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South Court Auditorium
Eisenhower Executive Office Building

12:42 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  In less than 14 hours, Hurricane Milton will make landfall on the Western Coast of Florida.  Winds will be fierce, at well over 100 miles per hour, with storm surges reaching up to 15 feet and up to 18 inches of rain.  It’s looking like the storm of the century.

I’m here with leaders in my administration who are on the front lines preparing for this storm and will brief me in our latest efforts to save lives and livelihoods. 

I want to emphasize a few things. 

First, many communities in Hurricane Milton’s path do not have a moment to catch their breath between Helene and Milton — two historic stor- — storms in two weeks.  I want to thank everyone who has followed local guidance to evacuate ahead of landfall.  I know it’s really tough leaving behind your home, your belongings, everything you own. 

But I urge everyone in Hurricane Milton’s path to follow all safety instructions as we head into the next 24 hours.  It’s a matter of — literally a matter of life and death. 

Second, for the last week, my team has done everything possible to prepare for this storm.  I immediately approved emergency declarations in Florida and the Seminole Tribe in Florida.  I also surged search and rescue teams, water, food, power generators, ambulances to the region. 

At my direction, Administrator Criswell will be in the State Emergency Operation Center in Florida tonight.  And Kamala and I are going to keep pressure on the companies so prices stay stable on gasoline, flights, and goods people need.

Finally, we’re teaming up with state and local officials to support impacted communities.

I have spoken with the Florida governor, DeSantis; with Mayor of Tampor- — Castor — mayor — the Tampa mayor; the Clearwater mayor, Rector; and the — and the Pinellas County Chairwoman Peters.  I offered them everything we need — everything we have, everything they need.  And I made it clear to them they should reach out if there is anything more they need.  I gave them my personal phone number here at the White House to contact me directly if that’s necessary.

Let me close with this.

I want to thank the governors of all the affected areas over the last couple weeks: Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia.

You know, we’ve been in constant contact.  And they’ve been thankful and appreciative of the help the federal government is providing.  And I’m appreciative of all they’re doing as well.  I’ve told them to contact me with anything else they need.

We have made available an unprecedented number of assets to deal with this crisis, and we’re going to continue to do so until the job is done.

But now I want to be clear about something.  Over the last few weeks, there has been a reckless, irresponsible, and relentless promotion of disinformation and outright lies that are disturbing people.  It’s undermining confidence in the incredible rescue and recovery work that has already been taken and will continue to be taken, and it’s harmful to those who need help the most.

There is simply no place for this to happen.

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’s simply not true. 

They’re saying in — the money is needed to — for the — in the — for this crisis is being diverted to migrants.  What a ridiculous thing to say.  It’s not true.

Now the claims are getting even more bizarre.

Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a 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 got to stop.

In moments like this, there are no red or blue states.  There’s one United States of America, where neighbors are helping neighbors; volunteers and first responders are risking everything, including their own lives, to help their fellow Americans; state, local, and federal officials are standing side by side.

Let me repeat: No one should make the American people question whether their government will be make — to ensure that this disaster, when it strikes, they’re be there.  We will, all of us.

Now I’m going to turn it over to Vice President Harris, if that’s okay with all of you. 

Thank you. 

Madam Vice President.

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  (Via Teleconference.)  Thank you, Mr. President.  And, Liz, thank you for the work that you have been doing.

As the president said, we have working around the clock to prepare for Hurricane Milton and to ensure that people are safe, including ensuring federal, state, and local resources are being coordinated in a smart and efficient and effective way. 

We have also been in constant contact with the leaders in Florida to make sure that we are cutting any red tape that might get in the way of getting relief to folks; to make sure, also, that communities receive the resources and the support that they need as quickly as possible.

Already, we have sent more than 1,000 federal personnel to be on the ground in Florida to assist with what needs to happen in the state to prepare for this hurricane, and we will continue to scale up those efforts.

To the people of Florida and, in particular, the people of the Tampa res- — region, we urge you to take this storm seriously.  As has been said before, this is a storm that is expected to be of historic proportion. 

And many of you, I know, are tough, and you’ve ridden out these hurricanes before.  This one is going to be different.

And so, we ask you that, by every measure, understand it’s going to be more dangerous, more deadly, and more catastrophic.  So, please listen to your local officials.  They know what they’re talking about.  They know what they’re doing.

And if you are told to evacuate, please evacuate immediately.  Do not wait until it is too late. 

And in the hours and days ahead, President Biden and I and our administration will continue to do everything we can to protect the people who have been in the path of this storm.  And once the storm has passed, we will be there to help folks recover and rebuild, as we continue to do for those communities in Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina, and across the Southeast who have been devastated by Hurricane Helene.

Finally, as the president mentioned, to any company that — or individual that might use this crisis to exploit people who are desperate for help through illegal fraud or price gouging — whether it be at the gas pump, the airport, or the hotel counter — know that we are monitoring these behaviors and the situation on the ground very closely and anyone taking advantage of consumers will be held accountable. 

The bottom line is this hurricane poses an extreme danger, and we urge everyone in Florida to take extreme caution.  And we are with you, and we will get through this together.

And with that, I will hand it over to Homeland Security Adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall.

DR. SHERWOOD-RANDALL:  Thank you, Madam Vice President.

Mr. President, Madam Vice President, you will now receive a briefing on the latest forec- — forecast for Hurricane Milton and actions that we have taken to prepare for it and be ready to respond to it. 

You’ll hear from administrator of FEMA, Deanne Criswell; the director of the National Hurricane Center, Mike Brennan; the director of the National Weather Service, Ken Graham; Secretary of Homeland Security, Ali Mayorkas; and the commandant of the Coast Guard, Admiral Linda Fagan. 

We’ll begin the briefing with Administrator Criswell.  Over to you, Deanne.

ADMINISTRATOR CRISWELL:  Thank you, Liz.

Mr. President, Madam Vice President, I just want to assure you we are taking this storm very seriously.  As you will hear from Dr. Brennan shortly, Milton is currently a Category 4 storm and will remain a hurricane as it crosses over Florida.

At your direction, Mr. President, I will be traveling down to Tallahassee tonight to embed at the state EOC to meet with my team as well as our state partners, and I will be there to assess the damages and the impacts immediately following the storm, working in close coordination with the state to ensure that they have everything that they need to support their priorities.

As you have always directed me to do, I am leaning forward to make sure that we are strategically placing our resources and our teams to be able to rapidly respond in Florida.

There are currently over a thousand federal personnel on the ground in Florida supporting the efforts from Hurricane Helene, as well as the previous storms that have happened over the last few years.  And I have directed, at your direction, an additional 1,200 search and rescue personnel from FEMA, the Coast Guard, and the Department of Defense to stage in Florida so they are ready to take action as soon as Milton makes landfall. 

This also includes 30 high-water vehicles, helicopters, as well as boats to be able to go in and support the counties and the states as needed. 

I’ve also moved over 500 ambulances to help assist with the response, six incident management assistance teams into — one specifically into Tampa and others throughout the region, multiple power assessment teams and dozens of medical facility assessment teams so they can go in and check on the health and medical facilities as soon as the storm passes.

And Mr. President and Madam Vice President, I have also moved millions of meals and liters of water into Florida to be able to support any of those immediate needs. 

I really appreciate, Mr. President and Madam Vice President, your continuous effort to help lift up the warnings and the guidance that you just gave about what people need to do in the path of Hurricane Milton. 

This is an extremely dangerous storm, and we need all of the residents that are in the path of the storm to listen to their local officials.  They will tell you if there’s still time to evacuate or what you need to do if you are still where you’re at.  They will give you the right information about what you need to do to protect yourself where you are at right now.

Sometimes just traveling a few miles inland can mean the difference between life and death, and nobody has to lose their life as a result of this storm. 

So, in short, Mr. President and Madam Vice President, I assure you, we are taking this storm extremely seriously.  We are focused, and we are ready to support the people of Florida.

THE PRESIDENT:  Deanne, you’re doing a hell of a job.  You always have.  I know we’ve been through a lot of this together, all three of us, including the vice president.

And I have one question right now, though.  What are you most worried about today and into tomorrow?  And what messaging can we do to help people in the hours before it makes landfall?

ADMINISTRATOR CRISWELL:  Mr. President, the — the biggest concern is making sure people have gotten out of harm’s way. 

Over the next 24 hours, we are going to see significant winds.  We are going to see storm surge.  We are going to see flooding from the rain.  People need to be able to take this storm seriously.  They need to move if they still have time to move out of harm’s way.  And we are prepared to support Florida with additional search and rescue assets to help save lives. 

That’s our immediate concern, Mr. President, is saving lives over the next 24 hours.

THE PRESIDENT:  Have you ever seen a storm like this one, since you’ve been in charge?

ADMINISTRATOR CRISWELL:  I think this is going to be one of the biggest ones that we have seen after it makes landfall.  I mean, we — we saw a lot of impact from Hurricane Ian, but this one is different.  This one just looks different.  And I think we’re going to have a lot of impacts and people that are going to need our help, sir.

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, thank you very much.

ADMINISTRATOR CRISWELL:  Thank you.

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Administrator Criswell —

ADMINISTRATOR CRISWELL:  Yes, ma’am.

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  — are we concerned about any misinformation or disinformation regarding evacuations that we need to clear up at this point?

ADMINISTRATOR CRISWELL:  There’s been a lot of misinformation out there, Madam Vice President.  That’s for sure.  But I have not heard anything specific to the evacuations. 

I think that the local officials, the state officials, have been very strong in getting that message out there and getting people to move out of harm’s way. 

I was in Florida on Monday.  I met with the mayor of Tampa as well as the mayor of St. Petersburg, and we saw people evacuating.  And so, they are listening to their local officials, and that was encouraging. 

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  That’s great.  Thank you. 

DR. SHERWOOD-RANDALL:  I think we’ll move on, then.  Thank you, Administrator Criswell.  We’ll move to Director Brennan from the National Hurricane Center.

DR. BRENNAN:  Thank you, Liz.  Mr. President, Madam Vice President, good afternoon. 

As — as Administrator Criswell mentioned, we are just hours away from seeing a potentially catastrophic hurricane landfall along the west coast of Florida, with the center of Milton expected to cross the coast late this evening or very early tomorrow morning. 

It is a powerful major hurricane and a large hurricane at that.  We are already seeing multiple life-threatening hazards playing out across Florida.  We have multiple tornado warnings in effect across portions of southern Florida.  We’re seeing winds increasing, heavy rainfall spreading across much of the state. 

And conditions are going to rapidly deteriorate over the next few hours, especially where landfall is going to occur, along the west coast.  That’s where we’re expecting that devastating storm surge of as much as 10 to 15 feet above ground level, from the — somewhere near the Tampa Bay region southward to Port Charlotte, with significant storm surge extending hundreds of miles, even farther south to the Fort Myers and Naples area. 

And that is why we have had — been supporting so many evacuation decisions to get people away from that — that devastating storm surge.  Time is running out now for people to leave along the west coast before conditions deteriorate further. 

Additionally, Milton is going to be a powerful hurricane when it makes landfall and move quickly across the state and remain at hurricane intensity as it moves across Florida tonight and as it enters the western Atlantic during the day tomorrow.  So, that is going to bring the risk of hurricane conditions to much of the central portion of the state. 

We have hurricane warnings in effect from Fort Myers up through Tampa, to Cedar Key along the west coast, all the way through the I-4 corridor, across Orlando to Daytona Beach, up to St. Augustine, including the Cape Canaveral area on the East Coast, down to Port St. Lucie.  So, a large area is at risk of seeing devastating wind impacts, widespread power outages, structural damage, and that could lead to a very unsafe environment after the storm, where we tend to see a lot of post-storm fatalities in this very dangerous environment that’s left. 

Additionally, we are expecting very heavy rainfall — 6 to 12 inches, amounts as high as 18 inches — across the heavily populated I-4 corridor from Tampa to Orlando to Daytona Beach, which could lead to widespread, catastrophic, and life-threatening flash flooding and urban flooding tonight and into Thursday in that area. 

And that’s an area where we lost about 16 people in Hurricane Ian to that same type of flooding.  So, there’s a tremendous risk to both life and property there. 

I do want to thank the administrator and FEMA and — and her — for her team’s support and our coordination on that. 

And I finally want to thank the NOAA and Air Force Reserve hurricane hunters who’ve been flying into Milton for days now, providing us just tremendously valuable direct data that has really helped inform our lifesaving forecast and warnings. 

So, thank you, Mr. President, Madam Vice President.

THE PRESIDENT:  Mike, I know you’re tired of hearing from me.  I’ve been talking to you so much lately.  But I appreciate your constant input you’ve given me and letting me know what’s going on. 

What more can you tell us about how the location of this storm is going to affect the storm surge in Florida?  I mean, because —

DR. BRENNAN:  Yeah.  I’ll —

THE PRESIDENT:  — that’s pretty consequential — right? — the surge?  I mean, that’s — is that what you’re focusing on?

DR. BRENNAN:  Yes, Mr. President.  The — just a shift of a few miles in the landfall location will make a big difference in what area sees that very worst storm surge.  So, a track of the center to the north of Tampa Bay would push the highest storm surge into Tampa Bay itself.  A track 5 or 10 or 20 miles south would push that higher storm surge, say, down to the Sarasota/Port Charlotte area. 

Even as close as we are to landfall, it’s not really possible to tell exactly where that worst surge will occur.  It’s one wobble away from shifting 10 or 20 miles.  So, that’s why we’ve, you know, conveyed that risk across such a large area to help support the evacuation of much of that west central coast of Florida.

THE PRESIDENT:  But Tampa Bay is particularly vulnerable, correct?

DR. BRENNAN:  Correct.  Yes, Mr. President.  It’s one of the most vulnerable locations along the entire west coast of Florida, because water gets funneled up into the bay.  If you were to see a worst-case scenario there, you could see storm surge as much as twice as high as they saw during Helene.  Where it got up to 7 or 8 feet in the bay, it could potentially get up above 10 feet in this — in this event.

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, thanks a lot, Mike.  I appreciate it.

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Hey, Mike.  It’s good to see you again.  And thank you for all your work. 

So, for the folks who have been living in Florida a long time and have experienced these storms many times, how are you talking with them about how this is going to be different and what and — and so, the difference between what they are used to and what this will be as a way to hopefully give them more encouragement to know that they need to get out.

DR. BRENNAN:  Yeah.  Thank you, Madam Vice President.  Yes, we’ve been en- — emphasizing the size and the intensity of the storm and the direction at which it’s approaching, which is unusual and really raises that storm surge risk for the west coast of Florida. 

We typically see hurricanes approach the west coast of Florida from the south or southeast, moving parallel to the coast.  This track more perpendicular to the coast really raises the storm surge risk.  And the size of the storm is going to produce hazardous impacts across much of the peninsula. 

So, we’ve been hitting, you know, the surge risk on both coasts, actually — the hurricane-force winds, the flooding rainfall threat, the tornadoes — and trying to re- — reemphasize the scale and breadth of the threat, which is somewhat unusual for Milton.

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  And thanks for your good work.  It’s good to see you again.

THE PRESIDENT:  Mike, one more question.

DR. BRENNAN:  Yes, sir.

THE PRESIDENT:  For people listening, what is the — what is the width of the state of Florida, from the Tampa Bay area across to Sebastian Inlet and that area to Palm Beach? 

DR. BRENNAN:  Yeah, that’s a —

THE PRESIDENT:  What – what kind of distance are we talking about?

DR. BRENNAN:  You know, across the state of Florida, you’re probably talking about, you know, 150, maybe 200 miles.  I’d — I’d have to — that’s an estimate.  But the storm is going to be moving at 15 miles per hour, so it’s going to be moving across that area very quickly.  And the tropical storm force winds, the — the 30, 40 mile per hour winds or greater now extend almost out more than 200 miles from the center.  They’re going to get even larger as the storm approaches the coastline.  So, that’s going to cause those wind impacts to affect much of the state.

THE PRESIDENT:  The reason I asked the question is, I think, at — at least for me, having done a lot of this the last three years, emphasizes the consequential damage this storm can do.  I mean this, this — this is — it’s going to enter Florida on the west as a hurricane and leave as a hurricane, and that’s —

DR. BRENNAN:  That’s correct.

THE PRESIDENT:  — that’s pretty unusual.

Well, anyway —

DR. BRENNAN:  It is.

THE PRESIDENT:  — thank you.

DR. BRENNAN:  Yes.  Yes, sir.  Thank you.

DR. SHERWOOD-RANDALL:  Thank you so much.  We will move on now to the National Weather Service Director, Ken Graham.

MR. GRAHAM:  All right.  Thanks, Liz.  I appreciate it.  And wanted to thank Administrator Criswell for — for everything through this, and Dr. Brennan as well.  The Hurricane Center has been really focused on this and on it with such great forecast the whole way.  I just wish we could minimize those impacts, but that doesn’t look like what’s going to happen.

So, Mr. President and Madam Vice President, we continue to work at the National Weather Service with our federal, state, and local decision-makers during the storms.

Look, we actually have our scientists embedded with FEMA, the state and local emergency operations centers, and we also have our scientists embedded with the U.S. Coast Guard District 7 to really help out with these — these decisions to make sure they’re right there to answer the questions as they come up. They’re covering, really, the subtleties, as — as you’ve mentioned in this forecast. 

Dr. Brennan mentioned those small changes can make a big difference.  Little wiggles really do matter.  Those small wobbles make a difference in the storm surge.  And all these big storms, they wobble and wiggle all the way in.  We’ll — we’ll see that happening as this gets closer to landfall.

So, as Administrator Criswell said, listen to those local officials.  I can’t stress enough, you know, 30 years with NOAA, 30 years in the Weather Service, this is a particularly dangerous track.  People really need to be getting into their — their safe locations as the impacts start deteriorating really quickly over the next few hours.

Words really matter in these storms.  Even if the winds decrease somewhat near landfall, we really try to avoid words like “weakened.”  It really gives a false sense of security to the public.  So, we really want to stress that no matter what happens to that — the wind speed in the system, catastrophic impacts will result either way.

The size and the wind speed — the actual size of it, will be expanding, as Dr. Brennan was saying.  So, much of that impact will cover most of the peninsula. 

And, Mr. President, like — like you said, Milt- — think about it.  Just — I just — goes over my — my mind over and over: Milton will enter as a hurricane and exit as a hurricane.

So, you’ll see damage from the landfall point on the west coast to — you’ll see damage on the east coast as well.  So, it’s really important to focus on those impacts.

Again, seeing those impacts on both coasts, we’re really starting to see the impacts as we speak.  I — I was just looking at the radar before doing this — this meeting here, and we’ve got tornadoes already touching down in some spots in Florida, and some have — have been confirmed that have touched down as well.  And about 90 percent of those tornadoes occur on that right front quadrant of a tropical system.

So, we’re really — our folks are — at the Weather Service are on duty 24 hours a day watching that radar to make sure that we can get those warnings out quickly to people so they — they can take cover.

And as Dr. Brennan said, think about it (inaudible — right? — 140 miles wide, now we’re 200, and we expected to be greater than 240 miles away from the center with these winds.  So, that’s a huge area that we can see some of those — that damage.

Very concerned about the storm surge.  And I wanted to double down on something.  It’s not just, you know, Tampa Bay with that 8- to 12-foot forecast or 10 to 15 down to Boca Grande.  I mean, you can see five to eight feet of storm surge all the way down to Chokoloskee.  Think about Fort Myers, Naples, well away from that center.  We just got to really keep reminding people they’re not safe, even though you’re not — you know, not near the center of the storm.

So, we’ll continue to — to really message that as we can.

The other part of this: Flooding could last a while.  So, unlike other areas with elevation, there’s not much elevation in — in Florida, so some of these rivers are going to be slow to drain.  Some of these rivers could stay up for about a week after the storm, and the storm surge will act as a blocker to drain some of that rain from the inland area.  So that could really be — add some challenges to some communities with these — the flooding and recovery efforts, as some of the roads will be pretty impassable.

So, you know, I was — I was looking at this, Mr. President, Madam Vice President, yesterday, I said the clock was ticking.  Today, I’m saying the alarm bell is going off.  People really need to start getting into their safe place. 

As always, the Weather Service remains on duty 24 by 7 to — to make sure the decision-makers have all the information they need and the updates to this storm.

THE PRESIDENT:  Ken, I’d like to focus on one thing you said.  I don’t think most people would think it, but, you know, the idea that sometimes it takes days for rivers to crest after a major storm like this — are there any particular areas of concern that you — you’ve — that are related to this type of flooding?  And how long do you think the flooding conditions could last? 

In other words, I think people think once — once the winds are died down and gotten through that, “Okay, we’re all set,” but these rivers flooding are consequential, and that takes time, right?

MR. GRAHAM:  It takes time.  That storm surge pushes up every nook and cranny of — of Florida.  So, it goes up bays, goes up rivers.  It fills in all these areas.  And then you add that incredible amount of rainfall, and that rain can’t drain because the storm surge has it blocked. 

So, just really looking at some of the areas in Hillsborough River, Alafia River, the Peace River — some of these type of traditional places that could flood are — are — we really got to watch those — those areas and those communities.  So —

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  (Inaudible.)

MR. GRAHAM:  It takes quite a while for that water to drain.

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you very much.

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Hey, Ken, I have a question for you.  You — you mentioned words matter, and I know there is a lot of media following this — this briefing.  So, there have been — we’ve gone from a Cat 5 to a Cat 4, and the language that a lot of folks have been using is “downgrade.” 

But it sounds like you’re cautioning us that that may communicate a sense that the danger is lessened, when, in fact, it’s not. 

Can you talk a little bit about that?  Because I know a lot of folks are watching right now and — and would love to have your feedback on how we should be talking about this. 

MR. GRAHAM:  Yeah.  We need everybody that communicates to the public to be on the same page with the words, because I’ve — 30 years of doing this, I’ve seen this so many times.  People will think, “Oh, it was a Cat 5.  Now it’s a Cat 3.”  That’s not a reason to relax.  That’s not weakened.  That’s not diminished.  That means we’ve expanded the wind field.  The impacts don’t change associated with that.

And I’ve seen this in Hurricane Florence and other historic hurricanes. 

So, we have to be mindful of the words that we use and focus on those impacts.  Those impacts haven’t changed, no matter what the — the wind speed does over the next 24 hours.

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  That’s very helpful.  Thank you.

DR. SHERWOOD-RANDALL:  Thank you, Director Graham.  We’ll go now to Secretary Mayorkas, the secretary of Homeland Security.  Ali, over to you.

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  Thank you very much, Liz. 

Mr. President, Madam Vice President, if I can just pick up on the important phrase “the words matter.”  I want to thank you for the strength and moral clarity with which you have been speaking to bat down false information that is being spread.  That false information is only hurting survivors in need of help, and it is also hurting the first responders who are so bravely risking their lives to deliver that help to the survivors.

Mr. President, Madam Vice President, we are executing on your directive to not only rely on FEMA to provide emergency relief but to draw upon other resources throughout the Department of Homeland Security and throughout the federal government, throughout your administration.

I know you will hear from the commandant of the United States Coast Guard, Linda Fagan.  The United States Coast Guard has deployed almost 1,300 personnel to Florida, not just for search and rescue but also to ensure the safety and security of the Port of Tampa, which is a critical lifeline for supplies that are needed by Florida and — and elsewhere.

I want to also say that our U.S. Customs and Border Protection has devoted search and rescue personnel as well as other parts of our department. 

To give you just a quick snapshot of some of the resources that are devoted from other parts of the administration, the Department of Defense is providing search and rescue, commodity movement, commodity distribution, and security to Florida.  We already have 1.5 million meals and 2.8 million liters of water ready to provide to people in need.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is providing temporary power, temporary roofing, debris removal support, and engineering expertise.  The U.S. Forest Administration is also providing debris removal.  This is absolutely critical so that our search and rescue personnel can reach the people in need and provide them with the humanitarian relief upon which they rely.

Health and Human Services is providing hospital and health-related support. 

The Small Business Administration has dedicated 137 personnel to assist people who have lost or whose businesses are destroyed to get them back up on their feet and understand what resources are available to them.

We have an entire administration dedicated to this effort at your direction.  And with that, I’ll pause.

THE PRESIDENT:  Hey, Ali — Mr. Secretary, do you have everything you need from all the federal departments and the agencies in support of this response?  Is there any- — anything lacking?

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  We — we certainly do have all of the resources.  We are well positioned to continue to respond to Hurricane Helene, to respond to Hurricane Milton, Mr. President.  We are meeting the moment and meeting the challenges because of the extraordinary people who have spoken before me.

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, I — you know, I want to thank the governors.  They’ve stepped up.  You know, all this disinformation going out about how, you know, we’re devoting all this money to migrants and we’re — I mean, all the — even one congresswoman suggesting that I control the weather and implying that I’m sending it to red states.  I mean, i- — stuff off the wall.  It’s like out of a — a comic book.

But, you know, people when they’re in trouble, are — for example — and I asked this to the — our administrator.  They said that you get $750, and that’s it.  And — and, “You’ve lost everything; you get $750.”  That’s — that’s not — that’s not it.  That’s just you’re giving them immediately what you need to get by the next day — to get a prescription, to get a whatever.

Is — is — are you getting calls already about what we’re going to be able to deliver for people who get in trouble?

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  We — we are, Mr. President.  Let — let me say that, you know, one of the false narratives is that the federal employees who are actually delivering assistance will take an individual’s land.  And that is causing in- — individuals, survivors not to approach the people who are there to help and obtain the relief to which they are entitled and that we have available to them.

And the vice president knows very well, as a former prosecutor, that false information only is fuel for the criminal element to exploit individuals in positions of vulnerability.  And Madam Vice President, your words at the outset were so very important for that reason. 

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you.

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Mr. Secretary, I want to thank you and the folks in your agency working with FEMA, NOAA, and all the federal agencies.  I — I’ve seen — I’ve been on the ground, and the work that you all have been doing to coordinate with local and state law enforcement and first responders has been outstanding.  It really does show the best of the kind of work that we do in a moment of crisis to work together. 

So, I applaud the — the folks that work with you and your leadership in that regard.

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  Thank you, Madam Vice President.

DR. SHERWOOD-RANDALL:  Thank you, Secretary Mayorkas.

We’ll go now to Admiral Linda Fagan, the commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard.

ADMIRAL FAGAN:  Thank you.  Thank you, Mr. President, Madam Vice President, and I want to assure you that the Coast Guard is ready to respond. 

We continue to monitor the storm closely and are mindful of how dangerous and devastating the storm is and the potential to the region, which is still recovering from Hurricane Helene. 

My senior field commanders are well integrated with both the state and local emergency responders and have stood up incident commands. 

We continue to surge personnel and assets from across the country into the region, and I want to highlight how we prepare for storms.  And so, we have people in helicopters and aircraft and boats and cutters that would have been in harm’s way for the passage of this storm, and we have (inaudible) moved those people and assets out of harm’s way for the storm.  They are ready in position to begin to move back into the region as soon as it is safe to do so. 

In addition the aircraft and ships and boats, it includes shallow-water boats, medical teams, pollution response teams, crisis support teams. 

Our top priority is saving lives and safeguarding — safeguarding the marine transportation system.  This also includes responding to any pollution incidents.

We will begin to move back into the region as soon as it is safe to do so, with our primary initial focus being life-saving work and reopening the ports to re-enable the flow of commerce. 

I want to focus just for a minute on the Port of Tampa, which is the largest port in Florida.  And depending on the — the impacts of the storm, there could be some impacts to the port and commerce flow. 

We will conduct overflights as well as bring ships into the region to ensure that the channel and the harbor is clear and safe for commercial traffic.  We will work with the Army Corps of Engineers and others to do those assessments. 

We’ll work to re-establish the (inaudible) navigation constellation and work with the pilots in the area to ensure that ships are able to move safely in and out of the Port of Tampa. 

We’ll also need to ensure that the port has electricity for handling cargo and cargo flows. 

So, I share this with you, Mr. President, because we are myopically focused on regaining commerce flows into the Port of Tampa once the assessments are able to be made.  It does take a little bit of time, but we will move with all urgency to ensure that Tampa is reopened for commerce and commercial flows. 

We continue to monitor the storm closely, and a number of our briefers have spoken on the need to heed the evacuation or- — orders.  And I’d just like to emphasize that, my first responders — and as one of the critical first response agencies (inaudible) a hurricane response like this — my first responders have moved out of harm’s way and are not in the path of the storm.  They are ready for immediate reconstitution into the area, and you will see them moving quickly.  But as the storm effects come on, people really need to — need to move into safe positions so that they do not lose — lose their lives.

Mr. President, your Coast Guard is ready to respond, and we are well positioned for that.  Thank you, sir.

THE PRESIDENT:  Admiral, one of the things that — I don’t know whether people have not been through any kind of hurricane in the past may not understand is that when the rainfall and the flood surge are significant — but these elevated water levels are likely to be accompanied by large and destructive waves.  It’s not just the water rising.  There’s significant waves.  And what do you anticipate — if anyone else wants to respond, what do we anticipate in terms of the wave damage that’s done, not just the water rising, but these waves — large waves coming in?

ADMIRAL FAGAN:  Sir, I’ll just touch on the — the impact of the — of the water and the — just the flow and significance of any kind of increased water flow, storm surge, whether it’s wave-driven or otherwise.  It creates conditions that are incredibly hazardous to life.  People can’t swim or save themselves, which again just emphasizes why it’s so critical that people evacuate and get themselves out of harm’s way.  And that allows then for the assessment with regard to any property or property impacts.

THE PRESIDENT:  I know search and rescue is obviously the number one priority immediately after the storm, but we know that the Port of Tampa is critical — critical for the state and the state’s economy and the region as well.  What can you and the Army Corps of Engineers do to get the port quickly reopened once this storm passes through?

ADMIRAL FAGAN:  Yes.  Thank — thank you, Mr. President.  We’re already in conversations with the Army Corps of Engineers, aligned on the need to begin those assessments as quickly as possible to determine whether there were any impacts from the storm or not and regain and reopen the Port of Tampa. 

The Port of Everglades is also a critical port on the east coast of Florida.  The Port of Everglades remains open for fuel tankers to ensure that that commerce continues to flow into the state from other ports that are not in the direct impact of the storm. 

But sir, I assure you, we in the Corps of Engineers are already in conversation with regard to what it will take to reconstitute the Port of Tampa, and we will lean into that work as quickly as possible.

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you, Admiral.  Appreciate it.

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Commandant, I — I echo the president’s words.  Thank you for what you and the men and women of the Coast Guard have been doing in response to Hurricane Helene and now this, and your emphasis on the importance of the port in Tampa is critically important to recovery. 

So, thank you for all the work that you are doing.  I know that resources are spread thin, in terms of your folks being on the ground in every area right now, and you’re doing an extraordinary job.  So, thank you for that.

ADMIRAL FAGAN:  Thank you, Madam Vice President. 

DR. SHERWOOD-RANDALL:  To each of the dedicated professionals on this screen, we are truly in your debt and in debt to your teams for what they are doing right now to prepare for and respond to what is coming to Florida this evening. 

With that, we will conclude the public part of this briefing.  And if you’ll just stay on the screen for a few minutes, we can —

THE PRESIDENT:  Can I say one closing —

DR. SHERWOOD-RANDALL:  — have further conversation.

THE PRESIDENT:  — thing?

DR. SHERWOOD-RANDALL:  Of course, Mr. President.

THE PRESIDENT:  Pass on to your folks how much we respect and understand a lot of these folks are risking their lives —

DR. SHERWOOD-RANDALL:  Yes.

THE PRESIDENT:  They’re risking their lives to help other people.  I mean, this is Americans helping Americans in ways that when — you know, it’s — to me, it’s a measure of who we are as a nation when we see this happen, and it constantly happens — Americans stepping up to help other Americans and risking their lives. 

So, thank all these first responders.  It really matters.  Really, from the bottom of our heart, thank you, thank you, thank you. 

1:21 P.M. EDT

The post Remarks by President Biden and Vice President Harris During a Briefing on the Administration’s Life-Saving Preparations for Hurricane Milton appeared first on The White House.

South Court Auditorium
Eisenhower Executive Office Building

12:42 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  In less than 14 hours, Hurricane Milton will make landfall on the Western Coast of Florida.  Winds will be fierce, at well over 100 miles per hour, with storm surges reaching up to 15 feet and up to 18 inches of rain.  It’s looking like the storm of the century.

I’m here with leaders in my administration who are on the front lines preparing for this storm and will brief me in our latest efforts to save lives and livelihoods. 

I want to emphasize a few things. 

First, many communities in Hurricane Milton’s path do not have a moment to catch their breath between Helene and Milton — two historic stor- — storms in two weeks.  I want to thank everyone who has followed local guidance to evacuate ahead of landfall.  I know it’s really tough leaving behind your home, your belongings, everything you own. 

But I urge everyone in Hurricane Milton’s path to follow all safety instructions as we head into the next 24 hours.  It’s a matter of — literally a matter of life and death. 

Second, for the last week, my team has done everything possible to prepare for this storm.  I immediately approved emergency declarations in Florida and the Seminole Tribe in Florida.  I also surged search and rescue teams, water, food, power generators, ambulances to the region. 

At my direction, Administrator Criswell will be in the State Emergency Operation Center in Florida tonight.  And Kamala and I are going to keep pressure on the companies so prices stay stable on gasoline, flights, and goods people need.

Finally, we’re teaming up with state and local officials to support impacted communities.

I have spoken with the Florida governor, DeSantis; with Mayor of Tampor- — Castor — mayor — the Tampa mayor; the Clearwater mayor, Rector; and the — and the Pinellas County Chairwoman Peters.  I offered them everything we need — everything we have, everything they need.  And I made it clear to them they should reach out if there is anything more they need.  I gave them my personal phone number here at the White House to contact me directly if that’s necessary.

Let me close with this.

I want to thank the governors of all the affected areas over the last couple weeks: Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia.

You know, we’ve been in constant contact.  And they’ve been thankful and appreciative of the help the federal government is providing.  And I’m appreciative of all they’re doing as well.  I’ve told them to contact me with anything else they need.

We have made available an unprecedented number of assets to deal with this crisis, and we’re going to continue to do so until the job is done.

But now I want to be clear about something.  Over the last few weeks, there has been a reckless, irresponsible, and relentless promotion of disinformation and outright lies that are disturbing people.  It’s undermining confidence in the incredible rescue and recovery work that has already been taken and will continue to be taken, and it’s harmful to those who need help the most.

There is simply no place for this to happen.

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’s simply not true. 

They’re saying in — the money is needed to — for the — in the — for this crisis is being diverted to migrants.  What a ridiculous thing to say.  It’s not true.

Now the claims are getting even more bizarre.

Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a 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 got to stop.

In moments like this, there are no red or blue states.  There’s one United States of America, where neighbors are helping neighbors; volunteers and first responders are risking everything, including their own lives, to help their fellow Americans; state, local, and federal officials are standing side by side.

Let me repeat: No one should make the American people question whether their government will be make — to ensure that this disaster, when it strikes, they’re be there.  We will, all of us.

Now I’m going to turn it over to Vice President Harris, if that’s okay with all of you. 

Thank you. 

Madam Vice President.

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  (Via Teleconference.)  Thank you, Mr. President.  And, Liz, thank you for the work that you have been doing.

As the president said, we have working around the clock to prepare for Hurricane Milton and to ensure that people are safe, including ensuring federal, state, and local resources are being coordinated in a smart and efficient and effective way. 

We have also been in constant contact with the leaders in Florida to make sure that we are cutting any red tape that might get in the way of getting relief to folks; to make sure, also, that communities receive the resources and the support that they need as quickly as possible.

Already, we have sent more than 1,000 federal personnel to be on the ground in Florida to assist with what needs to happen in the state to prepare for this hurricane, and we will continue to scale up those efforts.

To the people of Florida and, in particular, the people of the Tampa res- — region, we urge you to take this storm seriously.  As has been said before, this is a storm that is expected to be of historic proportion. 

And many of you, I know, are tough, and you’ve ridden out these hurricanes before.  This one is going to be different.

And so, we ask you that, by every measure, understand it’s going to be more dangerous, more deadly, and more catastrophic.  So, please listen to your local officials.  They know what they’re talking about.  They know what they’re doing.

And if you are told to evacuate, please evacuate immediately.  Do not wait until it is too late. 

And in the hours and days ahead, President Biden and I and our administration will continue to do everything we can to protect the people who have been in the path of this storm.  And once the storm has passed, we will be there to help folks recover and rebuild, as we continue to do for those communities in Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina, and across the Southeast who have been devastated by Hurricane Helene.

Finally, as the president mentioned, to any company that — or individual that might use this crisis to exploit people who are desperate for help through illegal fraud or price gouging — whether it be at the gas pump, the airport, or the hotel counter — know that we are monitoring these behaviors and the situation on the ground very closely and anyone taking advantage of consumers will be held accountable. 

The bottom line is this hurricane poses an extreme danger, and we urge everyone in Florida to take extreme caution.  And we are with you, and we will get through this together.

And with that, I will hand it over to Homeland Security Adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall.

DR. SHERWOOD-RANDALL:  Thank you, Madam Vice President.

Mr. President, Madam Vice President, you will now receive a briefing on the latest forec- — forecast for Hurricane Milton and actions that we have taken to prepare for it and be ready to respond to it. 

You’ll hear from administrator of FEMA, Deanne Criswell; the director of the National Hurricane Center, Mike Brennan; the director of the National Weather Service, Ken Graham; Secretary of Homeland Security, Ali Mayorkas; and the commandant of the Coast Guard, Admiral Linda Fagan. 

We’ll begin the briefing with Administrator Criswell.  Over to you, Deanne.

ADMINISTRATOR CRISWELL:  Thank you, Liz.

Mr. President, Madam Vice President, I just want to assure you we are taking this storm very seriously.  As you will hear from Dr. Brennan shortly, Milton is currently a Category 4 storm and will remain a hurricane as it crosses over Florida.

At your direction, Mr. President, I will be traveling down to Tallahassee tonight to embed at the state EOC to meet with my team as well as our state partners, and I will be there to assess the damages and the impacts immediately following the storm, working in close coordination with the state to ensure that they have everything that they need to support their priorities.

As you have always directed me to do, I am leaning forward to make sure that we are strategically placing our resources and our teams to be able to rapidly respond in Florida.

There are currently over a thousand federal personnel on the ground in Florida supporting the efforts from Hurricane Helene, as well as the previous storms that have happened over the last few years.  And I have directed, at your direction, an additional 1,200 search and rescue personnel from FEMA, the Coast Guard, and the Department of Defense to stage in Florida so they are ready to take action as soon as Milton makes landfall. 

This also includes 30 high-water vehicles, helicopters, as well as boats to be able to go in and support the counties and the states as needed. 

I’ve also moved over 500 ambulances to help assist with the response, six incident management assistance teams into — one specifically into Tampa and others throughout the region, multiple power assessment teams and dozens of medical facility assessment teams so they can go in and check on the health and medical facilities as soon as the storm passes.

And Mr. President and Madam Vice President, I have also moved millions of meals and liters of water into Florida to be able to support any of those immediate needs. 

I really appreciate, Mr. President and Madam Vice President, your continuous effort to help lift up the warnings and the guidance that you just gave about what people need to do in the path of Hurricane Milton. 

This is an extremely dangerous storm, and we need all of the residents that are in the path of the storm to listen to their local officials.  They will tell you if there’s still time to evacuate or what you need to do if you are still where you’re at.  They will give you the right information about what you need to do to protect yourself where you are at right now.

Sometimes just traveling a few miles inland can mean the difference between life and death, and nobody has to lose their life as a result of this storm. 

So, in short, Mr. President and Madam Vice President, I assure you, we are taking this storm extremely seriously.  We are focused, and we are ready to support the people of Florida.

THE PRESIDENT:  Deanne, you’re doing a hell of a job.  You always have.  I know we’ve been through a lot of this together, all three of us, including the vice president.

And I have one question right now, though.  What are you most worried about today and into tomorrow?  And what messaging can we do to help people in the hours before it makes landfall?

ADMINISTRATOR CRISWELL:  Mr. President, the — the biggest concern is making sure people have gotten out of harm’s way. 

Over the next 24 hours, we are going to see significant winds.  We are going to see storm surge.  We are going to see flooding from the rain.  People need to be able to take this storm seriously.  They need to move if they still have time to move out of harm’s way.  And we are prepared to support Florida with additional search and rescue assets to help save lives. 

That’s our immediate concern, Mr. President, is saving lives over the next 24 hours.

THE PRESIDENT:  Have you ever seen a storm like this one, since you’ve been in charge?

ADMINISTRATOR CRISWELL:  I think this is going to be one of the biggest ones that we have seen after it makes landfall.  I mean, we — we saw a lot of impact from Hurricane Ian, but this one is different.  This one just looks different.  And I think we’re going to have a lot of impacts and people that are going to need our help, sir.

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, thank you very much.

ADMINISTRATOR CRISWELL:  Thank you.

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Administrator Criswell —

ADMINISTRATOR CRISWELL:  Yes, ma’am.

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  — are we concerned about any misinformation or disinformation regarding evacuations that we need to clear up at this point?

ADMINISTRATOR CRISWELL:  There’s been a lot of misinformation out there, Madam Vice President.  That’s for sure.  But I have not heard anything specific to the evacuations. 

I think that the local officials, the state officials, have been very strong in getting that message out there and getting people to move out of harm’s way. 

I was in Florida on Monday.  I met with the mayor of Tampa as well as the mayor of St. Petersburg, and we saw people evacuating.  And so, they are listening to their local officials, and that was encouraging. 

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  That’s great.  Thank you. 

DR. SHERWOOD-RANDALL:  I think we’ll move on, then.  Thank you, Administrator Criswell.  We’ll move to Director Brennan from the National Hurricane Center.

DR. BRENNAN:  Thank you, Liz.  Mr. President, Madam Vice President, good afternoon. 

As — as Administrator Criswell mentioned, we are just hours away from seeing a potentially catastrophic hurricane landfall along the west coast of Florida, with the center of Milton expected to cross the coast late this evening or very early tomorrow morning. 

It is a powerful major hurricane and a large hurricane at that.  We are already seeing multiple life-threatening hazards playing out across Florida.  We have multiple tornado warnings in effect across portions of southern Florida.  We’re seeing winds increasing, heavy rainfall spreading across much of the state. 

And conditions are going to rapidly deteriorate over the next few hours, especially where landfall is going to occur, along the west coast.  That’s where we’re expecting that devastating storm surge of as much as 10 to 15 feet above ground level, from the — somewhere near the Tampa Bay region southward to Port Charlotte, with significant storm surge extending hundreds of miles, even farther south to the Fort Myers and Naples area. 

And that is why we have had — been supporting so many evacuation decisions to get people away from that — that devastating storm surge.  Time is running out now for people to leave along the west coast before conditions deteriorate further. 

Additionally, Milton is going to be a powerful hurricane when it makes landfall and move quickly across the state and remain at hurricane intensity as it moves across Florida tonight and as it enters the western Atlantic during the day tomorrow.  So, that is going to bring the risk of hurricane conditions to much of the central portion of the state. 

We have hurricane warnings in effect from Fort Myers up through Tampa, to Cedar Key along the west coast, all the way through the I-4 corridor, across Orlando to Daytona Beach, up to St. Augustine, including the Cape Canaveral area on the East Coast, down to Port St. Lucie.  So, a large area is at risk of seeing devastating wind impacts, widespread power outages, structural damage, and that could lead to a very unsafe environment after the storm, where we tend to see a lot of post-storm fatalities in this very dangerous environment that’s left. 

Additionally, we are expecting very heavy rainfall — 6 to 12 inches, amounts as high as 18 inches — across the heavily populated I-4 corridor from Tampa to Orlando to Daytona Beach, which could lead to widespread, catastrophic, and life-threatening flash flooding and urban flooding tonight and into Thursday in that area. 

And that’s an area where we lost about 16 people in Hurricane Ian to that same type of flooding.  So, there’s a tremendous risk to both life and property there. 

I do want to thank the administrator and FEMA and — and her — for her team’s support and our coordination on that. 

And I finally want to thank the NOAA and Air Force Reserve hurricane hunters who’ve been flying into Milton for days now, providing us just tremendously valuable direct data that has really helped inform our lifesaving forecast and warnings. 

So, thank you, Mr. President, Madam Vice President.

THE PRESIDENT:  Mike, I know you’re tired of hearing from me.  I’ve been talking to you so much lately.  But I appreciate your constant input you’ve given me and letting me know what’s going on. 

What more can you tell us about how the location of this storm is going to affect the storm surge in Florida?  I mean, because —

DR. BRENNAN:  Yeah.  I’ll —

THE PRESIDENT:  — that’s pretty consequential — right? — the surge?  I mean, that’s — is that what you’re focusing on?

DR. BRENNAN:  Yes, Mr. President.  The — just a shift of a few miles in the landfall location will make a big difference in what area sees that very worst storm surge.  So, a track of the center to the north of Tampa Bay would push the highest storm surge into Tampa Bay itself.  A track 5 or 10 or 20 miles south would push that higher storm surge, say, down to the Sarasota/Port Charlotte area. 

Even as close as we are to landfall, it’s not really possible to tell exactly where that worst surge will occur.  It’s one wobble away from shifting 10 or 20 miles.  So, that’s why we’ve, you know, conveyed that risk across such a large area to help support the evacuation of much of that west central coast of Florida.

THE PRESIDENT:  But Tampa Bay is particularly vulnerable, correct?

DR. BRENNAN:  Correct.  Yes, Mr. President.  It’s one of the most vulnerable locations along the entire west coast of Florida, because water gets funneled up into the bay.  If you were to see a worst-case scenario there, you could see storm surge as much as twice as high as they saw during Helene.  Where it got up to 7 or 8 feet in the bay, it could potentially get up above 10 feet in this — in this event.

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, thanks a lot, Mike.  I appreciate it.

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Hey, Mike.  It’s good to see you again.  And thank you for all your work. 

So, for the folks who have been living in Florida a long time and have experienced these storms many times, how are you talking with them about how this is going to be different and what and — and so, the difference between what they are used to and what this will be as a way to hopefully give them more encouragement to know that they need to get out.

DR. BRENNAN:  Yeah.  Thank you, Madam Vice President.  Yes, we’ve been en- — emphasizing the size and the intensity of the storm and the direction at which it’s approaching, which is unusual and really raises that storm surge risk for the west coast of Florida. 

We typically see hurricanes approach the west coast of Florida from the south or southeast, moving parallel to the coast.  This track more perpendicular to the coast really raises the storm surge risk.  And the size of the storm is going to produce hazardous impacts across much of the peninsula. 

So, we’ve been hitting, you know, the surge risk on both coasts, actually — the hurricane-force winds, the flooding rainfall threat, the tornadoes — and trying to re- — reemphasize the scale and breadth of the threat, which is somewhat unusual for Milton.

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  And thanks for your good work.  It’s good to see you again.

THE PRESIDENT:  Mike, one more question.

DR. BRENNAN:  Yes, sir.

THE PRESIDENT:  For people listening, what is the — what is the width of the state of Florida, from the Tampa Bay area across to Sebastian Inlet and that area to Palm Beach? 

DR. BRENNAN:  Yeah, that’s a —

THE PRESIDENT:  What – what kind of distance are we talking about?

DR. BRENNAN:  You know, across the state of Florida, you’re probably talking about, you know, 150, maybe 200 miles.  I’d — I’d have to — that’s an estimate.  But the storm is going to be moving at 15 miles per hour, so it’s going to be moving across that area very quickly.  And the tropical storm force winds, the — the 30, 40 mile per hour winds or greater now extend almost out more than 200 miles from the center.  They’re going to get even larger as the storm approaches the coastline.  So, that’s going to cause those wind impacts to affect much of the state.

THE PRESIDENT:  The reason I asked the question is, I think, at — at least for me, having done a lot of this the last three years, emphasizes the consequential damage this storm can do.  I mean this, this — this is — it’s going to enter Florida on the west as a hurricane and leave as a hurricane, and that’s —

DR. BRENNAN:  That’s correct.

THE PRESIDENT:  — that’s pretty unusual.

Well, anyway —

DR. BRENNAN:  It is.

THE PRESIDENT:  — thank you.

DR. BRENNAN:  Yes.  Yes, sir.  Thank you.

DR. SHERWOOD-RANDALL:  Thank you so much.  We will move on now to the National Weather Service Director, Ken Graham.

MR. GRAHAM:  All right.  Thanks, Liz.  I appreciate it.  And wanted to thank Administrator Criswell for — for everything through this, and Dr. Brennan as well.  The Hurricane Center has been really focused on this and on it with such great forecast the whole way.  I just wish we could minimize those impacts, but that doesn’t look like what’s going to happen.

So, Mr. President and Madam Vice President, we continue to work at the National Weather Service with our federal, state, and local decision-makers during the storms.

Look, we actually have our scientists embedded with FEMA, the state and local emergency operations centers, and we also have our scientists embedded with the U.S. Coast Guard District 7 to really help out with these — these decisions to make sure they’re right there to answer the questions as they come up. They’re covering, really, the subtleties, as — as you’ve mentioned in this forecast. 

Dr. Brennan mentioned those small changes can make a big difference.  Little wiggles really do matter.  Those small wobbles make a difference in the storm surge.  And all these big storms, they wobble and wiggle all the way in.  We’ll — we’ll see that happening as this gets closer to landfall.

So, as Administrator Criswell said, listen to those local officials.  I can’t stress enough, you know, 30 years with NOAA, 30 years in the Weather Service, this is a particularly dangerous track.  People really need to be getting into their — their safe locations as the impacts start deteriorating really quickly over the next few hours.

Words really matter in these storms.  Even if the winds decrease somewhat near landfall, we really try to avoid words like “weakened.”  It really gives a false sense of security to the public.  So, we really want to stress that no matter what happens to that — the wind speed in the system, catastrophic impacts will result either way.

The size and the wind speed — the actual size of it, will be expanding, as Dr. Brennan was saying.  So, much of that impact will cover most of the peninsula. 

And, Mr. President, like — like you said, Milt- — think about it.  Just — I just — goes over my — my mind over and over: Milton will enter as a hurricane and exit as a hurricane.

So, you’ll see damage from the landfall point on the west coast to — you’ll see damage on the east coast as well.  So, it’s really important to focus on those impacts.

Again, seeing those impacts on both coasts, we’re really starting to see the impacts as we speak.  I — I was just looking at the radar before doing this — this meeting here, and we’ve got tornadoes already touching down in some spots in Florida, and some have — have been confirmed that have touched down as well.  And about 90 percent of those tornadoes occur on that right front quadrant of a tropical system.

So, we’re really — our folks are — at the Weather Service are on duty 24 hours a day watching that radar to make sure that we can get those warnings out quickly to people so they — they can take cover.

And as Dr. Brennan said, think about it (inaudible — right? — 140 miles wide, now we’re 200, and we expected to be greater than 240 miles away from the center with these winds.  So, that’s a huge area that we can see some of those — that damage.

Very concerned about the storm surge.  And I wanted to double down on something.  It’s not just, you know, Tampa Bay with that 8- to 12-foot forecast or 10 to 15 down to Boca Grande.  I mean, you can see five to eight feet of storm surge all the way down to Chokoloskee.  Think about Fort Myers, Naples, well away from that center.  We just got to really keep reminding people they’re not safe, even though you’re not — you know, not near the center of the storm.

So, we’ll continue to — to really message that as we can.

The other part of this: Flooding could last a while.  So, unlike other areas with elevation, there’s not much elevation in — in Florida, so some of these rivers are going to be slow to drain.  Some of these rivers could stay up for about a week after the storm, and the storm surge will act as a blocker to drain some of that rain from the inland area.  So that could really be — add some challenges to some communities with these — the flooding and recovery efforts, as some of the roads will be pretty impassable.

So, you know, I was — I was looking at this, Mr. President, Madam Vice President, yesterday, I said the clock was ticking.  Today, I’m saying the alarm bell is going off.  People really need to start getting into their safe place. 

As always, the Weather Service remains on duty 24 by 7 to — to make sure the decision-makers have all the information they need and the updates to this storm.

THE PRESIDENT:  Ken, I’d like to focus on one thing you said.  I don’t think most people would think it, but, you know, the idea that sometimes it takes days for rivers to crest after a major storm like this — are there any particular areas of concern that you — you’ve — that are related to this type of flooding?  And how long do you think the flooding conditions could last? 

In other words, I think people think once — once the winds are died down and gotten through that, “Okay, we’re all set,” but these rivers flooding are consequential, and that takes time, right?

MR. GRAHAM:  It takes time.  That storm surge pushes up every nook and cranny of — of Florida.  So, it goes up bays, goes up rivers.  It fills in all these areas.  And then you add that incredible amount of rainfall, and that rain can’t drain because the storm surge has it blocked. 

So, just really looking at some of the areas in Hillsborough River, Alafia River, the Peace River — some of these type of traditional places that could flood are — are — we really got to watch those — those areas and those communities.  So —

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  (Inaudible.)

MR. GRAHAM:  It takes quite a while for that water to drain.

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you very much.

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Hey, Ken, I have a question for you.  You — you mentioned words matter, and I know there is a lot of media following this — this briefing.  So, there have been — we’ve gone from a Cat 5 to a Cat 4, and the language that a lot of folks have been using is “downgrade.” 

But it sounds like you’re cautioning us that that may communicate a sense that the danger is lessened, when, in fact, it’s not. 

Can you talk a little bit about that?  Because I know a lot of folks are watching right now and — and would love to have your feedback on how we should be talking about this. 

MR. GRAHAM:  Yeah.  We need everybody that communicates to the public to be on the same page with the words, because I’ve — 30 years of doing this, I’ve seen this so many times.  People will think, “Oh, it was a Cat 5.  Now it’s a Cat 3.”  That’s not a reason to relax.  That’s not weakened.  That’s not diminished.  That means we’ve expanded the wind field.  The impacts don’t change associated with that.

And I’ve seen this in Hurricane Florence and other historic hurricanes. 

So, we have to be mindful of the words that we use and focus on those impacts.  Those impacts haven’t changed, no matter what the — the wind speed does over the next 24 hours.

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  That’s very helpful.  Thank you.

DR. SHERWOOD-RANDALL:  Thank you, Director Graham.  We’ll go now to Secretary Mayorkas, the secretary of Homeland Security.  Ali, over to you.

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  Thank you very much, Liz. 

Mr. President, Madam Vice President, if I can just pick up on the important phrase “the words matter.”  I want to thank you for the strength and moral clarity with which you have been speaking to bat down false information that is being spread.  That false information is only hurting survivors in need of help, and it is also hurting the first responders who are so bravely risking their lives to deliver that help to the survivors.

Mr. President, Madam Vice President, we are executing on your directive to not only rely on FEMA to provide emergency relief but to draw upon other resources throughout the Department of Homeland Security and throughout the federal government, throughout your administration.

I know you will hear from the commandant of the United States Coast Guard, Linda Fagan.  The United States Coast Guard has deployed almost 1,300 personnel to Florida, not just for search and rescue but also to ensure the safety and security of the Port of Tampa, which is a critical lifeline for supplies that are needed by Florida and — and elsewhere.

I want to also say that our U.S. Customs and Border Protection has devoted search and rescue personnel as well as other parts of our department. 

To give you just a quick snapshot of some of the resources that are devoted from other parts of the administration, the Department of Defense is providing search and rescue, commodity movement, commodity distribution, and security to Florida.  We already have 1.5 million meals and 2.8 million liters of water ready to provide to people in need.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is providing temporary power, temporary roofing, debris removal support, and engineering expertise.  The U.S. Forest Administration is also providing debris removal.  This is absolutely critical so that our search and rescue personnel can reach the people in need and provide them with the humanitarian relief upon which they rely.

Health and Human Services is providing hospital and health-related support. 

The Small Business Administration has dedicated 137 personnel to assist people who have lost or whose businesses are destroyed to get them back up on their feet and understand what resources are available to them.

We have an entire administration dedicated to this effort at your direction.  And with that, I’ll pause.

THE PRESIDENT:  Hey, Ali — Mr. Secretary, do you have everything you need from all the federal departments and the agencies in support of this response?  Is there any- — anything lacking?

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  We — we certainly do have all of the resources.  We are well positioned to continue to respond to Hurricane Helene, to respond to Hurricane Milton, Mr. President.  We are meeting the moment and meeting the challenges because of the extraordinary people who have spoken before me.

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, I — you know, I want to thank the governors.  They’ve stepped up.  You know, all this disinformation going out about how, you know, we’re devoting all this money to migrants and we’re — I mean, all the — even one congresswoman suggesting that I control the weather and implying that I’m sending it to red states.  I mean, i- — stuff off the wall.  It’s like out of a — a comic book.

But, you know, people when they’re in trouble, are — for example — and I asked this to the — our administrator.  They said that you get $750, and that’s it.  And — and, “You’ve lost everything; you get $750.”  That’s — that’s not — that’s not it.  That’s just you’re giving them immediately what you need to get by the next day — to get a prescription, to get a whatever.

Is — is — are you getting calls already about what we’re going to be able to deliver for people who get in trouble?

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  We — we are, Mr. President.  Let — let me say that, you know, one of the false narratives is that the federal employees who are actually delivering assistance will take an individual’s land.  And that is causing in- — individuals, survivors not to approach the people who are there to help and obtain the relief to which they are entitled and that we have available to them.

And the vice president knows very well, as a former prosecutor, that false information only is fuel for the criminal element to exploit individuals in positions of vulnerability.  And Madam Vice President, your words at the outset were so very important for that reason. 

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you.

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Mr. Secretary, I want to thank you and the folks in your agency working with FEMA, NOAA, and all the federal agencies.  I — I’ve seen — I’ve been on the ground, and the work that you all have been doing to coordinate with local and state law enforcement and first responders has been outstanding.  It really does show the best of the kind of work that we do in a moment of crisis to work together. 

So, I applaud the — the folks that work with you and your leadership in that regard.

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  Thank you, Madam Vice President.

DR. SHERWOOD-RANDALL:  Thank you, Secretary Mayorkas.

We’ll go now to Admiral Linda Fagan, the commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard.

ADMIRAL FAGAN:  Thank you.  Thank you, Mr. President, Madam Vice President, and I want to assure you that the Coast Guard is ready to respond. 

We continue to monitor the storm closely and are mindful of how dangerous and devastating the storm is and the potential to the region, which is still recovering from Hurricane Helene. 

My senior field commanders are well integrated with both the state and local emergency responders and have stood up incident commands. 

We continue to surge personnel and assets from across the country into the region, and I want to highlight how we prepare for storms.  And so, we have people in helicopters and aircraft and boats and cutters that would have been in harm’s way for the passage of this storm, and we have (inaudible) moved those people and assets out of harm’s way for the storm.  They are ready in position to begin to move back into the region as soon as it is safe to do so. 

In addition the aircraft and ships and boats, it includes shallow-water boats, medical teams, pollution response teams, crisis support teams. 

Our top priority is saving lives and safeguarding — safeguarding the marine transportation system.  This also includes responding to any pollution incidents.

We will begin to move back into the region as soon as it is safe to do so, with our primary initial focus being life-saving work and reopening the ports to re-enable the flow of commerce. 

I want to focus just for a minute on the Port of Tampa, which is the largest port in Florida.  And depending on the — the impacts of the storm, there could be some impacts to the port and commerce flow. 

We will conduct overflights as well as bring ships into the region to ensure that the channel and the harbor is clear and safe for commercial traffic.  We will work with the Army Corps of Engineers and others to do those assessments. 

We’ll work to re-establish the (inaudible) navigation constellation and work with the pilots in the area to ensure that ships are able to move safely in and out of the Port of Tampa. 

We’ll also need to ensure that the port has electricity for handling cargo and cargo flows. 

So, I share this with you, Mr. President, because we are myopically focused on regaining commerce flows into the Port of Tampa once the assessments are able to be made.  It does take a little bit of time, but we will move with all urgency to ensure that Tampa is reopened for commerce and commercial flows. 

We continue to monitor the storm closely, and a number of our briefers have spoken on the need to heed the evacuation or- — orders.  And I’d just like to emphasize that, my first responders — and as one of the critical first response agencies (inaudible) a hurricane response like this — my first responders have moved out of harm’s way and are not in the path of the storm.  They are ready for immediate reconstitution into the area, and you will see them moving quickly.  But as the storm effects come on, people really need to — need to move into safe positions so that they do not lose — lose their lives.

Mr. President, your Coast Guard is ready to respond, and we are well positioned for that.  Thank you, sir.

THE PRESIDENT:  Admiral, one of the things that — I don’t know whether people have not been through any kind of hurricane in the past may not understand is that when the rainfall and the flood surge are significant — but these elevated water levels are likely to be accompanied by large and destructive waves.  It’s not just the water rising.  There’s significant waves.  And what do you anticipate — if anyone else wants to respond, what do we anticipate in terms of the wave damage that’s done, not just the water rising, but these waves — large waves coming in?

ADMIRAL FAGAN:  Sir, I’ll just touch on the — the impact of the — of the water and the — just the flow and significance of any kind of increased water flow, storm surge, whether it’s wave-driven or otherwise.  It creates conditions that are incredibly hazardous to life.  People can’t swim or save themselves, which again just emphasizes why it’s so critical that people evacuate and get themselves out of harm’s way.  And that allows then for the assessment with regard to any property or property impacts.

THE PRESIDENT:  I know search and rescue is obviously the number one priority immediately after the storm, but we know that the Port of Tampa is critical — critical for the state and the state’s economy and the region as well.  What can you and the Army Corps of Engineers do to get the port quickly reopened once this storm passes through?

ADMIRAL FAGAN:  Yes.  Thank — thank you, Mr. President.  We’re already in conversations with the Army Corps of Engineers, aligned on the need to begin those assessments as quickly as possible to determine whether there were any impacts from the storm or not and regain and reopen the Port of Tampa. 

The Port of Everglades is also a critical port on the east coast of Florida.  The Port of Everglades remains open for fuel tankers to ensure that that commerce continues to flow into the state from other ports that are not in the direct impact of the storm. 

But sir, I assure you, we in the Corps of Engineers are already in conversation with regard to what it will take to reconstitute the Port of Tampa, and we will lean into that work as quickly as possible.

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you, Admiral.  Appreciate it.

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Commandant, I — I echo the president’s words.  Thank you for what you and the men and women of the Coast Guard have been doing in response to Hurricane Helene and now this, and your emphasis on the importance of the port in Tampa is critically important to recovery. 

So, thank you for all the work that you are doing.  I know that resources are spread thin, in terms of your folks being on the ground in every area right now, and you’re doing an extraordinary job.  So, thank you for that.

ADMIRAL FAGAN:  Thank you, Madam Vice President. 

DR. SHERWOOD-RANDALL:  To each of the dedicated professionals on this screen, we are truly in your debt and in debt to your teams for what they are doing right now to prepare for and respond to what is coming to Florida this evening. 

With that, we will conclude the public part of this briefing.  And if you’ll just stay on the screen for a few minutes, we can —

THE PRESIDENT:  Can I say one closing —

DR. SHERWOOD-RANDALL:  — have further conversation.

THE PRESIDENT:  — thing?

DR. SHERWOOD-RANDALL:  Of course, Mr. President.

THE PRESIDENT:  Pass on to your folks how much we respect and understand a lot of these folks are risking their lives —

DR. SHERWOOD-RANDALL:  Yes.

THE PRESIDENT:  They’re risking their lives to help other people.  I mean, this is Americans helping Americans in ways that when — you know, it’s — to me, it’s a measure of who we are as a nation when we see this happen, and it constantly happens — Americans stepping up to help other Americans and risking their lives. 

So, thank all these first responders.  It really matters.  Really, from the bottom of our heart, thank you, thank you, thank you. 

1:21 P.M. EDT

The post Remarks by President Biden and Vice President Harris During a Briefing on the Administration’s Life-Saving Preparations for Hurricane Milton appeared first on The White House.

**Media Preview Opportunity on Friday, October 11 at 8:00 AM**

The White House will continue its fall tradition of opening the White House Gardens and South Grounds to the public. This fall, tours of the White House Gardens will be available to the public from 10:00 a.m. ET to 4:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, October 12 and Sunday, October 13.

There will be an opportunity for a media preview of the White House Gardens tour from 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM ET on Friday, October 11. For interested media, please RSVP HERE by Thursday, October 10 at 3:00 p.m. ET. 

The White House Gardens tours are free and open to members of the public; however, a timed ticket is required for all attendees, regardless of age. The National Park Service (NPS) will distribute free, timed tickets outside the White House Visitor Center, located at 1450 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, each day beginning at 8:30 a.m. ET. Timed tickets will be distributed, one ticket per person, on a first-come, first-served basis.

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The post The White House 2024 Fall Gardens Tour appeared first on The White House.

**Media Preview Opportunity on Friday, October 11 at 8:00 AM**

The White House will continue its fall tradition of opening the White House Gardens and South Grounds to the public. This fall, tours of the White House Gardens will be available to the public from 10:00 a.m. ET to 4:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, October 12 and Sunday, October 13.

There will be an opportunity for a media preview of the White House Gardens tour from 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM ET on Friday, October 11. For interested media, please RSVP HERE by Thursday, October 10 at 3:00 p.m. ET. 

The White House Gardens tours are free and open to members of the public; however, a timed ticket is required for all attendees, regardless of age. The National Park Service (NPS) will distribute free, timed tickets outside the White House Visitor Center, located at 1450 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, each day beginning at 8:30 a.m. ET. Timed tickets will be distributed, one ticket per person, on a first-come, first-served basis.

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The post The White House 2024 Fall Gardens Tour appeared first on The White House.

Let us all be clear: Americans impacted by a crisis should never be ripped off.

I have seen firsthand the devastating impact of price gouging during an emergency. As Attorney General of California during devastating wildfires that displaced thousands of residents, I took on those attempting to take advantage of the situation by raising hotel prices. As Senator, I worked to stop price gouging during the pandemic.

Those evacuating before Hurricane Milton or recovering from Hurricane Helene should not be subject to illegal price gouging or fraud – at the pump, airport, or hotel counter. Any company or individual that tries to exploit Americans in an emergency should know that the Administration is monitoring for allegations of fraud and price gouging and will hold those taking advantage of the situation accountable.

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The post Statement From Vice President Kamala Harris Warning Against Price Gouging and Fraud appeared first on The White House.

Let us all be clear: Americans impacted by a crisis should never be ripped off.

I have seen firsthand the devastating impact of price gouging during an emergency. As Attorney General of California during devastating wildfires that displaced thousands of residents, I took on those attempting to take advantage of the situation by raising hotel prices. As Senator, I worked to stop price gouging during the pandemic.

Those evacuating before Hurricane Milton or recovering from Hurricane Helene should not be subject to illegal price gouging or fraud – at the pump, airport, or hotel counter. Any company or individual that tries to exploit Americans in an emergency should know that the Administration is monitoring for allegations of fraud and price gouging and will hold those taking advantage of the situation accountable.

# # #

The post Statement From Vice President Kamala Harris Warning Against Price Gouging and Fraud appeared first on The White House.

Private Residence
Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania

7:00 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello.  (Laughter.)  Good to see you all.

Look, it’s good to be almost home.  (Laughter.)  I lived not far from here, just across the line, in Delaware, and it’s good to be with family.  That’s what Pennsylvania and the Caseys are to me: family.  That’s a fact.

Matt and Staci and your children — thanks so much for hosting us.  Just what you wanted to hear, Bobby, that, you know, your brother — I call your brother and said, “We got 6,000 Secret Service agents showing up.”  (Laughter.)  And thanks for being one of my great friends, pal.  Thanks (inaudible). 

Look, we have something in common.  We share a common lot, Bob and I: We both married way up.  (Laughter.) 

Traci, your daughter’s here today.  Always great to see you. 

And along with a large, extended Casey family, including Casey’s sisters, Margi and Mary Ellen, and — and their families as well.

I also want to thank another great friend, Madeleine Dean.  Madeleine, you’re out there somewhere, but I don’t — (applause).  You know, since I’m the only — the second Irish Catholic ever to be elected, I — when I go to Ireland, I could get elected Taoiseach — but they did all my genealogy, and I think we’re related, kid.  I have — (laughter) — anyway.  You think I’m kidding.  I’m not.

Folks, it feels like Scranton again.  I grew up on North Washington Avenue and the Caseys grew up on Wyoming, a few blocks away — Wyoming Avenue.  Whether it was church or c- — or conversations around the kitchen table, my — the Finnegan family, my grandpop was with the — with the Tribune and he was — anyway, our families knew each other. 

You can define their mother and their father by a single word: integrity.  They’re two of the most honorable people I’ve ever known.  I — actually, we’re about the same age apart from hi- — his dad and me, and me and — and Bobby.  And — but it’s not a surprise that Bobby is just like his family — a man of character, a friend who always has your back, and leader who keeps his word.

Like his dad, Bobby has always believed in public service and public trust — that it was a public trust. 

And where we grew up — just like many of you, you grew up with a basic value set.  Bobby knows my mom taught me the same thing as he got taught, that you have to be a man of your word.  Without your word, you’re not a man.  She’d say, “Everybody is your equal, but no one’s — no one is better than you, Joey.”

“Courage,” she’d say to me, “every — lives in every heart, and one day it will be summoned.”

Well, I saw Bobby’s father and mother summon that courage.  I saw Bobby summon it as well. 

You know, Bobby knows what my dad taught me: No one’s looking for a handout, but everybody just wants a fair shot, a way up, a chance. 

My dad taught me — and I mean this sincerely.  He’d come home from work — our dinner table was a place we had conversation and, incidentally, ate.  And my dad used to say, and I — I’m not joking — he said, “Joey, a job is about a lot more than a paycheck.  It’s about your dignity.  It’s about respect.  It’s about your place in the community.  It’s about being able to look your kid in the eye and say, ‘Honey, it’s going to be okay,’ and mean it.” 

Just a fair shot.  Well, that’s Bobby.  That’s Bobby, and a leader of Pennsylvania you can always count on. 

He fights for those core values.  He understands the struggles and hopes of people in Pennsylvania.  And he always stands up for working folks, folks.  He takes on powerful special interests, just as he’s able to walk across the aisle and get all things done for Pennsylvania when he can work in a bipartisan way. 

Bob Casey is one of the most effective, the most bipartisan senators in the entire country, and I’ve seen it throughout my career, especially in the last four years. 

When Kamala and I came to office, with Bobby’s help, we were determined to end the trickle-down economics — the idea that if the wealthy do very, very well, a lot will trickle down to the ordinary middle-class folks.  But guess what?  Not a whole lot ever trickled down on my dad’s kitchen table. 

You know, we were determined to grow this economy in a different way — grow it from the middle out and the bottom up.  That way, the wealthy still do very well, but everybody got a fighting chance. 

And if you notice, the vast majority of the mainstream economists are giving us credit for a fundamental shift.  We have the best economy in the world — that’s not hyperbole — in the world.

For me and Bobby, it comes down to looking out w- — you know, we — I — we call up where I come from in Scranton,  Scranton values versus Mar a Lago values.  I’ll g- — (laughter).  No, I mean it.  I’ll give you one example. 

For the longest time, I’ve been trying to give Medicare the power to negotiate prescription drug prices.  I did that when I was a senator.  I worked like hell.  Well, we — we got it passed by a vote, and, with Bobby’s help, we finally took on Big Pharma. 

I d- — Big Pharma should be able to make money.  I’m not suggesting they shouldn’t, but Medicare was the only organization that could not negotiate drug prices.  They could, at the Veterans Administration, negotiate lower drug prices. 

For example, seniors with diabetes a- — they need insulin.  Well, it used to cost $400 a month on average.  It now costs $35 a month. 

You know how much it cost them to make it?  $10 a month.  Package it?  $12 a month. 

And starting in January, seniors will have a total out-of-pocket prescription drug cost capped at $2,000 no matter what they’re pay — no matter what they pay.  (Applause.)

You can get back on Air Force One with me — and this is not hyperbole — I can take you to any capital in the world.  If you take a prescription you have here in the United States, come with me — whether it’s Toronto, Berlin, Hamburg, wherever it is — and I can get you that same prescription from the same company somewhere between 20 and 60 percent less.  That’s not hyperbole.  That’s a fact.  That is a fact — a fact.

You know — so, you know, these expensive cancer drugs cost 10- 12-, 14,000 bucks a year.  Well, starting in January, seniors will not have to pay any more than $2,000 for the total drug costs. 

And, by the way, our reforms not only save seniors money, they save all you taxpayers money.  You know how much this little bill saves the American taxpayer, all of you?  $160 billion.  It doesn’t cost the c- — (applause) — it doesn’t cost the taxpayer a penny.  $160 billion.  Because they don’t have to pay — they don’t have to pay the exorbitant prices they were being charged before.  They pay what it costs them — what it costs the government to p- — to buy it. 

You know, we were told we couldn’t get that — any of this done.  Because of Bobby, we got it done. 

I can go on about Bobby and how he’s doing everything he can to keep the economy strong and working people and the middle class. 

You know, the middle class built this country.  That’s a fact.  And, you know, the fact is that unions built the middle class. 

I — I’m — you know, I come from the corporate state of Delaware.  We have more major corporations registered in Delaware than every other state in the Union combined.  Many of you have your corporations there.  Many of you have them.  So, I’m not antibusiness.  I represented that state for 36 years. 

But things that this guy wants to do — we’re running against.  We — I want to stren- – we strengthened the Affordable Care Act, which Trump wants to eliminate. 

If you eliminated the Affordable Care Act — this is a fact — 100 million people with pre-existing conditions would no longer get coverage.  What would that cost the government and all — I mean, think — think what it would cost the government if that were the case with all those costs. 

Bobby’s protecting Social Security and Medicare, which Trump wants to cut. 

Bobby has taken on corporate greed, what they call “shrinkflation.”  I — I want everybody to make a fair price, but the idea that — it’s outrageous that snack companies think folks won’t notice that they charge the same amount of money for bag of potato chips with fewer potato chips in it.  (Laughter.)  No, I’m not joking.  That’s going on, pal.  Seriously.

It’s taking advantage of the American people.  And one thing that angers me is when that happens.  Bobby knows the American people don’t like being played for suckers. 

He’s also fighting for the rights of workers to organize because they do better — all workers do better and the entire country does better. 

I had when — we did the — there — anyway, I won’t bore you with all the detail, but I had them check out when we were — more unions were coming in.  I said, “What — what’s the effect on the average worker?”  Everybody’s wages went up.  Everybody’s wages went up. 

He’s committed to defending women’s rights and voting rights and so much more.

It’s also critical that we lay out the stark contrast in choice of this election, folks.  I don’t care what your predilection is politically, but did you ever — literally, not a joke — did you ever study, see, think about a president who’s been so unethical as this president has been?  No, I’m — I’m not joking. 

Did you see what came out today?  It came out today that when — in the middle of the pandemic, we were short on tests that we could get tests to people — and, by the way, the way he handled the pandemic was this — was a — wa- — was a disgrace — disgrace.  Over a million people died.

But guess what?  Those sure — those tests to determine whether you had COVID were in short supply, so he called his good friend Putin — not a joke — and made sure he had the test.  He had the test.  What the hell is wrong with this guy? I’m not — I’m not jok- — I’m — serious.  I’m being deadly earnest. 

Pennsylvania is the kind of place that climbs into your heart and never leaves you.  And trust me, I know.  I was born here, and I married a Philly girl.  (Laughter and applause.)  I may be Irish, but I’m not stupid.  I married Dominic Giacoppa’s daughter.  (Laughter.)  You all think I’m kidding.  If I didn’t root for the Phillies, I’d be sleeping alone for a long time.  (Applause.)  They think I’m kidding.  (Laughter.) 

But any rate, trust me when I saw — wh- — when I say Pennsylvania never left Bob Casey and Bob Casey has never left Pennsylvania.  It’s part of who he is. 

But his opponent left Pennsylvania, and Pennsylvania sure as hell left him.  His opponent doesn’t seem to understand that in Pennsylvania, money doesn’t determine your worth.  Money doesn’t determine your — it’s — I hope you make all the money in the world.  That’s wonderful.  Just pay your fair share of taxes like the rest of us do.  It’s okay by me.

But money doesn’t determine a person’s wealth or standing.  It’s your integrity, your character, your honor — your sense of integrity, character, and honor.  That’s the base, and that’s the company he keeps.  This guy — Bobby stands up for leaders.  (Applause.)

Look — and, by the way, he stands by other leaders of integrity, character, and honor, our great — great vice — our great vice president, Kamala Harris.

But he also — guess — this is the guy who — I’m going to say something self-serving.  When I left the Senate after 36 years, I was voted as the most — the guy who got more done crossing the aisle.  I — I’m a partisan guy.  I’m a Democrat.  But when things need to be done, we cross the aisle, shake hands.  That’s what this guy does.  He gets more bipartisan things done.  He’s a man that kids can look up to. 

Meanwhile, his opponent is lockstep with Donald Trump, voted by the history- — political historians as the most dishonorable president in American history.  That’s not hyperbole.  Just read what he’s saying, what he’s doing. 

But it’s worth repeating what Bobby just said about his opponent.  His opponent said the Supreme Court is overturning Roe v. Wade made him very, very happy.  His opportnent supposted [opponent supported] an extreme ban on — with no exceptions of rape for* incest. 

Not only that, as Bobby said, his opponent made a fortune investing millions of dollars in companies producing fentanyl in China that’s causing an overdose of epidemic ravi- — and, by the way, we’re talking about more people dying from fentanyl than any other cause now in teenagers.  Think about that.  Think about that. 

One of the things I’m doing — having a — a — I — I’ve spent more time with Xi Jinping than any world leader has, over 98 hours alone with him.  We’re making it real clear.  He’s got to change the deal.  He can’t continue to provide the byproducts with fentanyl — the products that were in the fentanyl.  And this guy is supporting it.

Folks, there is a fundamental choice in this election — a choice between a true Pennsylvanian, who sees Pennsylvania as a place to serve his people, or a Connecticut hedge fund CEO who still lives in Connecticut and who sees Pennsylvania only as a place from which to run for office. 

Bob understands something his opponent — his opponent doesn’t.  As I said before, Wall Street is a good pl- — I have nothing against Wall Street, but Wall Street didn’t build this country.  The middle class built this country, and unions built the middle class. 

Folks, let me close with this.  As you all know better than — as well as I do — and, by the way, I look out here, and I hate to — don’t want to ruin your reputation, but about a third of you, the reason why I’m in the Senate.  You think I’m joking.  You guys raised more money for me over the years when I was a senator — and, anyway — (laughter).

That — that — that’s when Delaware was — and they’re good people — that was — that was when Delaware was all DuPont and all red.

And — but, look, Bobby’s race is one of the most competitive Senate races in the country, and he’s being — this guy is being massively outspent.  But people in this — under this tent know the elections in Pennsylvania are always close.  This one is no different. 

Yes, we need to elect Kamala and Tim as president and vice president, but we also need to hold the Senate — hold the Senate.  We simply can’t hold the Senate without reelecting Bobby Casey.  That’s just a fact.  (Applause.) 

And, by the way, there’s no greater champion for Pennsylvania than Bob, and there’s no one I trust more in the United States Senate than Bobby.  And now we have to — we have to be champions for him, for the sake of the state, for the sake of our country. 

I know we can do this.  I’ve never been more — I’ve been doing — I know I only look like I’m 40, but — (laughter) — I’ve been around a hell of a long time.

But I can say with — with absolute integrity and honesty, I’ve never been more optimistic about America’s future than I am today.  We have the strongest economy in the world.  We’re the only nation, from a historical perspective, that’s come out of every crisis stronger than we went into that crisis. 

And look who the world looks to.  We’re the strongest military, not — not only recently, in the history of the world — not a joke — in the history of the world. 

We’re the best workers in the world.  When I went back to get all the chips being made in — overseas, getting back — bringing back home, I met with the president of Samsung in South Korea, investing $15 billion in building a new (inaudible) — anyway, and I asked him why he was doing it.  And he said, “Because you have the most qualified workers in the world, and it’s the safest place in the world to invest my money.” 

We’re the most dyna- — dynamic scientists and entrepreneurs and innovators in the world.  And, again, that’s not hyperbole.  We have the best research universities in the world.  And above all, we’re the only nation in the world, as I said, that emerged stronger from crisis than we entered it.

And Bobby’s — with Bobby’s leadership, we’re doing it with the new playbook, based on one of the oldest truths of our nation: Believe in America.  Believe in the American people.  They just need a shot. 

We have to remember who in the hell we are.  I mean this sincerely.  I’m being deadly earnest.  We’re the United States of America.  There is nothing — nothing beyond our capacity, nothing, when we work together and — to get it done, and we’re going to do it this time. 

So please elect him.  We need him badly. 

God bless you all.  And may God protect our troops.  Thank you.  (Applause.)

7:14 P.M. EDT

The post Remarks by President Biden at a Campaign Event in Support of Senator Bob Casey | Bryn Mawr, PA appeared first on The White House.

Private Residence
Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania

7:00 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello.  (Laughter.)  Good to see you all.

Look, it’s good to be almost home.  (Laughter.)  I lived not far from here, just across the line, in Delaware, and it’s good to be with family.  That’s what Pennsylvania and the Caseys are to me: family.  That’s a fact.

Matt and Staci and your children — thanks so much for hosting us.  Just what you wanted to hear, Bobby, that, you know, your brother — I call your brother and said, “We got 6,000 Secret Service agents showing up.”  (Laughter.)  And thanks for being one of my great friends, pal.  Thanks (inaudible). 

Look, we have something in common.  We share a common lot, Bob and I: We both married way up.  (Laughter.) 

Traci, your daughter’s here today.  Always great to see you. 

And along with a large, extended Casey family, including Casey’s sisters, Margi and Mary Ellen, and — and their families as well.

I also want to thank another great friend, Madeleine Dean.  Madeleine, you’re out there somewhere, but I don’t — (applause).  You know, since I’m the only — the second Irish Catholic ever to be elected, I — when I go to Ireland, I could get elected Taoiseach — but they did all my genealogy, and I think we’re related, kid.  I have — (laughter) — anyway.  You think I’m kidding.  I’m not.

Folks, it feels like Scranton again.  I grew up on North Washington Avenue and the Caseys grew up on Wyoming, a few blocks away — Wyoming Avenue.  Whether it was church or c- — or conversations around the kitchen table, my — the Finnegan family, my grandpop was with the — with the Tribune and he was — anyway, our families knew each other. 

You can define their mother and their father by a single word: integrity.  They’re two of the most honorable people I’ve ever known.  I — actually, we’re about the same age apart from hi- — his dad and me, and me and — and Bobby.  And — but it’s not a surprise that Bobby is just like his family — a man of character, a friend who always has your back, and leader who keeps his word.

Like his dad, Bobby has always believed in public service and public trust — that it was a public trust. 

And where we grew up — just like many of you, you grew up with a basic value set.  Bobby knows my mom taught me the same thing as he got taught, that you have to be a man of your word.  Without your word, you’re not a man.  She’d say, “Everybody is your equal, but no one’s — no one is better than you, Joey.”

“Courage,” she’d say to me, “every — lives in every heart, and one day it will be summoned.”

Well, I saw Bobby’s father and mother summon that courage.  I saw Bobby summon it as well. 

You know, Bobby knows what my dad taught me: No one’s looking for a handout, but everybody just wants a fair shot, a way up, a chance. 

My dad taught me — and I mean this sincerely.  He’d come home from work — our dinner table was a place we had conversation and, incidentally, ate.  And my dad used to say, and I — I’m not joking — he said, “Joey, a job is about a lot more than a paycheck.  It’s about your dignity.  It’s about respect.  It’s about your place in the community.  It’s about being able to look your kid in the eye and say, ‘Honey, it’s going to be okay,’ and mean it.” 

Just a fair shot.  Well, that’s Bobby.  That’s Bobby, and a leader of Pennsylvania you can always count on. 

He fights for those core values.  He understands the struggles and hopes of people in Pennsylvania.  And he always stands up for working folks, folks.  He takes on powerful special interests, just as he’s able to walk across the aisle and get all things done for Pennsylvania when he can work in a bipartisan way. 

Bob Casey is one of the most effective, the most bipartisan senators in the entire country, and I’ve seen it throughout my career, especially in the last four years. 

When Kamala and I came to office, with Bobby’s help, we were determined to end the trickle-down economics — the idea that if the wealthy do very, very well, a lot will trickle down to the ordinary middle-class folks.  But guess what?  Not a whole lot ever trickled down on my dad’s kitchen table. 

You know, we were determined to grow this economy in a different way — grow it from the middle out and the bottom up.  That way, the wealthy still do very well, but everybody got a fighting chance. 

And if you notice, the vast majority of the mainstream economists are giving us credit for a fundamental shift.  We have the best economy in the world — that’s not hyperbole — in the world.

For me and Bobby, it comes down to looking out w- — you know, we — I — we call up where I come from in Scranton,  Scranton values versus Mar a Lago values.  I’ll g- — (laughter).  No, I mean it.  I’ll give you one example. 

For the longest time, I’ve been trying to give Medicare the power to negotiate prescription drug prices.  I did that when I was a senator.  I worked like hell.  Well, we — we got it passed by a vote, and, with Bobby’s help, we finally took on Big Pharma. 

I d- — Big Pharma should be able to make money.  I’m not suggesting they shouldn’t, but Medicare was the only organization that could not negotiate drug prices.  They could, at the Veterans Administration, negotiate lower drug prices. 

For example, seniors with diabetes a- — they need insulin.  Well, it used to cost $400 a month on average.  It now costs $35 a month. 

You know how much it cost them to make it?  $10 a month.  Package it?  $12 a month. 

And starting in January, seniors will have a total out-of-pocket prescription drug cost capped at $2,000 no matter what they’re pay — no matter what they pay.  (Applause.)

You can get back on Air Force One with me — and this is not hyperbole — I can take you to any capital in the world.  If you take a prescription you have here in the United States, come with me — whether it’s Toronto, Berlin, Hamburg, wherever it is — and I can get you that same prescription from the same company somewhere between 20 and 60 percent less.  That’s not hyperbole.  That’s a fact.  That is a fact — a fact.

You know — so, you know, these expensive cancer drugs cost 10- 12-, 14,000 bucks a year.  Well, starting in January, seniors will not have to pay any more than $2,000 for the total drug costs. 

And, by the way, our reforms not only save seniors money, they save all you taxpayers money.  You know how much this little bill saves the American taxpayer, all of you?  $160 billion.  It doesn’t cost the c- — (applause) — it doesn’t cost the taxpayer a penny.  $160 billion.  Because they don’t have to pay — they don’t have to pay the exorbitant prices they were being charged before.  They pay what it costs them — what it costs the government to p- — to buy it. 

You know, we were told we couldn’t get that — any of this done.  Because of Bobby, we got it done. 

I can go on about Bobby and how he’s doing everything he can to keep the economy strong and working people and the middle class. 

You know, the middle class built this country.  That’s a fact.  And, you know, the fact is that unions built the middle class. 

I — I’m — you know, I come from the corporate state of Delaware.  We have more major corporations registered in Delaware than every other state in the Union combined.  Many of you have your corporations there.  Many of you have them.  So, I’m not antibusiness.  I represented that state for 36 years. 

But things that this guy wants to do — we’re running against.  We — I want to stren- – we strengthened the Affordable Care Act, which Trump wants to eliminate. 

If you eliminated the Affordable Care Act — this is a fact — 100 million people with pre-existing conditions would no longer get coverage.  What would that cost the government and all — I mean, think — think what it would cost the government if that were the case with all those costs. 

Bobby’s protecting Social Security and Medicare, which Trump wants to cut. 

Bobby has taken on corporate greed, what they call “shrinkflation.”  I — I want everybody to make a fair price, but the idea that — it’s outrageous that snack companies think folks won’t notice that they charge the same amount of money for bag of potato chips with fewer potato chips in it.  (Laughter.)  No, I’m not joking.  That’s going on, pal.  Seriously.

It’s taking advantage of the American people.  And one thing that angers me is when that happens.  Bobby knows the American people don’t like being played for suckers. 

He’s also fighting for the rights of workers to organize because they do better — all workers do better and the entire country does better. 

I had when — we did the — there — anyway, I won’t bore you with all the detail, but I had them check out when we were — more unions were coming in.  I said, “What — what’s the effect on the average worker?”  Everybody’s wages went up.  Everybody’s wages went up. 

He’s committed to defending women’s rights and voting rights and so much more.

It’s also critical that we lay out the stark contrast in choice of this election, folks.  I don’t care what your predilection is politically, but did you ever — literally, not a joke — did you ever study, see, think about a president who’s been so unethical as this president has been?  No, I’m — I’m not joking. 

Did you see what came out today?  It came out today that when — in the middle of the pandemic, we were short on tests that we could get tests to people — and, by the way, the way he handled the pandemic was this — was a — wa- — was a disgrace — disgrace.  Over a million people died.

But guess what?  Those sure — those tests to determine whether you had COVID were in short supply, so he called his good friend Putin — not a joke — and made sure he had the test.  He had the test.  What the hell is wrong with this guy? I’m not — I’m not jok- — I’m — serious.  I’m being deadly earnest. 

Pennsylvania is the kind of place that climbs into your heart and never leaves you.  And trust me, I know.  I was born here, and I married a Philly girl.  (Laughter and applause.)  I may be Irish, but I’m not stupid.  I married Dominic Giacoppa’s daughter.  (Laughter.)  You all think I’m kidding.  If I didn’t root for the Phillies, I’d be sleeping alone for a long time.  (Applause.)  They think I’m kidding.  (Laughter.) 

But any rate, trust me when I saw — wh- — when I say Pennsylvania never left Bob Casey and Bob Casey has never left Pennsylvania.  It’s part of who he is. 

But his opponent left Pennsylvania, and Pennsylvania sure as hell left him.  His opponent doesn’t seem to understand that in Pennsylvania, money doesn’t determine your worth.  Money doesn’t determine your — it’s — I hope you make all the money in the world.  That’s wonderful.  Just pay your fair share of taxes like the rest of us do.  It’s okay by me.

But money doesn’t determine a person’s wealth or standing.  It’s your integrity, your character, your honor — your sense of integrity, character, and honor.  That’s the base, and that’s the company he keeps.  This guy — Bobby stands up for leaders.  (Applause.)

Look — and, by the way, he stands by other leaders of integrity, character, and honor, our great — great vice — our great vice president, Kamala Harris.

But he also — guess — this is the guy who — I’m going to say something self-serving.  When I left the Senate after 36 years, I was voted as the most — the guy who got more done crossing the aisle.  I — I’m a partisan guy.  I’m a Democrat.  But when things need to be done, we cross the aisle, shake hands.  That’s what this guy does.  He gets more bipartisan things done.  He’s a man that kids can look up to. 

Meanwhile, his opponent is lockstep with Donald Trump, voted by the history- — political historians as the most dishonorable president in American history.  That’s not hyperbole.  Just read what he’s saying, what he’s doing. 

But it’s worth repeating what Bobby just said about his opponent.  His opponent said the Supreme Court is overturning Roe v. Wade made him very, very happy.  His opportnent supposted [opponent supported] an extreme ban on — with no exceptions of rape for* incest. 

Not only that, as Bobby said, his opponent made a fortune investing millions of dollars in companies producing fentanyl in China that’s causing an overdose of epidemic ravi- — and, by the way, we’re talking about more people dying from fentanyl than any other cause now in teenagers.  Think about that.  Think about that. 

One of the things I’m doing — having a — a — I — I’ve spent more time with Xi Jinping than any world leader has, over 98 hours alone with him.  We’re making it real clear.  He’s got to change the deal.  He can’t continue to provide the byproducts with fentanyl — the products that were in the fentanyl.  And this guy is supporting it.

Folks, there is a fundamental choice in this election — a choice between a true Pennsylvanian, who sees Pennsylvania as a place to serve his people, or a Connecticut hedge fund CEO who still lives in Connecticut and who sees Pennsylvania only as a place from which to run for office. 

Bob understands something his opponent — his opponent doesn’t.  As I said before, Wall Street is a good pl- — I have nothing against Wall Street, but Wall Street didn’t build this country.  The middle class built this country, and unions built the middle class. 

Folks, let me close with this.  As you all know better than — as well as I do — and, by the way, I look out here, and I hate to — don’t want to ruin your reputation, but about a third of you, the reason why I’m in the Senate.  You think I’m joking.  You guys raised more money for me over the years when I was a senator — and, anyway — (laughter).

That — that — that’s when Delaware was — and they’re good people — that was — that was when Delaware was all DuPont and all red.

And — but, look, Bobby’s race is one of the most competitive Senate races in the country, and he’s being — this guy is being massively outspent.  But people in this — under this tent know the elections in Pennsylvania are always close.  This one is no different. 

Yes, we need to elect Kamala and Tim as president and vice president, but we also need to hold the Senate — hold the Senate.  We simply can’t hold the Senate without reelecting Bobby Casey.  That’s just a fact.  (Applause.) 

And, by the way, there’s no greater champion for Pennsylvania than Bob, and there’s no one I trust more in the United States Senate than Bobby.  And now we have to — we have to be champions for him, for the sake of the state, for the sake of our country. 

I know we can do this.  I’ve never been more — I’ve been doing — I know I only look like I’m 40, but — (laughter) — I’ve been around a hell of a long time.

But I can say with — with absolute integrity and honesty, I’ve never been more optimistic about America’s future than I am today.  We have the strongest economy in the world.  We’re the only nation, from a historical perspective, that’s come out of every crisis stronger than we went into that crisis. 

And look who the world looks to.  We’re the strongest military, not — not only recently, in the history of the world — not a joke — in the history of the world. 

We’re the best workers in the world.  When I went back to get all the chips being made in — overseas, getting back — bringing back home, I met with the president of Samsung in South Korea, investing $15 billion in building a new (inaudible) — anyway, and I asked him why he was doing it.  And he said, “Because you have the most qualified workers in the world, and it’s the safest place in the world to invest my money.” 

We’re the most dyna- — dynamic scientists and entrepreneurs and innovators in the world.  And, again, that’s not hyperbole.  We have the best research universities in the world.  And above all, we’re the only nation in the world, as I said, that emerged stronger from crisis than we entered it.

And Bobby’s — with Bobby’s leadership, we’re doing it with the new playbook, based on one of the oldest truths of our nation: Believe in America.  Believe in the American people.  They just need a shot. 

We have to remember who in the hell we are.  I mean this sincerely.  I’m being deadly earnest.  We’re the United States of America.  There is nothing — nothing beyond our capacity, nothing, when we work together and — to get it done, and we’re going to do it this time. 

So please elect him.  We need him badly. 

God bless you all.  And may God protect our troops.  Thank you.  (Applause.)

7:14 P.M. EDT

The post Remarks by President Biden at a Campaign Event in Support of Senator Bob Casey | Bryn Mawr, PA appeared first on The White House.

The Biden-Harris Administration continues to mobilize a whole-of-government effort to prepare for the impacts of Hurricane Milton, including pre-positioning resources and personnel and expediting debris removal efforts in Florida. These actions supplement the ongoing response and recovery efforts to the impacts of Hurricane Helene across the Southeast and Appalachia.

Today, President Biden was briefed by members of his Administration who are driving preparations for Hurricane Milton and recovery efforts for Hurricane Helene. The President directed his team to do everything possible to save lives and help communities before, during, and after these extreme weather events.

The President urges everyone to be aware of the evacuation orders that are in effect in multiple Florida counties. Shelters are open, and evacuation assistance is available. If you are told to evacuate, do so immediately for your safety and that of your loved ones. If you need a safe place to go nearby, text SHELTER & your zip code to 43362 to get a list of open shelters near you.

Yesterday, President Biden had calls with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Tampa Mayor Jane Castor to get firsthand reports on recovery efforts for Hurricane Helene and to discuss preparations for Hurricane Milton. The President also spoke with National Weather Service Director Ken Graham, who briefed the President in detail on the forecast and expected impacts of Hurricane Milton for the State of Florida. 

At the direction of President Biden, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell was on the ground in Tampa, Florida, yesterday, where she met with local leaders to coordinate preparations ahead of Milton’s landfall.

Yesterday, President Biden quickly approved the Governor of Florida’s request for a pre-landfall emergency declaration. Under an emergency declaration, FEMA provides direct Federal support to states for life-saving activities and other emergency protective measures, such as evacuation, sheltering, and search and rescue. Earlier today, the President also approved an emergency declaration request from the Chairman of the Seminole Tribe of Florida.

The Administration has been in touch with officials from the State of Florida, as well as 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 Administration has also been in touch with officials from the Seminole and Miccosukee Tribes. The Administration has also reached out to state officials in South Carolina and Georgia and will continue outreach efforts based on Hurricane Milton’s latest trajectory.

FEMA has sufficient funding to both support the response to Hurricane Milton and continue to support the ongoing response to and recovery from Hurricane Helene– including funding to support first responders and provide immediate assistance to disaster survivors.

Additional updates include:

Pre-Staging Personnel and Resources

FEMA is pre-staging a full slate of response capabilities in Florida and the region, including seven FEMA Incident Management Assistance Teams, eight FEMA Urban Search & Rescue and swift water rescue teams, three U.S. Coast Guard Swift Water Rescue teams, four Health Care System Assessment Teams, five Disaster Medical Assistance Teams and an Incident Management Team from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Additional pre-staged capabilities include U.S Army Corps of Engineers temporary power teams, debris experts and a roofing team, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency debris removal and wastewater experts, and 300 ambulances. In addition, the U.S. Department of Defense is posturing and staging forces to support FEMA and state partners including helicopters for search-and-rescue operations and to enable movement of personnel, equipment and commodities; and High Water Vehicles.  

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

Protecting Public Health and Health Care Systems

Today, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra declared a Public Health Emergency for Florida to address the health impacts of Hurricane Milton, the second public health emergency declaration for the state to aid in a hurricane response within the past two weeks.

The Department’s Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) pre-positioned approximately 100 responders in Atlanta along with medical equipment and supplies to support the delivery of health care services in Florida following the landfall of Hurricane Milton. The deployed personnel include ASPR Health Care Situational Assessment Teams who stand ready to work with state officials to assess the storm’s impacts on hospitals, nursing homes, dialysis centers, and other health care facilities and a Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) from ASPR’s National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) for rapid response following health care assessments. A second DMAT is being pre-positioned in Atlanta to support additional response to either Hurricane Helene or Hurricane Milton, as needed.

In addition to the assessment teams and disaster medical system personnel, ASPR deployed personnel from an Incident Management Team and Regional Emergency Coordinators who integrate with FEMA, state health authorities, and emergency response officials to anticipate and assist Florida in meeting public health and medical needs in the wake of the storm. Logisticians and security personnel are also pre-positioned to provide support. ASPR is prepared to facilitate Public Health Emergencies for Hurricane Milton upon request. ASPR has also supported the HHS emPOWER program, which is available to identify the number of Medicare beneficiaries in affected zips codes who rely on electricity-dependent durable medical equipment and certain healthcare services, such as dialysis, oxygen tank, or home health, to help anticipate, plan for, and respond to the needs of at-risk citizens in potentially impacted areas.

Preparing for Impacts to Infrastructure

The Department of Transportation is deploying a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Air Traffic Field Incident Response (FIR) team to Florida and pre-staging operations in Jacksonville to prepare support for 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 supporting communication restoration at impacted airports. Specifically, the CST will set up Starlink and Mobile Phone Bonding kits, which increase signal stability and data throughout the region. The FAA is placing aircraft on standby to transport personnel from various agencies, mobilize resources, and support damage assessments to infrastructure.

In addition, similar to the approach on Hurricane Helene, the FAA will continue to closely coordinate with the Department of Defense, the Armed Services, including Active Duty and National Guard units, and State Emergency Operations Centers to support their use of drones to support response and recovery.  Drones can play a critical role in supporting search and rescue operations and damage assessments by providing real time video, imagery, and sensor capabilities in hard-to-reach places.       The Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration is coordinating with the Florida Department of Transportation and monitoring the situation to be prepared to support.

The Environmental Protection Agency is working closely with Federal, state, local, and Tribal partners to support water systems, prepare for debris management, and ensure facilities, including Superfund sites, maintain critical public health and environmental protections while they recover from Hurricane Helene and prepare for Hurricane Milton. The agency has personnel on the ground in regional and national operations centers who are continuing to respond to Hurricane Helene and are preparing to offer support, guidance, and assistance to the State of Florida and everyone in the new storm’s path.

Additional Pre-Landfall Preparations

The Department of the Interior’s U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is deploying wave sensors at eight locations in Florida between Naples and Crystal River to measure the coastal waves caused by the storm. USGS Field crews are also installing one rapid-deployment gauge on the Sunshine Skyway bridge in St. Petersburg, Florida. This specialized piece of equipment is a fully-functional streamgage designed to be deployed quickly and temporarily to measure and transmit real-time water level data in emergency situations. This data can be used by decision makers and emergency managers to monitor water levels as they work to save lives and property.

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 of Energy has been coordinating continuously with energy sector partners on both the ongoing Hurricane Helene response and potential impacts from Hurricane Milton.

The U.S. 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.

The Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) announced it is extending measures to assist customers, U.S. exporters, and financial institutions impacted by Hurricane Helene and forecasted to be impacted by Hurricane Milton. EXIM is offering assistance to allow businesses and financial institutions that participate in EXIM’s programs to return to their business concerns when appropriate and without penalty due to missed deadlines or other timeliness issues.

###

The post FACT SHEET: UPDATE: Biden-Harris Administration Continues Life-Saving Preparations for Hurricane Milton appeared first on The White House.

The Biden-Harris Administration continues to mobilize a whole-of-government effort to prepare for the impacts of Hurricane Milton, including pre-positioning resources and personnel and expediting debris removal efforts in Florida. These actions supplement the ongoing response and recovery efforts to the impacts of Hurricane Helene across the Southeast and Appalachia.

Today, President Biden was briefed by members of his Administration who are driving preparations for Hurricane Milton and recovery efforts for Hurricane Helene. The President directed his team to do everything possible to save lives and help communities before, during, and after these extreme weather events.

The President urges everyone to be aware of the evacuation orders that are in effect in multiple Florida counties. Shelters are open, and evacuation assistance is available. If you are told to evacuate, do so immediately for your safety and that of your loved ones. If you need a safe place to go nearby, text SHELTER & your zip code to 43362 to get a list of open shelters near you.

Yesterday, President Biden had calls with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Tampa Mayor Jane Castor to get firsthand reports on recovery efforts for Hurricane Helene and to discuss preparations for Hurricane Milton. The President also spoke with National Weather Service Director Ken Graham, who briefed the President in detail on the forecast and expected impacts of Hurricane Milton for the State of Florida. 

At the direction of President Biden, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell was on the ground in Tampa, Florida, yesterday, where she met with local leaders to coordinate preparations ahead of Milton’s landfall.

Yesterday, President Biden quickly approved the Governor of Florida’s request for a pre-landfall emergency declaration. Under an emergency declaration, FEMA provides direct Federal support to states for life-saving activities and other emergency protective measures, such as evacuation, sheltering, and search and rescue. Earlier today, the President also approved an emergency declaration request from the Chairman of the Seminole Tribe of Florida.

The Administration has been in touch with officials from the State of Florida, as well as 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 Administration has also been in touch with officials from the Seminole and Miccosukee Tribes. The Administration has also reached out to state officials in South Carolina and Georgia and will continue outreach efforts based on Hurricane Milton’s latest trajectory.

FEMA has sufficient funding to both support the response to Hurricane Milton and continue to support the ongoing response to and recovery from Hurricane Helene– including funding to support first responders and provide immediate assistance to disaster survivors.

Additional updates include:

Pre-Staging Personnel and Resources

FEMA is pre-staging a full slate of response capabilities in Florida and the region, including seven FEMA Incident Management Assistance Teams, eight FEMA Urban Search & Rescue and swift water rescue teams, three U.S. Coast Guard Swift Water Rescue teams, four Health Care System Assessment Teams, five Disaster Medical Assistance Teams and an Incident Management Team from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Additional pre-staged capabilities include U.S Army Corps of Engineers temporary power teams, debris experts and a roofing team, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency debris removal and wastewater experts, and 300 ambulances. In addition, the U.S. Department of Defense is posturing and staging forces to support FEMA and state partners including helicopters for search-and-rescue operations and to enable movement of personnel, equipment and commodities; and High Water Vehicles.  

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

Protecting Public Health and Health Care Systems

Today, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra declared a Public Health Emergency for Florida to address the health impacts of Hurricane Milton, the second public health emergency declaration for the state to aid in a hurricane response within the past two weeks.

The Department’s Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) pre-positioned approximately 100 responders in Atlanta along with medical equipment and supplies to support the delivery of health care services in Florida following the landfall of Hurricane Milton. The deployed personnel include ASPR Health Care Situational Assessment Teams who stand ready to work with state officials to assess the storm’s impacts on hospitals, nursing homes, dialysis centers, and other health care facilities and a Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) from ASPR’s National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) for rapid response following health care assessments. A second DMAT is being pre-positioned in Atlanta to support additional response to either Hurricane Helene or Hurricane Milton, as needed.

In addition to the assessment teams and disaster medical system personnel, ASPR deployed personnel from an Incident Management Team and Regional Emergency Coordinators who integrate with FEMA, state health authorities, and emergency response officials to anticipate and assist Florida in meeting public health and medical needs in the wake of the storm. Logisticians and security personnel are also pre-positioned to provide support. ASPR is prepared to facilitate Public Health Emergencies for Hurricane Milton upon request. ASPR has also supported the HHS emPOWER program, which is available to identify the number of Medicare beneficiaries in affected zips codes who rely on electricity-dependent durable medical equipment and certain healthcare services, such as dialysis, oxygen tank, or home health, to help anticipate, plan for, and respond to the needs of at-risk citizens in potentially impacted areas.

Preparing for Impacts to Infrastructure

The Department of Transportation is deploying a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Air Traffic Field Incident Response (FIR) team to Florida and pre-staging operations in Jacksonville to prepare support for 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 supporting communication restoration at impacted airports. Specifically, the CST will set up Starlink and Mobile Phone Bonding kits, which increase signal stability and data throughout the region. The FAA is placing aircraft on standby to transport personnel from various agencies, mobilize resources, and support damage assessments to infrastructure.

In addition, similar to the approach on Hurricane Helene, the FAA will continue to closely coordinate with the Department of Defense, the Armed Services, including Active Duty and National Guard units, and State Emergency Operations Centers to support their use of drones to support response and recovery.  Drones can play a critical role in supporting search and rescue operations and damage assessments by providing real time video, imagery, and sensor capabilities in hard-to-reach places.       The Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration is coordinating with the Florida Department of Transportation and monitoring the situation to be prepared to support.

The Environmental Protection Agency is working closely with Federal, state, local, and Tribal partners to support water systems, prepare for debris management, and ensure facilities, including Superfund sites, maintain critical public health and environmental protections while they recover from Hurricane Helene and prepare for Hurricane Milton. The agency has personnel on the ground in regional and national operations centers who are continuing to respond to Hurricane Helene and are preparing to offer support, guidance, and assistance to the State of Florida and everyone in the new storm’s path.

Additional Pre-Landfall Preparations

The Department of the Interior’s U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is deploying wave sensors at eight locations in Florida between Naples and Crystal River to measure the coastal waves caused by the storm. USGS Field crews are also installing one rapid-deployment gauge on the Sunshine Skyway bridge in St. Petersburg, Florida. This specialized piece of equipment is a fully-functional streamgage designed to be deployed quickly and temporarily to measure and transmit real-time water level data in emergency situations. This data can be used by decision makers and emergency managers to monitor water levels as they work to save lives and property.

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 of Energy has been coordinating continuously with energy sector partners on both the ongoing Hurricane Helene response and potential impacts from Hurricane Milton.

The U.S. 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.

The Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) announced it is extending measures to assist customers, U.S. exporters, and financial institutions impacted by Hurricane Helene and forecasted to be impacted by Hurricane Milton. EXIM is offering assistance to allow businesses and financial institutions that participate in EXIM’s programs to return to their business concerns when appropriate and without penalty due to missed deadlines or other timeliness issues.

###

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Today, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. declared that an emergency exists for the Seminole Tribe of Florida and ordered Federal assistance to supplement the Tribe’s response efforts due to the emergency conditions resulting from Hurricane Milton beginning on October 5, 2024, and continuing.

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

Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency.  Emergency protective measures, including direct federal assistance, will be provided at 75 percent Federal funding. 

Ms. Leda M. Khoury of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been appointed to coordinate Federal recovery operations in the affected areas. 

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

###

The post President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves the Seminole Tribe of Florida Emergency Declaration appeared first on The White House.

Today, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. declared that an emergency exists for the Seminole Tribe of Florida and ordered Federal assistance to supplement the Tribe’s response efforts due to the emergency conditions resulting from Hurricane Milton beginning on October 5, 2024, and continuing.

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

Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency.  Emergency protective measures, including direct federal assistance, will be provided at 75 percent Federal funding. 

Ms. Leda M. Khoury of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been appointed to coordinate Federal recovery operations in the affected areas. 

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

###

The post President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves the Seminole Tribe of Florida Emergency Declaration appeared first on The White House.

Department of Public Works Field Headquarters
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

1:42 P.M. CDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, everybody.  (Applause.)  Hello, Milwaukee!  (Applause.)  It’s good to be back.  Thank you.

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Welcome to Milwaukee, Joe!

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, it’s good to be back in Milwaukee.

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  We love you!

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.   

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  We love Biden-Harris!  Milwaukee loves Biden-Harris!

AUDIENCE:  Thank you, Joe!  Thank you, Joe!  Thank you, Joe!

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you. 

AUDIENCE:  Thank you, Joe!  Thank you, Joe!  Thank you, Joe!

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, thank you.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.

If you have a seat, have one.  (Laughter.)  I said that once and there were no seats, and the guy looked at me like, “What the hell is the matter with you?”  (Laughter.) 

Before I begin, I want to say we’re prepared for another horrible hurricane to hit Florida.  I’ve directed my team to do everything it can to save lives and help the communities before, during, and after this hurricane. 

The most important message today for all those who may be listening to this in the impacted areas is listen to the local authorities, follow safety instruction, including evacuation orders.  This is serious.  And you got to be safe, because people are dying.  People have died so far — not from this hurricane, but from the last one. 

So, folks, let me — for this — get to today’s event.  

Shy, thank you for sharing your family’s story.  You said it all.  The worst thing — and I know from experience — for a parent is something happening to your children.  Your son, your family, your [and] families like yours exposed to lead poisoning in our water, they deserve a hell of a lot better than they’ve been getting.  And that’s why we’re here. 

That’s why people like Alfonso [Alonso] are getting to work removing those lead pipe services [service lines], delivering clean water. 

Kamala and I go all the way back to Flint worrying about what happened then — remember? — in Michigan.

AUDIENCE:  Yes.

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, providing what’s good for our health and for our environment is also good for our economy and it’s good for jobs.  (Applause.)

Folks, the middle class built this country, and organized labor unions built the middle class.  (Applause.)  It’s a fact.

We’re lucky to have some great leaders here today who know how to get a job done.  Tony has heard me say this before, but I think Tony is one of the three best governors in the United States of America.  (Applause.)

And the great mayor, Chevy Johnson — Chevy, I tell you, you’re one of the best mayors, pal.  (Applause.)  You really are. 

Our great administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Michael Regan.  (Applause.)

And our great chair of the Council on Environmental Quality, Brenda Malloy [Mallory].  (Applause.)  Brenda, where are you?  You’re out — you’re out there somewhere.   

We’re here today because we’re finally addressing an issue that should’ve been addressed a long time ago in this country: the danger that lead pipes pose to our drinking water. 

For too long, local communities have known how important it was to deal with this problem.  It hadn’t been given the national priority it demanded though. 

I’m here today to tell you that I’m finally insisting that it gets prioritized, and I’m insisting it get done.  (Applause.)

One of the most important things we’re doing today is establishing a new rule that every lead pipe providing clean drinking water doesn’t — that — that doesn’t provide clean wa- — must be replaced.  Every single one.  Not only are we setting a priority, we’re showing up as a partner to get it done. 

Over the past couple of years, we’ve provided billions of dollars to states and communities to address this problem.  And today, I’m announcing an additional $2 billion in — (applause) — in grants to states and local communities to get the job done.  It matters. 

Folks, people often asking me, “Why do we have lead pipes in the first place?”  You probably ask yourself that.  “How did that happen?”  Well, it’s because when they were first put in place a long time ago, lead pipes were incredibly durable and they didn’t rust.  But since then, we’ve learned that lead pipes also leach poisonous toxins into the water that lead to terrible health consequences, particularly in the development of a child’s brain.  Think about what that does to a parent’s peace of mind. 

When I was a senator back in 1986, I supported a law that stopped new lead pipes from being put in the ground in the first place.  But that still left millions of older lead pipes that were already in the ground connected to homes, schools, childcare centers, and businesses, including some 340,000 lead pipe service lines right here in Wisconsin. 

And over the years, we’ve only chipped away at the problem, but chipping at a problem hasn’t fully solved it.  It’s taken too long.  It hasn’t been given a high enough priority until now.  (Applause.) 

Folks, as Kamala would say, “This is the United States of America, for God’s sake.”  There’s no safe — no safe level of lead exposure, period.  None. 

And the only way forward is to replace every lead pipeline and connect the American people to clean water.  No alternative.  And that’s why — (applause) — that’s why Kamala and I are the first administration to take on the challenge once and for all.  And we’re delivering. 

We know safe, clean drinking water is fundamental to the health of our communities, to enhance our economic growth, to basic human dignity. 

That’s why we’ve already replaced 367,000 lead pipe services [service lines] all across America.  And today — (applause) — nearly 1 million Americans no longer have to worry about the potential impacts of lead in their water. 

Like Lillie Key right here in Milwaukee.  She’s a nursing assistant, protecting the health of others.  She actually knows — actually at work right now.  But in her own home, there was a lead pipe threat to her own health and to all her grandchildren she helped raise there.  She was spending a big chunk of her paycheck on bottled water every month because it was too expensive to replace the lead pipes. 

But three — three weeks ago, Lillie got lead service line replaced for free.  (Applause.)  How?  Because of what I call In- — our Investing in America agenda. 

One of the many reasons Kamala and I fought so hard to pass the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law — which I might add is over a trillion 200 billion dollars — was not only to modernize our nation’s infrastructure — roads, bridges, ports, airports, transit system, electric grids, affordable high-speed broadband — but also to get rid of the godforsaken lead pipes drive cl- — dri- — deliver clean drinking water to everyone in their homes, their schools, and their businesses. 

Right here in Wisconsin, we’ve invested more than $200 million, replacing tens of thousands of lead pipelines.  And today — (applause) —

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Thank you, Joe!

THE PRESIDENT:  No, thank you.  Thank you.

Today, we’re releasing another $43 million for Wisconsin as part of two, six — $2.6 billion nationwide to support replacing lead pipe service lines.  (Applause.)

And while the federal government can’t do it alone, we’re providing the single largest investment ever to team up with states and cities to get the job done together.  And I mean team up at every level. 

Right after I signed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Kamala announced our administration’s ambitious blueprint to use every tool — every tool at our disposal at the federal, state, and local level to protect our families from lead poisoning.  As a result of that work, I’m announcing a new rule, written into law from the Environmental Protection Agency, that requires water systems across America replace lead pipe service [lines] in — every single one in America within 10 years must be done.  (Applause.) 

I want that rule into law no matter who is president.  It matters.

We’re seeing that collaboration here, where the city of Milwaukee will now replace all of their lead pipe service lines within 10 years, instead of what was projected to take 60 years to get it done.  That was the projection. 

Folks, this is a big deal, as someone once said.  (Laughter.)

It’s about saving families from going through what Shy and Lillie’s families had to go through, saving hundreds of thousands of mothers and infants from low birth weights and children with [from] lasting brain damage, protecting more than a thousand adults from premature death from heart disease every single year because of lead. 

It’ll save lives, but it’ll also saves the taxpayers billions of dollars over time. 

It’s about the basics.  It’s about clean water.  To me, it’s a simple proposition. 

This is also about fairness.  Natio- — nationally, I’m directing nearly half of this funding go to disadvantaged communities that have borne the brunt of lead pipe poisoning for damn too long.  (Applause.) 

Studies show community of colors — cl- — community of — of color have been the hardest hit.  One study showed Black children were at least two times more likely to have elevated levels of lead in their blood than children of other racial groups.  We have an obligation to make things right.

Like all major investments we’re making in the environment, it’s also about creating jobs — good-paying jobs, many of them union jobs for laborers, plumbers, pipefitters, like Alfonso [Alonso]. 

That’s why my administration is bringing together the city of Milwaukee’s local unions, educators, employers to create an Invest in America workforce hub right here in Milwaukee.  (Applause.)  Sometimes, you forget the basics.

This — this is go- — this hub is going to train and connect residents to good-paying jobs replacing lead pipelines.  It’ll create new registered apprenticeships, helping everyone, including women and people of color, to access these jobs with good pay and benefits for themselves and their families. 

And we’re also using the power of our example as a global leader, helping replace lead pipes around the world.  Last month at the United Nations, I was proud that my wife, Jill, and our international aid agency, USAID, brought together 26 nations, funded primarily through philanthropy, to launch a coalition to end childhood lead poisoning — poisoning that kills more people in developing countries than HIV/AIDS and malaria combined. 

Folks, replacing lead pipes is just one piece of our nation’s most ambitious clean water agenda ever.

We’re upgrading outdated — (applause) — we’re upda- — we’re upgrading outdated water mains and treatment plants, making them more resilient to climate disasters.  That means less likely to break down after massive floods and still run when the power grid goes down. 

We’re improving water systems on Tribal lands, where nearly half the population still lacks clean water.  Half the population on Tribal lands still lacks clean water.  It’s outrageous.  We’re committing to making it right. 

And as part of my Canc- — (applause) — and as part of my Cancer Moonshot initiative to end cancer as we know it, we’re detecting and removing so-called forever chemicals, referred to as “PFAS.”  These are chemicals that are found in many everyday products but are unsafe and shown to contribute to cancer and other health conditions.  We set the first-ever drinking water standard to protect 100 million Americans from PFAS — (applause) — including folks all across Wisconsin.

Folks, what’s the government for if it cannot protect the public health?  (Applause.)  And in the process, we’re creating jobs.  We’re building a better America.  And clean water is just one critical part. 

For example, earlier this year, I was in Milwaukee with your governor and your mayor when I announced nearly $36 million for the 6th Street project.  As you know, during the ‘60s, so-called “urban renewal” swept through this country.  The construction of I- — I-4 — I-94 and I-43 were torn down.  Roughly — they tore down roughly 17,000 homes and 1,000 businesses were lost, displacing residents and businesses all along 6th Street, all so — so the people outside the neighborhood could drive downtown more quickly.

With bike lanes and bus lanes gone, speeding and reckless driving increased, resulting in crash rates five times that of the city’s average; locking people out of opportunities, leaving them more isolated from the social and economic life for the rest of the city.  But not anymore. 

We’re going to rebuild the 6th Street.  We’re going to — a future with wider sidewalks for children walking to school, safer bike lanes for residents and visitors, dedicated bus lanes to get to work faster, new trees to provide shade, modern infrastructure to prevent sewage from flowing into the Milwaukee River and Lake Michigan.  (Applause.)  We’re making it easy for historic Black communities in the north and Latino communities in the south to access jobs, schools, and entertainment opportunities in the city and around a central hub.  This will be life-changing. 

The bottom line is I said I’d keep my commitment to insist that all communities have access to investments that improve safety and security of their neighborhoods.  And that’s what we’re doing: giving everyone a fair shot — (applause) — and, my dad would say, “leaving no one behind.” 

Folks, there are some folks who don’t have any problem leaving people behind, like my predecessor in the White House and his allies in Congress; like your senator, Ron Johnson, who voted against —

AUDIENCE:  Booo —

THE PRESIDENT:  He voted against everything I just talked about — every single thing.  In fact, Ron Johnson called the law that is removing these lead pipe, protection [protecting] the — the public — for public health, creating jobs in Wisconsin — he called it a “radical” agenda.  (Laughter.)

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  He’s a radical agenda. 

THE PRESIDENT:  (The president makes the sign of the cross.)  (Laughter and applause.)  I’m going to restrain my Irish side here.  (Laughter.) 

I don’t think there’s a damn thing radical about protecting kids from lead poisoning — (applause) — protecting women from — from low birth rates, protecting them from brain damage, and so much more. 

My predecessor, along with the senator, rolled back clean water protections that kept industries from polluting our water and destroying our wetlands.  They slashed the Environmental Protection Agency’s budget and eliminated important programs that guaranteed clean water.

You may also remember, when the last guy was president, he promised “Infrastructure Week” every week for four years — (laughter) — and he didn’t build a damn thing.  (Applause.)

Folks, in plain talk, we can’t go backwards.  We have to keep moving forward, protect the health and well-being of our families, our communities, and our country and, in the process, growing our economy and creating good-paying jobs.  We can’t wait any longer.  (Applause.)

Folks, let me close with this.  When folks see shovels in the ground on all these projects that protect people’s lives and put people to work, I hope they feel what I feel: pride — pride in their hometowns making a comeback; pride in America, that we can get big things done when we work together.

I’ve never been more optimistic — and I mean this from the bottom of my heart.  I’ve never more mo- — more — in my whole life, been more optimistic about our nation’s future. 

We just have to remember who the hell we are.  We’re the United States of America.  (Applause.) 

And there is nothing — there is nothing beyond our capacity when we work together.  So, let’s keep working together and get it done.  (Applause.)

God bless you all.  And may God protect our troops.

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

Thank you.  Thank you.  (Applause.)

Thanks, everybody.  Thank you.  (Applause.)

2:02 P.M. CDT

The post Remarks by President Biden on the Biden-Harris Administration’s Progress in Replacing Lead Pipes and Creating Good-Paying Jobs | Milwaukee, WI appeared first on The White House.

Department of Public Works Field Headquarters
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

1:42 P.M. CDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, everybody.  (Applause.)  Hello, Milwaukee!  (Applause.)  It’s good to be back.  Thank you.

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Welcome to Milwaukee, Joe!

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, it’s good to be back in Milwaukee.

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  We love you!

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.   

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  We love Biden-Harris!  Milwaukee loves Biden-Harris!

AUDIENCE:  Thank you, Joe!  Thank you, Joe!  Thank you, Joe!

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you. 

AUDIENCE:  Thank you, Joe!  Thank you, Joe!  Thank you, Joe!

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, thank you.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.

If you have a seat, have one.  (Laughter.)  I said that once and there were no seats, and the guy looked at me like, “What the hell is the matter with you?”  (Laughter.) 

Before I begin, I want to say we’re prepared for another horrible hurricane to hit Florida.  I’ve directed my team to do everything it can to save lives and help the communities before, during, and after this hurricane. 

The most important message today for all those who may be listening to this in the impacted areas is listen to the local authorities, follow safety instruction, including evacuation orders.  This is serious.  And you got to be safe, because people are dying.  People have died so far — not from this hurricane, but from the last one. 

So, folks, let me — for this — get to today’s event.  

Shy, thank you for sharing your family’s story.  You said it all.  The worst thing — and I know from experience — for a parent is something happening to your children.  Your son, your family, your [and] families like yours exposed to lead poisoning in our water, they deserve a hell of a lot better than they’ve been getting.  And that’s why we’re here. 

That’s why people like Alfonso [Alonso] are getting to work removing those lead pipe services [service lines], delivering clean water. 

Kamala and I go all the way back to Flint worrying about what happened then — remember? — in Michigan.

AUDIENCE:  Yes.

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, providing what’s good for our health and for our environment is also good for our economy and it’s good for jobs.  (Applause.)

Folks, the middle class built this country, and organized labor unions built the middle class.  (Applause.)  It’s a fact.

We’re lucky to have some great leaders here today who know how to get a job done.  Tony has heard me say this before, but I think Tony is one of the three best governors in the United States of America.  (Applause.)

And the great mayor, Chevy Johnson — Chevy, I tell you, you’re one of the best mayors, pal.  (Applause.)  You really are. 

Our great administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Michael Regan.  (Applause.)

And our great chair of the Council on Environmental Quality, Brenda Malloy [Mallory].  (Applause.)  Brenda, where are you?  You’re out — you’re out there somewhere.   

We’re here today because we’re finally addressing an issue that should’ve been addressed a long time ago in this country: the danger that lead pipes pose to our drinking water. 

For too long, local communities have known how important it was to deal with this problem.  It hadn’t been given the national priority it demanded though. 

I’m here today to tell you that I’m finally insisting that it gets prioritized, and I’m insisting it get done.  (Applause.)

One of the most important things we’re doing today is establishing a new rule that every lead pipe providing clean drinking water doesn’t — that — that doesn’t provide clean wa- — must be replaced.  Every single one.  Not only are we setting a priority, we’re showing up as a partner to get it done. 

Over the past couple of years, we’ve provided billions of dollars to states and communities to address this problem.  And today, I’m announcing an additional $2 billion in — (applause) — in grants to states and local communities to get the job done.  It matters. 

Folks, people often asking me, “Why do we have lead pipes in the first place?”  You probably ask yourself that.  “How did that happen?”  Well, it’s because when they were first put in place a long time ago, lead pipes were incredibly durable and they didn’t rust.  But since then, we’ve learned that lead pipes also leach poisonous toxins into the water that lead to terrible health consequences, particularly in the development of a child’s brain.  Think about what that does to a parent’s peace of mind. 

When I was a senator back in 1986, I supported a law that stopped new lead pipes from being put in the ground in the first place.  But that still left millions of older lead pipes that were already in the ground connected to homes, schools, childcare centers, and businesses, including some 340,000 lead pipe service lines right here in Wisconsin. 

And over the years, we’ve only chipped away at the problem, but chipping at a problem hasn’t fully solved it.  It’s taken too long.  It hasn’t been given a high enough priority until now.  (Applause.) 

Folks, as Kamala would say, “This is the United States of America, for God’s sake.”  There’s no safe — no safe level of lead exposure, period.  None. 

And the only way forward is to replace every lead pipeline and connect the American people to clean water.  No alternative.  And that’s why — (applause) — that’s why Kamala and I are the first administration to take on the challenge once and for all.  And we’re delivering. 

We know safe, clean drinking water is fundamental to the health of our communities, to enhance our economic growth, to basic human dignity. 

That’s why we’ve already replaced 367,000 lead pipe services [service lines] all across America.  And today — (applause) — nearly 1 million Americans no longer have to worry about the potential impacts of lead in their water. 

Like Lillie Key right here in Milwaukee.  She’s a nursing assistant, protecting the health of others.  She actually knows — actually at work right now.  But in her own home, there was a lead pipe threat to her own health and to all her grandchildren she helped raise there.  She was spending a big chunk of her paycheck on bottled water every month because it was too expensive to replace the lead pipes. 

But three — three weeks ago, Lillie got lead service line replaced for free.  (Applause.)  How?  Because of what I call In- — our Investing in America agenda. 

One of the many reasons Kamala and I fought so hard to pass the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law — which I might add is over a trillion 200 billion dollars — was not only to modernize our nation’s infrastructure — roads, bridges, ports, airports, transit system, electric grids, affordable high-speed broadband — but also to get rid of the godforsaken lead pipes drive cl- — dri- — deliver clean drinking water to everyone in their homes, their schools, and their businesses. 

Right here in Wisconsin, we’ve invested more than $200 million, replacing tens of thousands of lead pipelines.  And today — (applause) —

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Thank you, Joe!

THE PRESIDENT:  No, thank you.  Thank you.

Today, we’re releasing another $43 million for Wisconsin as part of two, six — $2.6 billion nationwide to support replacing lead pipe service lines.  (Applause.)

And while the federal government can’t do it alone, we’re providing the single largest investment ever to team up with states and cities to get the job done together.  And I mean team up at every level. 

Right after I signed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Kamala announced our administration’s ambitious blueprint to use every tool — every tool at our disposal at the federal, state, and local level to protect our families from lead poisoning.  As a result of that work, I’m announcing a new rule, written into law from the Environmental Protection Agency, that requires water systems across America replace lead pipe service [lines] in — every single one in America within 10 years must be done.  (Applause.) 

I want that rule into law no matter who is president.  It matters.

We’re seeing that collaboration here, where the city of Milwaukee will now replace all of their lead pipe service lines within 10 years, instead of what was projected to take 60 years to get it done.  That was the projection. 

Folks, this is a big deal, as someone once said.  (Laughter.)

It’s about saving families from going through what Shy and Lillie’s families had to go through, saving hundreds of thousands of mothers and infants from low birth weights and children with [from] lasting brain damage, protecting more than a thousand adults from premature death from heart disease every single year because of lead. 

It’ll save lives, but it’ll also saves the taxpayers billions of dollars over time. 

It’s about the basics.  It’s about clean water.  To me, it’s a simple proposition. 

This is also about fairness.  Natio- — nationally, I’m directing nearly half of this funding go to disadvantaged communities that have borne the brunt of lead pipe poisoning for damn too long.  (Applause.) 

Studies show community of colors — cl- — community of — of color have been the hardest hit.  One study showed Black children were at least two times more likely to have elevated levels of lead in their blood than children of other racial groups.  We have an obligation to make things right.

Like all major investments we’re making in the environment, it’s also about creating jobs — good-paying jobs, many of them union jobs for laborers, plumbers, pipefitters, like Alfonso [Alonso]. 

That’s why my administration is bringing together the city of Milwaukee’s local unions, educators, employers to create an Invest in America workforce hub right here in Milwaukee.  (Applause.)  Sometimes, you forget the basics.

This — this is go- — this hub is going to train and connect residents to good-paying jobs replacing lead pipelines.  It’ll create new registered apprenticeships, helping everyone, including women and people of color, to access these jobs with good pay and benefits for themselves and their families. 

And we’re also using the power of our example as a global leader, helping replace lead pipes around the world.  Last month at the United Nations, I was proud that my wife, Jill, and our international aid agency, USAID, brought together 26 nations, funded primarily through philanthropy, to launch a coalition to end childhood lead poisoning — poisoning that kills more people in developing countries than HIV/AIDS and malaria combined. 

Folks, replacing lead pipes is just one piece of our nation’s most ambitious clean water agenda ever.

We’re upgrading outdated — (applause) — we’re upda- — we’re upgrading outdated water mains and treatment plants, making them more resilient to climate disasters.  That means less likely to break down after massive floods and still run when the power grid goes down. 

We’re improving water systems on Tribal lands, where nearly half the population still lacks clean water.  Half the population on Tribal lands still lacks clean water.  It’s outrageous.  We’re committing to making it right. 

And as part of my Canc- — (applause) — and as part of my Cancer Moonshot initiative to end cancer as we know it, we’re detecting and removing so-called forever chemicals, referred to as “PFAS.”  These are chemicals that are found in many everyday products but are unsafe and shown to contribute to cancer and other health conditions.  We set the first-ever drinking water standard to protect 100 million Americans from PFAS — (applause) — including folks all across Wisconsin.

Folks, what’s the government for if it cannot protect the public health?  (Applause.)  And in the process, we’re creating jobs.  We’re building a better America.  And clean water is just one critical part. 

For example, earlier this year, I was in Milwaukee with your governor and your mayor when I announced nearly $36 million for the 6th Street project.  As you know, during the ‘60s, so-called “urban renewal” swept through this country.  The construction of I- — I-4 — I-94 and I-43 were torn down.  Roughly — they tore down roughly 17,000 homes and 1,000 businesses were lost, displacing residents and businesses all along 6th Street, all so — so the people outside the neighborhood could drive downtown more quickly.

With bike lanes and bus lanes gone, speeding and reckless driving increased, resulting in crash rates five times that of the city’s average; locking people out of opportunities, leaving them more isolated from the social and economic life for the rest of the city.  But not anymore. 

We’re going to rebuild the 6th Street.  We’re going to — a future with wider sidewalks for children walking to school, safer bike lanes for residents and visitors, dedicated bus lanes to get to work faster, new trees to provide shade, modern infrastructure to prevent sewage from flowing into the Milwaukee River and Lake Michigan.  (Applause.)  We’re making it easy for historic Black communities in the north and Latino communities in the south to access jobs, schools, and entertainment opportunities in the city and around a central hub.  This will be life-changing. 

The bottom line is I said I’d keep my commitment to insist that all communities have access to investments that improve safety and security of their neighborhoods.  And that’s what we’re doing: giving everyone a fair shot — (applause) — and, my dad would say, “leaving no one behind.” 

Folks, there are some folks who don’t have any problem leaving people behind, like my predecessor in the White House and his allies in Congress; like your senator, Ron Johnson, who voted against —

AUDIENCE:  Booo —

THE PRESIDENT:  He voted against everything I just talked about — every single thing.  In fact, Ron Johnson called the law that is removing these lead pipe, protection [protecting] the — the public — for public health, creating jobs in Wisconsin — he called it a “radical” agenda.  (Laughter.)

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  He’s a radical agenda. 

THE PRESIDENT:  (The president makes the sign of the cross.)  (Laughter and applause.)  I’m going to restrain my Irish side here.  (Laughter.) 

I don’t think there’s a damn thing radical about protecting kids from lead poisoning — (applause) — protecting women from — from low birth rates, protecting them from brain damage, and so much more. 

My predecessor, along with the senator, rolled back clean water protections that kept industries from polluting our water and destroying our wetlands.  They slashed the Environmental Protection Agency’s budget and eliminated important programs that guaranteed clean water.

You may also remember, when the last guy was president, he promised “Infrastructure Week” every week for four years — (laughter) — and he didn’t build a damn thing.  (Applause.)

Folks, in plain talk, we can’t go backwards.  We have to keep moving forward, protect the health and well-being of our families, our communities, and our country and, in the process, growing our economy and creating good-paying jobs.  We can’t wait any longer.  (Applause.)

Folks, let me close with this.  When folks see shovels in the ground on all these projects that protect people’s lives and put people to work, I hope they feel what I feel: pride — pride in their hometowns making a comeback; pride in America, that we can get big things done when we work together.

I’ve never been more optimistic — and I mean this from the bottom of my heart.  I’ve never more mo- — more — in my whole life, been more optimistic about our nation’s future. 

We just have to remember who the hell we are.  We’re the United States of America.  (Applause.) 

And there is nothing — there is nothing beyond our capacity when we work together.  So, let’s keep working together and get it done.  (Applause.)

God bless you all.  And may God protect our troops.

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

Thank you.  Thank you.  (Applause.)

Thanks, everybody.  Thank you.  (Applause.)

2:02 P.M. CDT

The post Remarks by President Biden on the Biden-Harris Administration’s Progress in Replacing Lead Pipes and Creating Good-Paying Jobs | Milwaukee, WI appeared first on The White House.

     On Leif Erikson Day, we celebrate the history and heritage of Nordic communities in the United States, whose contributions and cultures have helped shape our Nation.

     Many believe that roughly a millennium ago, Leif Erikson — a Norse explorer — and his crew were the first Europeans to reach the shores of North America.  His spirit of adventure, curiosity, and resilience would inspire generations of Danes, Finns, Icelanders, Norwegians, and Swedes to sail across an ocean and begin new lives in America.  These immigrants built bustling homes and enriched their communities, supporting and realizing the American Dream.  They fought for our freedoms in the military; built new churches, businesses, and schools; and spearheaded social movements.  Today, Nordic communities continue to enrich the fabric of the Nation. 

     Nordic-American communities in the United States are foundational to our partnership and friendship with our Nordic Allies and their people.  These nations share our vision for a world based on freedom, security, and opportunities for all.  Together, we are working in lockstep to tackle the climate crisis and pioneer the next generation of technology that will power everyone’s economies.  We are also standing with the brave people of Ukraine as they defend themselves against Russia’s brutal assault.  I am proud that the United States supported the ratification process for Finland to join NATO, which was the fastest ratification in history.  And I was honored to welcome Sweden as NATO’s 32nd Ally earlier this year.  Together, I know that we will continue to stand for freedom and democracy for generations to come.

     Today, may we celebrate the important contributions and vibrant cultures of Nordic Americans to our Nation.  And may we continue the work that so many Nordic communities in this country began:  ensuring every American has an opportunity to reach the American Dream.

     To honor Leif Erikson, son of Iceland and grandson of Norway, and to celebrate Nordic-American heritage, the Congress, by joint resolution (Public Law 88-566) approved on September 2, 1964, has authorized the President of the United States to proclaim October 9 of each year as “Leif Erikson Day.”

     NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim October 9, 2024, as Leif Erikson Day.  I call upon all Americans to celebrate the contributions of Nordic Americans to our Nation with appropriate ceremonies, activities, and programs.

     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this eighth 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 Leif Erikson Day, 2024 appeared first on The White House.

     On Leif Erikson Day, we celebrate the history and heritage of Nordic communities in the United States, whose contributions and cultures have helped shape our Nation.

     Many believe that roughly a millennium ago, Leif Erikson — a Norse explorer — and his crew were the first Europeans to reach the shores of North America.  His spirit of adventure, curiosity, and resilience would inspire generations of Danes, Finns, Icelanders, Norwegians, and Swedes to sail across an ocean and begin new lives in America.  These immigrants built bustling homes and enriched their communities, supporting and realizing the American Dream.  They fought for our freedoms in the military; built new churches, businesses, and schools; and spearheaded social movements.  Today, Nordic communities continue to enrich the fabric of the Nation. 

     Nordic-American communities in the United States are foundational to our partnership and friendship with our Nordic Allies and their people.  These nations share our vision for a world based on freedom, security, and opportunities for all.  Together, we are working in lockstep to tackle the climate crisis and pioneer the next generation of technology that will power everyone’s economies.  We are also standing with the brave people of Ukraine as they defend themselves against Russia’s brutal assault.  I am proud that the United States supported the ratification process for Finland to join NATO, which was the fastest ratification in history.  And I was honored to welcome Sweden as NATO’s 32nd Ally earlier this year.  Together, I know that we will continue to stand for freedom and democracy for generations to come.

     Today, may we celebrate the important contributions and vibrant cultures of Nordic Americans to our Nation.  And may we continue the work that so many Nordic communities in this country began:  ensuring every American has an opportunity to reach the American Dream.

     To honor Leif Erikson, son of Iceland and grandson of Norway, and to celebrate Nordic-American heritage, the Congress, by joint resolution (Public Law 88-566) approved on September 2, 1964, has authorized the President of the United States to proclaim October 9 of each year as “Leif Erikson Day.”

     NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim October 9, 2024, as Leif Erikson Day.  I call upon all Americans to celebrate the contributions of Nordic Americans to our Nation with appropriate ceremonies, activities, and programs.

     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this eighth 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 Leif Erikson Day, 2024 appeared first on The White House.

Roosevelt Room

11:03 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Thanks for your patience.  As you know, I put out a statement this morning that I’m canceling my trip to Germany and to Africa.  We’re going to try to re- — work those out later.  But I just don’t think I can be out of the country at this time.  Number one. 

And number two, we — we’re going to stay focused on what’s a- — what’s ahead of us right now.  I — I’ve been briefed by the senior leaders of this administration and — who are driving our preparedness for Hurricane Milton, which could be one of the worst storms in 100 years in Florida, and continued efforts on Hurricane Helene. 

I’ve directed this team to do everything it can to save lives and our communities and help our communities before, during, and after these extreme weather events that — and — and that’s being done.  That’s being done. 

I’ve spoken to all the political leaders in the region, some of them more than once.  And they — they’ve — I’ve told them anything they ask for, they can get, they — we’ve given — and we’ve gotten overwhelmingly response — a positive response from everyone from the governors of Florida up to North Carolina. 

And mayors, leaders, local (inaudible) have expressed their sincere gratitude for the work of FEMA and for the work of my entire administration. 

Now, I’ve also surged thousands of federal personnel on the ground across the Southeast already and deliver every available resource as fast as possible.  And my priority is to increase the size and presence of our effort and — as we prepare for another catastrophic storm about to make landfall.

You know, it’s been a — I’ve been in constant contact with my director of the National Weather Service, Ken Graham, who has kept me informed the last several days of what to anticipate.  You never know until it happens, but they’re very — very engaged. 

He made clear to me just how dangerous this storm is, indicating that winds had reached up 180 miles an hour — 180 — that — that’s not guaranteed it’s going to hit the store at 180 miles, but they’ve reached up to 180 miles an hour — and a possible storm surge, as it hits the coast of Florida, of 15 feet, which can be devastating.

The current path of this is storm is expected to hit Tampa Bay area and cut directly across the state — east to west, all the way across the state — with the potential for this storm to both enter Florida as a hurricane and leave Florida as a hurricane on the Atlantic coast.

This could be the worst storm to hit Florida in over a century.  And, God willing, it won’t be, but that’s what it’s looking like right now.

I immediately approved the pre-landfall emergency declarations in Florida — this is — is the second one in a week — second time in a week, and there’ve been two before that, by the way. 

And I sent FEMA Administrator Criswell down to Florida yesterday to work and — intensively with the state and local partners as we prepare to deploy more resources.  She’s going to continue that work between Florida and North Carolina in the coming days.

I’m calling on the airlines and other companies to provide as much service as possible to accommodate evacuations and not to engage in price gouging, to just do it on the level.

And last night, I spoke again with the governor of Florida, DeSantis, and Tampa Mayor Castro and — or, excuse me, Castor — and I made it clear to them they should reach out, including to me directly, with everything else they may need as they see this storm hits.  I gave them my personal number to contact me here in the White House.

Most importantly, I’ve urged everyone — everyone currently located in Hurricane Milton’s path to listen to local officials and follow safety instructions.  You all have been reporting on the highways and shoulders being opened.  Everybody is heading out.  And if you’re under evacuation or- — orders, you should evacuate now — now — now.  You should have already evacuated. It’s a matter of life and death, and that’s not hyperbole. It’s a matter of life and death.

So, let me add that FEMA has provided 300 ambulances to move people who can’t move themselves out of health care facilities. 

And while we prepare for Hurricane Milton, we’re still surging resources in North Carolina, in Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, Tennessee, to respond to Hurricane Helene.  And it’s — it’s real.  The impact is still there.

And we’re going to leave — we’re not going to leave until the job is done.  It’s going to take time.  And before it’s all over, it’s going to take tens of billions of dollars to get it done.

And Kamala and I are keeping all of you in our prayers out there.  There’s a lot of people. 

The good news is, I re- — just before we called you in, I received information that the number of missing persons has been significantly reduced of lost from — from the first hurricane.  But we’ll have more information on that later.

So, that’s the situation, and we’re — we’re not going to leave until the job is finished.  It’s going to take a while.

Q    Sir, what’s the risk of political figures sharing misinformation during this time?

THE PRESIDENT:  The past is prologue is real.  But the fact of the matter is I — I think we have — I’ve been able to contact all the governors.  They’ve — are sticking up for what they’ve asked for.  They’re pointing out that they’re satisfied with everything they’re getting.

But I can’t speak for others on the Internet and — and I mean, it’s just — look, those who do it do it to try to damage the administration.  Well, that’s — we can take care of ourselves.  But it misleads people.  It puts people in circumstances where they panic, where they really, really, really worry.  They think “Now we’re not being taken care of.”

And it really is — and it’s going to sound — I’ll use an old phrase: It’s un-American.  It really is.

People are scared to death.  People know their lives are at stake — all that they’ve worked for, all that they own, all that they value.  And it’s just — it’s — it’s just — anyway.

Q    Mr. President, can you give us a sense of how Vice President —

Q    Mr. President, how soon do you think you’ll be able to travel to Germany and Angola?

(Cross-talk.)

Q    (Inaudible) Vice President Harris’ role in this?

THE PRESIDENT:  Whoa, whoa, whoa.  Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.  I’ll be — I’ll have plenty of time to talk about Angola.  I still plan on going to Africa.  I’ll have plenty of time to talk about what’s going on in — in Latin America and South America in terms of the Amazon.  And I’m going to be talking today with my friend, the chancellor of Germany, and we’re going to try to work that out.

We’ve already contacted all these people.  Okay?  But I’m going to be on the phone today. 

I’m heading shortly — when I get up from here, I’m heading out to Wisconsin, to Milwaukee.  And — but I think we can — I’m still planning on visiting all the places I said I’d be and all the conferences I said I’d participate in.

(Cross-talk.)

Q    Mr. President — what’s your relationship like, Mr. President, with the governor of Florida?  Is he cooperating as far as everything that you would like to do with — with Hurricane Milton?

(Cross-talk.)

THE PRESIDENT:  The governor of Florida has been cooperative.  He said he’s gotten all that he needs.  I talked to him again yesterday.  And I — and I said, “Whatever you” — I said, “No, you’re doing a great job.  It’s being — all being done well.  We thank you for it.”  And I literally gave him my personal phone number to call. 

So, I don’t know — there was a rough start in some places, but every governor — every governor, from Florida to North Carolina, has been fully cooperative and supportive and acknowledged what this team is doing, and they’re doing an incredible job.  But we got a lot more to do.

(Cross-talk.)

Q    Has the vice president been helpful in this as well, Mr. President?

THE PRESIDENT:  Yes.

11:12 A.M. EDT

The post Remarks by President Biden After Briefing on the Federal Government’s Response to Hurricane Helene and the Preparations for Hurricane Milton appeared first on The White House.

Roosevelt Room

11:03 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Thanks for your patience.  As you know, I put out a statement this morning that I’m canceling my trip to Germany and to Africa.  We’re going to try to re- — work those out later.  But I just don’t think I can be out of the country at this time.  Number one. 

And number two, we — we’re going to stay focused on what’s a- — what’s ahead of us right now.  I — I’ve been briefed by the senior leaders of this administration and — who are driving our preparedness for Hurricane Milton, which could be one of the worst storms in 100 years in Florida, and continued efforts on Hurricane Helene. 

I’ve directed this team to do everything it can to save lives and our communities and help our communities before, during, and after these extreme weather events that — and — and that’s being done.  That’s being done. 

I’ve spoken to all the political leaders in the region, some of them more than once.  And they — they’ve — I’ve told them anything they ask for, they can get, they — we’ve given — and we’ve gotten overwhelmingly response — a positive response from everyone from the governors of Florida up to North Carolina. 

And mayors, leaders, local (inaudible) have expressed their sincere gratitude for the work of FEMA and for the work of my entire administration. 

Now, I’ve also surged thousands of federal personnel on the ground across the Southeast already and deliver every available resource as fast as possible.  And my priority is to increase the size and presence of our effort and — as we prepare for another catastrophic storm about to make landfall.

You know, it’s been a — I’ve been in constant contact with my director of the National Weather Service, Ken Graham, who has kept me informed the last several days of what to anticipate.  You never know until it happens, but they’re very — very engaged. 

He made clear to me just how dangerous this storm is, indicating that winds had reached up 180 miles an hour — 180 — that — that’s not guaranteed it’s going to hit the store at 180 miles, but they’ve reached up to 180 miles an hour — and a possible storm surge, as it hits the coast of Florida, of 15 feet, which can be devastating.

The current path of this is storm is expected to hit Tampa Bay area and cut directly across the state — east to west, all the way across the state — with the potential for this storm to both enter Florida as a hurricane and leave Florida as a hurricane on the Atlantic coast.

This could be the worst storm to hit Florida in over a century.  And, God willing, it won’t be, but that’s what it’s looking like right now.

I immediately approved the pre-landfall emergency declarations in Florida — this is — is the second one in a week — second time in a week, and there’ve been two before that, by the way. 

And I sent FEMA Administrator Criswell down to Florida yesterday to work and — intensively with the state and local partners as we prepare to deploy more resources.  She’s going to continue that work between Florida and North Carolina in the coming days.

I’m calling on the airlines and other companies to provide as much service as possible to accommodate evacuations and not to engage in price gouging, to just do it on the level.

And last night, I spoke again with the governor of Florida, DeSantis, and Tampa Mayor Castro and — or, excuse me, Castor — and I made it clear to them they should reach out, including to me directly, with everything else they may need as they see this storm hits.  I gave them my personal number to contact me here in the White House.

Most importantly, I’ve urged everyone — everyone currently located in Hurricane Milton’s path to listen to local officials and follow safety instructions.  You all have been reporting on the highways and shoulders being opened.  Everybody is heading out.  And if you’re under evacuation or- — orders, you should evacuate now — now — now.  You should have already evacuated. It’s a matter of life and death, and that’s not hyperbole. It’s a matter of life and death.

So, let me add that FEMA has provided 300 ambulances to move people who can’t move themselves out of health care facilities. 

And while we prepare for Hurricane Milton, we’re still surging resources in North Carolina, in Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, Tennessee, to respond to Hurricane Helene.  And it’s — it’s real.  The impact is still there.

And we’re going to leave — we’re not going to leave until the job is done.  It’s going to take time.  And before it’s all over, it’s going to take tens of billions of dollars to get it done.

And Kamala and I are keeping all of you in our prayers out there.  There’s a lot of people. 

The good news is, I re- — just before we called you in, I received information that the number of missing persons has been significantly reduced of lost from — from the first hurricane.  But we’ll have more information on that later.

So, that’s the situation, and we’re — we’re not going to leave until the job is finished.  It’s going to take a while.

Q    Sir, what’s the risk of political figures sharing misinformation during this time?

THE PRESIDENT:  The past is prologue is real.  But the fact of the matter is I — I think we have — I’ve been able to contact all the governors.  They’ve — are sticking up for what they’ve asked for.  They’re pointing out that they’re satisfied with everything they’re getting.

But I can’t speak for others on the Internet and — and I mean, it’s just — look, those who do it do it to try to damage the administration.  Well, that’s — we can take care of ourselves.  But it misleads people.  It puts people in circumstances where they panic, where they really, really, really worry.  They think “Now we’re not being taken care of.”

And it really is — and it’s going to sound — I’ll use an old phrase: It’s un-American.  It really is.

People are scared to death.  People know their lives are at stake — all that they’ve worked for, all that they own, all that they value.  And it’s just — it’s — it’s just — anyway.

Q    Mr. President, can you give us a sense of how Vice President —

Q    Mr. President, how soon do you think you’ll be able to travel to Germany and Angola?

(Cross-talk.)

Q    (Inaudible) Vice President Harris’ role in this?

THE PRESIDENT:  Whoa, whoa, whoa.  Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.  I’ll be — I’ll have plenty of time to talk about Angola.  I still plan on going to Africa.  I’ll have plenty of time to talk about what’s going on in — in Latin America and South America in terms of the Amazon.  And I’m going to be talking today with my friend, the chancellor of Germany, and we’re going to try to work that out.

We’ve already contacted all these people.  Okay?  But I’m going to be on the phone today. 

I’m heading shortly — when I get up from here, I’m heading out to Wisconsin, to Milwaukee.  And — but I think we can — I’m still planning on visiting all the places I said I’d be and all the conferences I said I’d participate in.

(Cross-talk.)

Q    Mr. President — what’s your relationship like, Mr. President, with the governor of Florida?  Is he cooperating as far as everything that you would like to do with — with Hurricane Milton?

(Cross-talk.)

THE PRESIDENT:  The governor of Florida has been cooperative.  He said he’s gotten all that he needs.  I talked to him again yesterday.  And I — and I said, “Whatever you” — I said, “No, you’re doing a great job.  It’s being — all being done well.  We thank you for it.”  And I literally gave him my personal phone number to call. 

So, I don’t know — there was a rough start in some places, but every governor — every governor, from Florida to North Carolina, has been fully cooperative and supportive and acknowledged what this team is doing, and they’re doing an incredible job.  But we got a lot more to do.

(Cross-talk.)

Q    Has the vice president been helpful in this as well, Mr. President?

THE PRESIDENT:  Yes.

11:12 A.M. EDT

The post Remarks by President Biden After Briefing on the Federal Government’s Response to Hurricane Helene and the Preparations for Hurricane Milton appeared first on The White House.

Given the projected trajectory and strength of Hurricane Milton, President Biden is postponing his upcoming trip to Germany and Angola in order to oversee preparations for and the response to Hurricane Milton, in addition to the ongoing response to the impacts of Hurricane Helene across the Southeast.

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The post Statement from White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on President Biden’s Travel to Germany and Angola appeared first on The White House.

Given the projected trajectory and strength of Hurricane Milton, President Biden is postponing his upcoming trip to Germany and Angola in order to oversee preparations for and the response to Hurricane Milton, in addition to the ongoing response to the impacts of Hurricane Helene across the Southeast.

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The post Statement from White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on President Biden’s Travel to Germany and Angola appeared first on The White House.