James S. Brady Press Briefing Room 3:03 P.M. EST MS. PSAKI: Hi everyone. Happy Monday. Q Happy, happy. MS. PSAKI: Happy, happy. Okay. One note for all of you at the top. President Biden has nominated and the Senate has confirmed the most diverse class of federal judges in history at a rate not seen...
James S. Brady Press Briefing Room 2:15 P.M. EST MS. PSAKI: Okay. You know how we love visual aids here, so we wanted to have a few for all of you. I don't have anything at the top. And they'll pull these up in a moment as we talk about COVID, which I assume we...
State Dining Room 2:42 P.M. EST The longer the virus is around, the more likely variants form that may be deadlier than the ones that have come before.THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon. I promised when I got elected that I'd always give it to you straight from the shoulder - the good, the bad, the truth....
Today, the United States remembers the 270 innocent lives, including 190 Americans, lost 33 years ago in a brazen act of terrorism aboard Pan Am Flight 103 in the skies over Lockerbie, Scotland. The victims included 35 Syracuse University students returning from studying abroad, spouses heading home after business trips, parents traveling with their children...
As we stated last summer, we believe it is in the public's interest to know if any of the four principals (President, Vice President, First Lady, and Second Gentleman) are considered to have been in close contact with a White House official who subsequently tests positive for COVID-19 shortly after that contact. The criteria for...
France welcomes the release of 10 Armenian prisoners on December 19. This is an important gesture on the part of Azerbaijan in helping to deescalate tensions and rebuild trust between the Parties. We welcome the EU's involvement in this case and, along with the EU, will continue to encourage dialogue between Armenia and Azerbaijan. France calls on the Parties to pursue the full and effective implementation of the commitments included in the agreement reached on November 9, 2020, especially (...)
We welcome statements by the Turkish and Armenian authorities announcing their respective appointments of special representatives tasked with working to normalize relations between the two countries, a process France will fully support. This process must help bring greater stability and development to the South Caucasus.
Q: Do you have any comment on Gabriel Boric's election as the new president of Chile? What kind of relationship do you expect to have with the new head of State? A: France congratulates Gabriel Boric on his election as president of the Republic of Chile and offers him its best wishes for success in his new office. We assure the Chilean authorities and people of our friendship and our determination to continue strengthening our bilateral relations in every field, and particularly on climate (...)
Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian will be in Costa Rica on December 22 and 23. The Minister will meet with Costa Rican authorities and will be hosted by Costa Rican President Carlos Alvarado Quesada. He will also meet with his counterpart, Rodolfo Solano Quiros, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship. They will address the regional situation, especially in Haiti and Nicaragua. Also discussed will be cooperation with the Alliance for Multilateralism and (...)
Q: Do you concur with the German Foreign Ministry's statement that the September 20 [sic] verdict for three human rights activists in Egypt "will show where the human rights situation is heading" in that country, which says it has launched a "new strategy for human rights"? R: France reiterates its commitment to human rights in Egypt. This issue is brought up regularly at the highest levels as part of the candid, rigorous dialogue France maintains with the Egyptian authorities, as are (...)
Progress Report Highlights Land and Water Projects Underway as U.S. Pursues First-Ever National Conservation Goal Today, the Biden-Harris Administration issued its first annual progress report on the America the Beautiful initiative, highlighting steps the Administration has taken over the past year to support locally-led and voluntary efforts to conserve, connect, and restore lands and waters...
France and the United States held the first meeting of the U.S.-France Bilateral Clean Energy Partnership (Partnership) on December 14, 2021 in Paris. This meeting was the first meeting to implement the commitment reaffirmed in October by the President of the United States and the President of the French Republic to closer bilateral and transatlantic cooperation. Both Presidents confirmed they would continue to address the climate crisis by supporting the aims of the 26th UN Climate (...)
Q: Might elections still be held on December 24, and would a postponement be compatible with the goals established at the Paris Conference in November? A: It is up to Libya's High National Election Commission (HNEC) to announce the election timetable as part of the Libyan roadmap endorsed by UN Security Council resolution 2570 adopted at the Paris International Conference for Libya on November 12, agreed to by the transition authorities and endorsed by the UN Security Council. The HNEC (...)
Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian will be in Mexico on December 20 and 21. He will be hosted by the Mexican President, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, and will meet with his counterpart, Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard. With France and Mexico both belonging to the G20 and the OECD, Mr. Le Drian will reaffirm France's wish to promote and champion an effective multilateral system, among other things within the UN Security Council. He will also address regional crises, (...)
WASHINGTON - Today, President Biden announced his intent to appoint the following leaders as commissioners to the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders: The Commission will advise the President on ways the public, private, and non-profit sectors can work together to advance equity and opportunity for every Asian American, Native...
Today, Jake Sullivan spoke with Yuriy Ushakov, Foreign Policy Advisor to President Vladimir Putin of Russia. He indicated U.S. readiness to engage in diplomacy through multiple channels, including bilateral engagement, the NATO-Russia Council, and the OSCE. He made clear that any dialogue must be based on reciprocity and address our concerns about Russia's actions, and...
This week, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan will travel to Israel and the West Bank, joined by Deputy Assistant to the President and Middle East and North Africa Coordinator Brett McGurk and the State Department's Acting Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs Yael Lempert. In Israel, Mr. Sullivan will meet with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett...
Jill and I and the entire Biden family are saddened to learn of the passing of Johnny Isakson, the distinguished former United States Representative and Senator from Georgia. Senator Isakson was a colleague and a friend. We served together on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, traveled together, and found common ground built on mutual respect...
Senator Manchin's comments this morning on FOX are at odds with his discussions this week with the President, with White House staff, and with his own public utterances. Weeks ago, Senator Manchin committed to the President, at his home in Wilmington, to support the Build Back Better framework that the President then subsequently announced. Senator...
(Via Teleconference) 11:09 A.M. EST MODERATOR: Thank you, Carolyn and everyone. Good morning. Thanks for joining us for today's broad Middle East regional year-end discussion. Today's briefing is on background and attributable to a senior administration official. The briefing is embargoed until the conclusion. For your awareness, our senior administration official is [senior administration official],...
NOMINATION SENT TO THE SENATE: Sandra L. Thompson, of Maryland, to be Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency for a term of five years, vice Mark Anthony Calabria. ###
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) were founded in the face of discrimination and have a proud history and legacy of achievement. HBCUs vary in size and academic focus and serve a range of diverse students and communities in urban, rural, and suburban settings. But all of them create pathways to opportunity for Black students...
From the first day in office and every day since, the Biden-Harris Administration has taken a historic approach to advancing racial equity, including directing every agency across the whole of the federal government to address the lasting impacts of systemic racism on Black communities. For generations, entrenched disparities in our society and economy, at times...
WASHINGTON - Today, President Joe Biden announced that he has nominated the following individuals to serve in key roles: ? Paul Monteiro, Nominee for Director of the Community Relations Service, Department of Justice ? Laura Ross, Nominee for Member of the Board of Directors, Corporation for Public Broadcasting Paul Monteiro, Nominee for Director of the...
WASHINGTON - Today, President Joe Biden announced that he has appointed the following individuals to serve in key regional leadership roles at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) at the Department of Homeland Security: David Baker, USDA State Director,...
