopters to rescue people and risking their own lives. 

And there are countless friends and neighbors who have sacrificed for the greater good: volunteers leaving their own families behind to help search for someone else’s family, fellow Americans looking out for one another. 

That’s America at its very best.  That’s who we are.

So, my final message tonight is to the people of Florida and all the impacted states: We’ve got your back.  We’ve got your back.  And Kamala and I will be there for as long as it takes to rescue, recover, and rebuild. 

May God bless you all.  And may God protect those serving in the eye of this storm on behalf of our nation. 

Thank you.

Q    Why do you think —

Q    Mr. President —

Q    — Trump is spreading misinformation?

Q    — the Kremlin has confirmed that —

Q    Why do you think Trump is —

Q    — former President Trump has sent testing kits — 

Q    — is spreading misinformation?

Q    — to — to President Putin during the height of the pandemic.  Do you have a comment, sir?

Q    Why do you think Trump is —

THE PRESIDENT:  Speaking of un-American.

Q    Why do you think Trump is spreading misinformation?

THE PRESIDENT:  I don’t know.  I — I simply don’t know.  You can speculate, but it — I — I just find it — I mean, I — and I’ve use the wor- — phrase more than I’ve used it ever in my whole career: un-American.  It’s un-American.  It’s not who the hell we are.  What are they talking about?

Q    Sir, have you considered calling him and asking him to stop doing that — to stop spreading this?

THE PRESIDENT:  Oh, come on.

Q    Mr. President, does Governor DeSantis need to take Vice President Harris’ calls?

THE PRESIDENT:  All I can tell you is I’m talking to Governor DeSantis.  He’s been very gracious.  He’s thanked me for all we’ve done.  He knows what we’re doing.  And — and I think that’s important. 

Q    Can you say that Florida has everything it needs for this storm?

Q    How was your call with Netanyahu today?

THE PRESIDENT:  (Laughs.)  We didn’t talk about the storm.

5:41 P.M. EDT

The post Remarks by President Biden on Hurricane Milton appeared first on The White House.

Roosevelt Room

5:34 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Good evening. 

Within a few hours, Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall on the west coast of Flor- — the western coast of Florida.  Already, we’re seeing impacts from the storm, including significant winds and heavy rain.  And there has also been frequent and widespread tornado warnings throughout the day, and they’re continuing and expected to expand as Milton moves over land, including a few that have already touched down in souther- — in South Florida. 

Currently, Milton is a Category 3, with wind speeds up to 120 miles per hour.  But no one should be confused: It’s still expected to be one of the most and worst destructive hurricanes to hit Florida in over a century. 

You know, both the heads of the National Hurricane Center and the National Weather Service made it very clear in conversations I’ve had with them earlier today: Milton still carries incredible destructiveness.  It can wipe out communities.  It can cause loss of life.  Storm surge is still expected to be up to 13 feet. 

So, I urge everyone in Hurricane Milton’s path to listen to local officials and follow all the safety instructions they give.  At this point, evacuation is probably difficult, so I encourage people to look for safer shelter.  Sometimes moving just a — a few miles can mean the difference between life and death. 

We’ve already approved emergency declarations for Florida.  We have thousands of federal personnel on the ground.  And we have staged and are ready to go — we have 20 million meals, 40 million liters of water. 

At my direction, the secretary of Defense, Austin, has pre-positioned search and rescue teams, helicopters, and highs-water veh- — high- — high-water speed vehicles as close to the storm as possible so they’re ready to conduct lifesaving missions. 

And the administrators of — the administrator of FEMA will be on site tonight in Florida and the state’s emerge- — in the state’s emergency operations center.  Both Administrator Criswell and I will be in constant contact with state and local officials in the hours ahead. 

Once the storm hits, we’re going to work with state officials to clear debris, restore power, and it — do it as fast as possible.  The Army Corps of Engineers will pump out water and decrease flooding. 

We’ve already directed the Department of Defense to be ready to provide active-duty service members to support Florida after the storm — after the storm surge if Governor DeSantis requests the help, which I expect he might, just like we did in North Carolina. 

I have surged over 1,000 U.S. Coast Guard personnel to perform search and rescue missions and reopen the Port of Tampa as soon as possible. 

Now, I want to reiterate a point.  I made clear earlier today to the folks who have been impacted by Helene, this impact — and will be now impacted by Milton: Over the last few weeks, there has been reckless and irresponsible and relentless promotion of disinformation and outright lies about what’s going on.  It’s undermining confidence in the people in Florida and the incredible rescue and recovery work that has been undertaken. 

Literally, there are — there are thousands of fellow Americans who are putting their lives at stake and putting it on the line to do the dangerous work that needs to be done now.  And it’s harmful to those who most need the help. 

Quite frankly, these lies are un-American.  And there is simply no place for them — not now, not ever. 

Former President Trump has led this onslaught of lies. 

Assertions have been made that property is being confiscated.  That’s simply not true.  They’re saying people impacted by these storms will receive $750 in cash and no more.  That is simply not true, either.  And they’re saying that money needed for these crises are being diverted to migrants.  What the hell — heck are they talking about?  Stop it.  It’s outrageous.  It’s just not true. 

Now the claims are getting even more bizarre.  Marjorie Taylor Greene, the congresswoman from Georgia, is now saying the federal government is literally controlling the weather — we’re controlling the weather.  It’s beyond ridiculous.  It’s so stupid.  It’s got to stop. 

Let me close with this.  As difficult as these days and weeks have been, we’ve seen incredible courage by so many of our fellow Americans. 

I want to thank all the first responders for running toward danger instead of away from it, for saving lives and making a difference: FEMA personnel risking their lives, climbing on hillsides to reach people who — cut off by Helena [Helene]; Army National Guard flying through gale wind force that — it’s amazing what they’re doing; firefighting lifting collapsed wood and metal in attempt to get — see if there are survivors — any survivors under the debris, risking their lives; Coast Guard teams repelling from helicopters to rescue people and risking their own lives. 

And there are countless friends and neighbors who have sacrificed for the greater good: volunteers leaving their own families behind to help search for someone else’s family, fellow Americans looking out for one another. 

That’s America at its very best.  That’s who we are.

So, my final message tonight is to the people of Florida and all the impacted states: We’ve got your back.  We’ve got your back.  And Kamala and I will be there for as long as it takes to rescue, recover, and rebuild. 

May God bless you all.  And may God protect those serving in the eye of this storm on behalf of our nation. 

Thank you.

Q    Why do you think —

Q    Mr. President —

Q    — Trump is spreading misinformation?

Q    — the Kremlin has confirmed that —

Q    Why do you think Trump is —

Q    — former President Trump has sent testing kits — 

Q    — is spreading misinformation?

Q    — to — to President Putin during the height of the pandemic.  Do you have a comment, sir?

Q    Why do you think Trump is —

THE PRESIDENT:  Speaking of un-American.

Q    Why do you think Trump is spreading misinformation?

THE PRESIDENT:  I don’t know.  I — I simply don’t know.  You can speculate, but it — I — I just find it — I mean, I — and I’ve use the wor- — phrase more than I’ve used it ever in my whole career: un-American.  It’s un-American.  It’s not who the hell we are.  What are they talking about?

Q    Sir, have you considered calling him and asking him to stop doing that — to stop spreading this?

THE PRESIDENT:  Oh, come on.

Q    Mr. President, does Governor DeSantis need to take Vice President Harris’ calls?

THE PRESIDENT:  All I can tell you is I’m talking to Governor DeSantis.  He’s been very gracious.  He’s thanked me for all we’ve done.  He knows what we’re doing.  And — and I think that’s important. 

Q    Can you say that Florida has everything it needs for this storm?

Q    How was your call with Netanyahu today?

THE PRESIDENT:  (Laughs.)  We didn’t talk about the storm.

5:41 P.M. EDT

The post Remarks by President Biden on Hurricane Milton appeared first on The White House.

The Biden-Harris Administration continues to both make urgent and life-saving preparations for Hurricane Milton and carry out response and recovery efforts for communities impacted by Hurricane Helene.

Today, President Biden and Vice President Harris received a briefing from members of their Administration about updates on the latest forecast for Hurricane Milton, expected impacts for the State of Florida, and the robust pre-landfall preparations underway. They also received an update on the ongoing response to the impacts of Hurricane Helene across the Southeast and Appalachia. President Biden will address the Nation tonight regarding Hurricane Milton.

President Biden has spoken to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, Clearwater Mayor Bruce Rector, and Pinellas County Chairwoman Kathleen Peters to get firsthand reports on recovery efforts for Hurricane Helene and to discuss preparations for Hurricane Milton. The President told each of the officials to call him directly if they need additional assistance on response and recovery efforts.

More than 8,000 Federal personnel are on the ground across the Southeast, including in Florida, to continue Hurricane Helene recovery efforts and respond to the impacts of Hurricane Milton.

At the direction of President Biden, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell will travel to Florida tonight to join the personnel on the ground and ensure every Floridian gets the help they need when this storm passes.

Additional updates on our efforts for Hurricanes Milton and Helene include:

Hurricane Milton Pre-Landfall Preparations

Pre-Landfall Outreach and Emergency Declarations

President Biden granted pre-landfall emergency declarations for the State of Florida and the Seminole Tribe of Florida for Hurricane Milton, enabling FEMA to provide direct assistance to the state, local and Tribal response, preposition supplies and response assets and mobilize hundreds of personnel in the state, many of whom were already in place supporting the Hurricane Helene response.

The White House has been in contact with more than 60 Florida officials from all 51 counties that fall under the pre-landfall Emergency Declaration approved by President Biden. We remain in close communication with officials in the 16 cities and counties that will likely be in the direct path of the storm.

Surging Resources and Personnel to Florida

FEMA has over 1,000 responders on the ground in Florida supporting Hurricane Milton preparations and recovery efforts from previous disasters. There are over 1,400 search and rescue personnel pre-staged to support Hurricane Milton response efforts.

The U.S. Coast Guard has 1,300 personnel stationed in Florida ready to immediately assist with life-saving and life sustaining search and rescue operations throughout the State. The Coast Guard also has personnel ready who will work directly with the U.S. Army Corps of engineers to assess and open the critical lifeline of the Port of Tampa as quickly as possible to ensure necessary supplies and fuel can start to flow into the impacted areas again.

The State of Florida has activated over 6,000 members of the National Guard and expects to bring on an additional 3,000 National Guard members from Florida and other States to support State response activities.

The Federal government has pre-positioned resources to support local and state response efforts ahead of Hurricane Milton. FEMA pre-staged seven FEMA Incident Management Assistance Teams, eight federal Urban Search & Rescue and swift water rescue teams, three U.S. Coast Guard Swift Water Rescue teams, 10 HealthCare System Assessment Teams, two U.S Army Corps of Engineers temporary power teams, debris experts, Environmental Protection Agency wastewater experts, over 500 ambulances, 20 helicopters prepared to support media requirements following landfall, and 60 High Water Vehicles with ladders from the Department of Defense.

Additionally, FEMA has five incident staging bases with commodities including food and water. Right now, FEMA has 20 million meals and 40 million liters of water ready to deploy to address ongoing Helene and Milton response efforts with capacity to expand as needed.

The Department of Defense is ready to support air search-and-rescue efforts, support urban search-and-rescue teams, provide helicopters to move personnel and equipment, and provide high water vehicles. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is staged across the area of impact and is prepared to support debris management, assessments of infrastructure and water/wastewater facilities, temporary power installations, and flood/water mitigation efforts.

Additional Efforts to Support Pre-Landfall Preparations and Protect Communities

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is leveraging state-of-the-art technology to keep communities safe throughout the southeast. NOAA’s fleet of “Hurricane Hunter” aircraft gather vital data to help improve track and intensity forecasts, supporting the 24-7 work of the National Weather Service (NWS). NWS provides the real-time, accurate information that assists local meteorologists and emergency operations leaders protect their communities and combat weather misinformation. Additionally, data from reconnaissance planes and drones used to survey damage following Hurricane Helene’s landfall will help us better prepare for post-Milton recovery operations.

The Department of Energy’s Energy Response Organization remains activated to respond to storm impacts. Via the Electricity Sub-Sector Coordinating Council and Oil and Natural Gas Sub-Sector Coordinating Council, the Department has been coordinating continuously with energy sector partners on both the ongoing Hurricane Helene response and potential impacts from Hurricane Milton.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has notified local public housing authorities and owners of its assisted multifamily and heath care properties within the State of Florida to immediately implement all appropriate safety protocols for residents and workers. HUD is committed to ensuring that residents of its assisted homes and properties receive critical information that can save lives during extreme weather events. HUD is also conducting outreach and communications on the programmatic flexibilities and waivers that can be utilized to assist communities and survivors. Additionally, HUD is working with communities, shelter operators and homelessness services providers to prepare and support them—in collaboration with FEMA and disaster assistance organizations such as the Red Cross—as they provide life-saving assistance before and after the storm.

The Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) is assessing potential critical supply chain disruptions following Hurricane Helene’s impact on the IV solution supply chain. ASPR is coordinating with B Braun, an IV solution manufacturer with a facility in Daytona Beach, Florida, to move their product out of the path of the storm and facilitate other activities that will mitigate potential impacts on future distribution. ASPR and HHS partners are committed to continue working with public and private partners to support the supply chain as facilities address return to full operational capacity. ASPR is encouraging manufacturers, wholesalers, and distributors to evaluate product allocation and healthcare providers to implement product conservation strategies to maximize available supply. ASPR is in communication with stakeholders to reduce disruption and facilitate product allocation.

Protecting Impacts to Power and Travel Infrastructure

The Department of Transportation is deploying a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Air Traffic Field Incident Response team to Florida and pre-staging operations in Jacksonville to support any impacted towers and airports. The team will work with the State and local authorities and the Department of Defense within the established Emergency Operations Center. The Department of Transportation is also deploying the FAA Communication Support Team (CST), which plays a critical role in restoring communications at impacted air traffic management facilities. Specifically, the CST will set up Starlink and Mobile Phone Bonding kits, which increase signal stability and data throughout the region. The FAA Air Traffic Organization Technical Operations Team is on-site and leading the restoration efforts for communications at air traffic facilities. The FAA is placing aircraft on standby to transport personnel from various agencies, mobilize resources, and support damage assessments to infrastructure.

The FAA granted permission to the utility Florida Power & Light to use large Teros drones to assist with damage assessments and power restoration after Milton passes. These 1,800-pound drones can fly in harsh conditions and operate in winds up to 70 mph before crewed aircraft are able to fly.

The Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration is coordinating with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and is prepared to rapidly process Emergency Relief (ER) funding requests from FDOT. The ER program helps pay for long-term, permanent repairs, and other immediate emergency repairs, such as protecting remaining facilities and restoring essential traffic. It reimburses State, local, federal, Tribal, and territorial governments for eligible expenses associated with damage from natural disasters or other emergency situations based on their requests.

Hurricane Helene Response and Recovery

The Department of Defense continues to support search-and-rescue operations, route clearance, and commodities distribution across western North Carolina with 1,500 active-duty troops. The Department of Defense is also employing additional capabilities to assist with increasing situational awareness across the remote terrain of Western North Carolina. The Army Corps of Engineers continues missions supporting temporary emergency power installations, infrastructure assessments, and debris management oversight.

Mobilizing Financial Assistance and Surging Additional Personnel and Resources

Over $344 million in assistance has been provided to Hurricane Helene survivors. President Biden approved a 100 percent Federal cost-share for Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee to assist in those States’ response efforts. In North Carolina alone, FEMA has approved over $60 million in aid for more than 51,000 households.

FEMA personnel and other Federal partners, including FEMA’s Surge Capacity Force, remain on the ground supporting impacted communities, with over 17.2 million meals and 13.9 million liters of water delivered and ensuring information is accessible, including resources in preferred languages and ASL.

Over the course of the last two weeks, 1,000 Urban Search and Rescue personnel have assisted over 3,200 survivors. FEMA Disaster Survivor Assistance Teams are on the ground in neighborhoods in all Helene-affected States helping survivors apply for assistance and connecting them with additional State, local, Federal and voluntary agency resources.

Supporting Infrastructure Recovery

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration announced over $130 million in Quick Release Emergency Relief funding to support North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. The funding represents a down payment to address the immediate needs to restore vital transportation systems in these states. Additional funding will flow to affected communities from the Emergency Relief program.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) worked with partners to ensure the national airspace returned to steady state operations and all airports across impacted states reopened. The FAA’s Security and Hazardous Materials Safety Communication Support Team was deployed to restore communications to impacted airports, including delivering satellite communications kits to the Asheville Regional Airport in North Carolina and ongoing work at Valdosta Regional Airport in Georgia. The FAA Air Traffic Organization Technical Operations Team is on-site and leading communications restoration efforts at air traffic facilities. FAA also supported FEMA with two aircrafts to conduct flyover assessments and transport emergency personnel and gear, such as satellite communications kits.

Additionally, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration issued Regional Emergency Declarations for Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. This Declaration affords emergency regulatory relief from Federal Motor Carrier Safety regulations, including maximum driving time for property- and passenger-carrying vehicles from the date of declaration. This allows truck drivers to get essential supplies to affected areas. The FMCSA Regional Declaration eliminates the need for each individual state to request a 14-day extension and allows FMCSA the ability to manage one declaration that includes all eight states and does not expire until October 27.

NOAA continues to support post-disaster imagery flights following Hurricane Helene, already totaling over 68 flight hours during 20 flights, including over western North Carolina. NOAA is currently repositioning to support Florida and the impacts of Hurricane Milton. NOAA’s aerial imagery captures damage to coastal areas caused by a storm and aids safe navigation. Aerial imagery is a crucial tool to determine the extent of the damage from flooding, and to compare baseline coastal areas to assess the damage to major ports and waterways, coastlines, critical infrastructure, and coastal communities. This imagery not only supports FEMA and the broader response community, but the public at large.

Supporting Students and Student Loan Borrowers

The U.S. Department of Education is lifting up a series of resources for students, families, and borrowers impacted by these hurricanes. These resources include guidance, in person support, technical assistance, and peer-to-peer connections for state and local leaders; resources for recovery needs such as mental health support for students and educators; flexibilities to help institutions of higher education continue to manage the Federal financial aid programs; and automatically enrolling affected borrowers with missed payments into a natural disaster forbearance. Thanks to regulations issued by the Biden-Harris Administration, this forbearance will count toward Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) and income-driven repayment forgiveness.

Providing Financial Flexibilities to Homeowners and Taxpayers

The Department of Housing and Urban Development is providing a 90-day moratorium on foreclosures of mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) as well as foreclosures of mortgages to Native American borrowers guaranteed under the Section 184 Indian Home Loan Guarantee program. The moratorium and extension are effective as of the President’s disaster declaration date in each state. When homes are destroyed or damaged to an extent that reconstruction or complete replacement is necessary, HUD’s Section 203(h) program provides FHA insurance to disaster victims. Borrowers from participating FHA approved lenders are eligible for 100 percent financing including closing costs. HUD’s Section 203(k) loan program enables individuals to finance the purchase or refinance of a house, along with its repair, through a single mortgage. Homeowners can also finance the rehabilitation of their existing homes if damaged. FHA is coordinating and collaborating with the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Agriculture to ensure consistent messaging and policies for single family loans regarding foreclosure moratoriums and repayment/arrearage agreements. Additionally, affected homeowners that have mortgages through Government-Sponsored Enterprises – including Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac – and the FHA are eligible to suspend their mortgage payments through a forbearance plan for up to 12 months.

The Internal Revenue Service announced disaster tax relief for all individuals and businesses affected by Hurricane Helene, including the entire states of Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina and parts of Florida, Tennessee and Virginia. Taxpayers in these areas now have until May 1, 2025, to file various federal individual and business tax returns and make tax payments. In addition, the Internal Revenue Service is providing more than 1,000 employees to help with FEMA disaster relief call lines and intake initial information to help disaster victims get federal relief. IRS Criminal Investigation agents are also on the ground in devastated areas to help with search and rescue efforts and other relief work – including assisting with door-to-door search efforts.

Protecting Public Health

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services activated the Emergency Prescription Assistance Program for North Carolina to aid uninsured residents in replacing prescription medicines or certain medical equipment lost or damaged in Hurricane Helene.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is working closely with state and local officials to restore drinking water service in North Carolina and across the Southeast as well as provide assistance in debris and hazardous waste clean-up efforts.

Supporting Workers and Worker Safety

The U.S. Department of Labor announced initial emergency grant funding to Florida to support disaster-relief jobs and training services to help respond to Hurricane Helene. Additional grant funding for North Carolina is forthcoming. The National Dislocated Worker Grant – supported by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 – allows the Florida Department of Commerce to provide people with temporary disaster-relief jobs and the delivery of humanitarian assistance to address immediate, basic needs for those displaced by Hurricane Helene. The funding also enables the state to provide training and services to individuals in the affected communities.

Working alongside the Department of Labor, the States of Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee have all announced that eligible workers can receive federal Disaster Unemployment Assistance to compensate for income lost directly resulting from Hurricane Helene. And, through the Department of Labor’s innovative partnership with the U.S. Postal Service, displaced workers from North Carolina and South Carolina can now go to the post office in any other state and verify their ID for purposes of getting their benefits quickly.

The Department of Labor is also working alongside on-the-ground personnel providing disaster relief, recovery, and rebuilding to prevent additional workplace disasters. This includes producing a worker safety training resource for resilience workers in Florida who are continuing to clear debris, rebuild infrastructure, and prepare for Hurricane Milton. This also includes activating the Wage and Hours Division Natural Disaster outreach, education and strategic enforcement program to provide employers and workers with the information they need to ensure everyone is paid correctly under the law.

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The Biden-Harris Administration continues to both make urgent and life-saving preparations for Hurricane Milton and carry out response and recovery efforts for communities impacted by Hurricane Helene.

Today, President Biden and Vice President Harris received a briefing from members of their Administration about updates on the latest forecast for Hurricane Milton, expected impacts for the State of Florida, and the robust pre-landfall preparations underway. They also received an update on the ongoing response to the impacts of Hurricane Helene across the Southeast and Appalachia. President Biden will address the Nation tonight regarding Hurricane Milton.

President Biden has spoken to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, Clearwater Mayor Bruce Rector, and Pinellas County Chairwoman Kathleen Peters to get firsthand reports on recovery efforts for Hurricane Helene and to discuss preparations for Hurricane Milton. The President told each of the officials to call him directly if they need additional assistance on response and recovery efforts.

More than 8,000 Federal personnel are on the ground across the Southeast, including in Florida, to continue Hurricane Helene recovery efforts and respond to the impacts of Hurricane Milton.

At the direction of President Biden, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell will travel to Florida tonight to join the personnel on the ground and ensure every Floridian gets the help they need when this storm passes.

Additional updates on our efforts for Hurricanes Milton and Helene include:

Hurricane Milton Pre-Landfall Preparations

Pre-Landfall Outreach and Emergency Declarations

President Biden granted pre-landfall emergency declarations for the State of Florida and the Seminole Tribe of Florida for Hurricane Milton, enabling FEMA to provide direct assistance to the state, local and Tribal response, preposition supplies and response assets and mobilize hundreds of personnel in the state, many of whom were already in place supporting the Hurricane Helene response.

The White House has been in contact with more than 60 Florida officials from all 51 counties that fall under the pre-landfall Emergency Declaration approved by President Biden. We remain in close communication with officials in the 16 cities and counties that will likely be in the direct path of the storm.

Surging Resources and Personnel to Florida

FEMA has over 1,000 responders on the ground in Florida supporting Hurricane Milton preparations and recovery efforts from previous disasters. There are over 1,400 search and rescue personnel pre-staged to support Hurricane Milton response efforts.

The U.S. Coast Guard has 1,300 personnel stationed in Florida ready to immediately assist with life-saving and life sustaining search and rescue operations throughout the State. The Coast Guard also has personnel ready who will work directly with the U.S. Army Corps of engineers to assess and open the critical lifeline of the Port of Tampa as quickly as possible to ensure necessary supplies and fuel can start to flow into the impacted areas again.

The State of Florida has activated over 6,000 members of the National Guard and expects to bring on an additional 3,000 National Guard members from Florida and other States to support State response activities.

The Federal government has pre-positioned resources to support local and state response efforts ahead of Hurricane Milton. FEMA pre-staged seven FEMA Incident Management Assistance Teams, eight federal Urban Search & Rescue and swift water rescue teams, three U.S. Coast Guard Swift Water Rescue teams, 10 HealthCare System Assessment Teams, two U.S Army Corps of Engineers temporary power teams, debris experts, Environmental Protection Agency wastewater experts, over 500 ambulances, 20 helicopters prepared to support media requirements following landfall, and 60 High Water Vehicles with ladders from the Department of Defense.

Additionally, FEMA has five incident staging bases with commodities including food and water. Right now, FEMA has 20 million meals and 40 million liters of water ready to deploy to address ongoing Helene and Milton response efforts with capacity to expand as needed.

The Department of Defense is ready to support air search-and-rescue efforts, support urban search-and-rescue teams, provide helicopters to move personnel and equipment, and provide high water vehicles. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is staged across the area of impact and is prepared to support debris management, assessments of infrastructure and water/wastewater facilities, temporary power installations, and flood/water mitigation efforts.

Additional Efforts to Support Pre-Landfall Preparations and Protect Communities

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is leveraging state-of-the-art technology to keep communities safe throughout the southeast. NOAA’s fleet of “Hurricane Hunter” aircraft gather vital data to help improve track and intensity forecasts, supporting the 24-7 work of the National Weather Service (NWS). NWS provides the real-time, accurate information that assists local meteorologists and emergency operations leaders protect their communities and combat weather misinformation. Additionally, data from reconnaissance planes and drones used to survey damage following Hurricane Helene’s landfall will help us better prepare for post-Milton recovery operations.

The Department of Energy’s Energy Response Organization remains activated to respond to storm impacts. Via the Electricity Sub-Sector Coordinating Council and Oil and Natural Gas Sub-Sector Coordinating Council, the Department has been coordinating continuously with energy sector partners on both the ongoing Hurricane Helene response and potential impacts from Hurricane Milton.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has notified local public housing authorities and owners of its assisted multifamily and heath care properties within the State of Florida to immediately implement all appropriate safety protocols for residents and workers. HUD is committed to ensuring that residents of its assisted homes and properties receive critical information that can save lives during extreme weather events. HUD is also conducting outreach and communications on the programmatic flexibilities and waivers that can be utilized to assist communities and survivors. Additionally, HUD is working with communities, shelter operators and homelessness services providers to prepare and support them—in collaboration with FEMA and disaster assistance organizations such as the Red Cross—as they provide life-saving assistance before and after the storm.

The Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) is assessing potential critical supply chain disruptions following Hurricane Helene’s impact on the IV solution supply chain. ASPR is coordinating with B Braun, an IV solution manufacturer with a facility in Daytona Beach, Florida, to move their product out of the path of the storm and facilitate other activities that will mitigate potential impacts on future distribution. ASPR and HHS partners are committed to continue working with public and private partners to support the supply chain as facilities address return to full operational capacity. ASPR is encouraging manufacturers, wholesalers, and distributors to evaluate product allocation and healthcare providers to implement product conservation strategies to maximize available supply. ASPR is in communication with stakeholders to reduce disruption and facilitate product allocation.

Protecting Impacts to Power and Travel Infrastructure

The Department of Transportation is deploying a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Air Traffic Field Incident Response team to Florida and pre-staging operations in Jacksonville to support any impacted towers and airports. The team will work with the State and local authorities and the Department of Defense within the established Emergency Operations Center. The Department of Transportation is also deploying the FAA Communication Support Team (CST), which plays a critical role in restoring communications at impacted air traffic management facilities. Specifically, the CST will set up Starlink and Mobile Phone Bonding kits, which increase signal stability and data throughout the region. The FAA Air Traffic Organization Technical Operations Team is on-site and leading the restoration efforts for communications at air traffic facilities. The FAA is placing aircraft on standby to transport personnel from various agencies, mobilize resources, and support damage assessments to infrastructure.

The FAA granted permission to the utility Florida Power & Light to use large Teros drones to assist with damage assessments and power restoration after Milton passes. These 1,800-pound drones can fly in harsh conditions and operate in winds up to 70 mph before crewed aircraft are able to fly.

The Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration is coordinating with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and is prepared to rapidly process Emergency Relief (ER) funding requests from FDOT. The ER program helps pay for long-term, permanent repairs, and other immediate emergency repairs, such as protecting remaining facilities and restoring essential traffic. It reimburses State, local, federal, Tribal, and territorial governments for eligible expenses associated with damage from natural disasters or other emergency situations based on their requests.

Hurricane Helene Response and Recovery

The Department of Defense continues to support search-and-rescue operations, route clearance, and commodities distribution across western North Carolina with 1,500 active-duty troops. The Department of Defense is also employing additional capabilities to assist with increasing situational awareness across the remote terrain of Western North Carolina. The Army Corps of Engineers continues missions supporting temporary emergency power installations, infrastructure assessments, and debris management oversight.

Mobilizing Financial Assistance and Surging Additional Personnel and Resources

Over $344 million in assistance has been provided to Hurricane Helene survivors. President Biden approved a 100 percent Federal cost-share for Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee to assist in those States’ response efforts. In North Carolina alone, FEMA has approved over $60 million in aid for more than 51,000 households.

FEMA personnel and other Federal partners, including FEMA’s Surge Capacity Force, remain on the ground supporting impacted communities, with over 17.2 million meals and 13.9 million liters of water delivered and ensuring information is accessible, including resources in preferred languages and ASL.

Over the course of the last two weeks, 1,000 Urban Search and Rescue personnel have assisted over 3,200 survivors. FEMA Disaster Survivor Assistance Teams are on the ground in neighborhoods in all Helene-affected States helping survivors apply for assistance and connecting them with additional State, local, Federal and voluntary agency resources.

Supporting Infrastructure Recovery

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration announced over $130 million in Quick Release Emergency Relief funding to support North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. The funding represents a down payment to address the immediate needs to restore vital transportation systems in these states. Additional funding will flow to affected communities from the Emergency Relief program.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) worked with partners to ensure the national airspace returned to steady state operations and all airports across impacted states reopened. The FAA’s Security and Hazardous Materials Safety Communication Support Team was deployed to restore communications to impacted airports, including delivering satellite communications kits to the Asheville Regional Airport in North Carolina and ongoing work at Valdosta Regional Airport in Georgia. The FAA Air Traffic Organization Technical Operations Team is on-site and leading communications restoration efforts at air traffic facilities. FAA also supported FEMA with two aircrafts to conduct flyover assessments and transport emergency personnel and gear, such as satellite communications kits.

Additionally, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration issued Regional Emergency Declarations for Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. This Declaration affords emergency regulatory relief from Federal Motor Carrier Safety regulations, including maximum driving time for property- and passenger-carrying vehicles from the date of declaration. This allows truck drivers to get essential supplies to affected areas. The FMCSA Regional Declaration eliminates the need for each individual state to request a 14-day extension and allows FMCSA the ability to manage one declaration that includes all eight states and does not expire until October 27.

NOAA continues to support post-disaster imagery flights following Hurricane Helene, already totaling over 68 flight hours during 20 flights, including over western North Carolina. NOAA is currently repositioning to support Florida and the impacts of Hurricane Milton. NOAA’s aerial imagery captures damage to coastal areas caused by a storm and aids safe navigation. Aerial imagery is a crucial tool to determine the extent of the damage from flooding, and to compare baseline coastal areas to assess the damage to major ports and waterways, coastlines, critical infrastructure, and coastal communities. This imagery not only supports FEMA and the broader response community, but the public at large.

Supporting Students and Student Loan Borrowers

The U.S. Department of Education is lifting up a series of resources for students, families, and borrowers impacted by these hurricanes. These resources include guidance, in person support, technical assistance, and peer-to-peer connections for state and local leaders; resources for recovery needs such as mental health support for students and educators; flexibilities to help institutions of higher education continue to manage the Federal financial aid programs; and automatically enrolling affected borrowers with missed payments into a natural disaster forbearance. Thanks to regulations issued by the Biden-Harris Administration, this forbearance will count toward Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) and income-driven repayment forgiveness.

Providing Financial Flexibilities to Homeowners and Taxpayers

The Department of Housing and Urban Development is providing a 90-day moratorium on foreclosures of mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) as well as foreclosures of mortgages to Native American borrowers guaranteed under the Section 184 Indian Home Loan Guarantee program. The moratorium and extension are effective as of the President’s disaster declaration date in each state. When homes are destroyed or damaged to an extent that reconstruction or complete replacement is necessary, HUD’s Section 203(h) program provides FHA insurance to disaster victims. Borrowers from participating FHA approved lenders are eligible for 100 percent financing including closing costs. HUD’s Section 203(k) loan program enables individuals to finance the purchase or refinance of a house, along with its repair, through a single mortgage. Homeowners can also finance the rehabilitation of their existing homes if damaged. FHA is coordinating and collaborating with the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Agriculture to ensure consistent messaging and policies for single family loans regarding foreclosure moratoriums and repayment/arrearage agreements. Additionally, affected homeowners that have mortgages through Government-Sponsored Enterprises – including Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac – and the FHA are eligible to suspend their mortgage payments through a forbearance plan for up to 12 months.

The Internal Revenue Service announced disaster tax relief for all individuals and businesses affected by Hurricane Helene, including the entire states of Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina and parts of Florida, Tennessee and Virginia. Taxpayers in these areas now have until May 1, 2025, to file various federal individual and business tax returns and make tax payments. In addition, the Internal Revenue Service is providing more than 1,000 employees to help with FEMA disaster relief call lines and intake initial information to help disaster victims get federal relief. IRS Criminal Investigation agents are also on the ground in devastated areas to help with search and rescue efforts and other relief work – including assisting with door-to-door search efforts.

Protecting Public Health

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services activated the Emergency Prescription Assistance Program for North Carolina to aid uninsured residents in replacing prescription medicines or certain medical equipment lost or damaged in Hurricane Helene.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is working closely with state and local officials to restore drinking water service in North Carolina and across the Southeast as well as provide assistance in debris and hazardous waste clean-up efforts.

Supporting Workers and Worker Safety

The U.S. Department of Labor announced initial emergency grant funding to Florida to support disaster-relief jobs and training services to help respond to Hurricane Helene. Additional grant funding for North Carolina is forthcoming. The National Dislocated Worker Grant – supported by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 – allows the Florida Department of Commerce to provide people with temporary disaster-relief jobs and the delivery of humanitarian assistance to address immediate, basic needs for those displaced by Hurricane Helene. The funding also enables the state to provide training and services to individuals in the affected communities.

Working alongside the Department of Labor, the States of Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee have all announced that eligible workers can receive federal Disaster Unemployment Assistance to compensate for income lost directly resulting from Hurricane Helene. And, through the Department of Labor’s innovative partnership with the U.S. Postal Service, displaced workers from North Carolina and South Carolina can now go to the post office in any other state and verify their ID for purposes of getting their benefits quickly.

The Department of Labor is also working alongside on-the-ground personnel providing disaster relief, recovery, and rebuilding to prevent additional workplace disasters. This includes producing a worker safety training resource for resilience workers in Florida who are continuing to clear debris, rebuild infrastructure, and prepare for Hurricane Milton. This also includes activating the Wage and Hours Division Natural Disaster outreach, education and strategic enforcement program to provide employers and workers with the information they need to ensure everyone is paid correctly under the law.

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The post FACT SHEET: Hurricane Helene Recovery Continues as Biden-Harris Administration Prepares for Hurricane Milton appeared first on The White House.

President Biden spoke this morning with Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel.  Vice President Harris joined the call.  The President affirmed his ironclad commitment to Israel’s security.  He condemned unequivocally Iran’s ballistic missile attack against Israel on October 1st.  On Lebanon, the President emphasized the need for a diplomatic arrangement to safely return both Lebanese and Israeli civilians to their homes on both sides of the Blue Line.  The President affirmed Israel’s right to protect its citizens from Hezbollah, which has fired thousands of missiles and rockets into Israel over the past year alone, while emphasizing the need to minimize harm to civilians, in particular in the densely populated areas of Beirut.  On Gaza, the leaders discussed the urgent need to renew diplomacy to release the hostages held by Hamas.  The President also discussed the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the imperative to restore access to the north, including by reinvigorating the corridor from Jordan immediately.  They agreed to remain in close contact over the coming days both directly and through their national security teams. 

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The post Readout of President Joe Biden’s Call with Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel appeared first on The White House.

President Biden spoke this morning with Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel.  Vice President Harris joined the call.  The President affirmed his ironclad commitment to Israel’s security.  He condemned unequivocally Iran’s ballistic missile attack against Israel on October 1st.  On Lebanon, the President emphasized the need for a diplomatic arrangement to safely return both Lebanese and Israeli civilians to their homes on both sides of the Blue Line.  The President affirmed Israel’s right to protect its citizens from Hezbollah, which has fired thousands of missiles and rockets into Israel over the past year alone, while emphasizing the need to minimize harm to civilians, in particular in the densely populated areas of Beirut.  On Gaza, the leaders discussed the urgent need to renew diplomacy to release the hostages held by Hamas.  The President also discussed the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the imperative to restore access to the north, including by reinvigorating the corridor from Jordan immediately.  They agreed to remain in close contact over the coming days both directly and through their national security teams. 

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The post Readout of President Joe Biden’s Call with Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel appeared first on The White House.