James S. Brady Press Briefing Room 1:09 P.M. EST MS. PSAKI: Hi, everyone. Good afternoon. Okay, a couple of items for you at the top. Today, we learned that retail sales increased by 3.8 percent in January, exceeding expectations. This strong, inflation-adjusted increase reflects the resilience of the economy, even in the face...
Via Teleconference 11:02 A.M. EST MR. ZIENTS: Good morning. And thanks for joining us. Today, Dr. Walensky will provide an update on the state of the pandemic. Dr. Fauci will present the latest science on vaccine effectiveness. I'll provide an overview of how we're planning for the path ahead. And Dr. Tom Inglesby joins us...
President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. spoke today with Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany. The leaders discussed their respective conversations with President Putin and President Zelenskyy regarding Russia's continued military build-up on Ukraine's borders. They reaffirmed their commitment to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and underscored the importance of continued transatlantic coordination on diplomacy and deterrence measures and the reinforcement of NATO's...
Today, Domestic Policy Advisor Susan Rice and White House Intergovernmental Affairs Director Julie Rodriguez convened the third national meeting of The White House Community Violence Intervention Collaborative (CVIC), a cohort of 16 jurisdictions committed to using American Rescue Plan funding or other public funding to scale and strengthen their CVI infrastructure. Investing in evidence-based community...
Q: New proceedings have been brought against Aleksei Navalny in Russia. What is France's reaction? A: We are concerned about the new legal proceedings brought by Moscow's Lefortovo court against the anti-corruption opponent and activist Aleksei Navalny. The European Court of Human Rights holds that Mr. Navalny was not given a fair trial in previous proceedings. Therefore, we will keep a close watch over the way that this trial is conducted and its compliance with international standards. (...)
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan spoke with Frédéric Bernard, Head of Cabinet of the President of the European Council, on February 14. They discussed their shared concerns about Russia's continued build-up of military forces around Ukraine. They reviewed recent diplomatic engagements to address the crisis, ongoing preparations by the U.S. and EU to impose severe...
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan spoke by phone today with Akiba Takeo, Secretary General of Japan's National Security Secretariat, to discuss the ongoing situation in Russia and Ukraine. Sullivan reviewed recent developments on the ground, and noted that Russian forces remain postured to attack Ukraine at any time. The two discussed ongoing diplomatic efforts by the international...
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met today with Dr. Jakub Kumoch, Head of the International Policy Bureau at Poland's Presidential Chancellery. They discussed ongoing diplomatic efforts related to Russia's destabilizing military buildup along Ukraine's border, including Poland's leadership in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. They also discussed transatlantic coordination on deterrence and...
The upcoming Summit of Heads of State and Government of the European Union and the African Union will be held on Brussels on 17 and 18 February 2022. Tomorrow, the 6th European Union - African Union summit opens in Brussels. The aim: a new European-African alliance. Prosperity, security, mobility: find out more about the three key priorities of this summit. ? @AClaireLegendre #DiploMatters ? https://t.co/YWLKjdJMsE pic.twitter.com/JGQBVhmDmT- France Diplomacy???? (@francediplo_EN) February (...)
New Pro-Climate, Pro-Worker Actions Create Jobs and Harness the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Federal Purchasing Power, and Trade Policy Today, the Biden-Harris Administration is announcing new actions across agencies to support American leadership on clean manufacturing-including low-carbon production of the steel and aluminum we need for electric vehicles, wind turbines, and solar panels, and the clean...
As part of President Biden's whole-of-government approach to promoting competition, the Department of Defense (DoD) released a new report today on the state of competition in the defense industrial base. The report surveys the state of competition across key defense sectors and finds that extreme consolidation poses risks to our nation's national and economic security....
The informal meeting of European Ministers responsible for Space, hosted on 16 February 2022 in Toulouse, France, will cover an array of space issues, including treating space as critical connectivity infrastructure for the economy, developing common rules for space traffic, and leveraging space to fight climate change, improve scientific research and expand space exploration capabilities. This event will open in the morning with an informal meeting of the Competitiveness Council of the (...)
The Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs is launching a series of virtual business meetings with France's ambassadors throughout the world and French businesses. This initiative is part of France's business diplomacy efforts and aims to strengthen our diplomatic posts' relationship with French businesses. These webinars will allow businesses of all sizes, from the smallest to the very largest, to make direct contact with French ambassadors in order to discuss business opportunities in the (...)
Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke to the President of the United States of America, Joe Biden, last night
Today, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. declared that a major disaster exists in the State of Hawaii and ordered Federal assistance to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe storms, flooding, and landslides during the period of December 5 to December 10, 2021. Federal funding is available to state and...
President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. spoke today with President Emmanuel Macron of France. They reviewed their recent conversations with their Russian and Ukrainian counterparts, and affirmed their continued support for a diplomatic path forward. They discussed ongoing diplomatic and deterrence efforts undertaken in close coordination with Allies and partners in response to Russia's military buildup...
Washington HiltonWashington, D.C. 1:20 P.M. EST THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, thank you, thank you. (Applause.) Thank you. Folks, my name is Joe Biden. (Laughter.) And I used to be a county councilman. (Applause.) And I ran for the Senate because it was too damn hard being in the council. (Laughter.) It's great to be...
East Room 3:29 P.M. EST THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon. Today, I'd like to provide an update on the crisis involving Russia and Ukraine. From the beginning of this crisis, I have been absolutely clear and consistent: The United States is prepared no matter what happens. We are ready with diplomacy - to be engaged in...
Today, the families of nine victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting have secured a historic settlement with the gun manufacturer Remington. While this settlement does not erase the pain of that tragic day, it does begin the necessary work of holding gun manufacturers accountable for manufacturing weapons of war and irresponsibly marketing these...
The Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs pays tribute to the memory of Mireille Delmas-Marty, a visionary legal expert who made a significant contribution to the promotion of human rights and individual liberties as universal values under international law. Professor Mireille Delmas-Marty had held a Chair in Comparative Legal Studies and the Internationalization of Law at the Collège de France since 2002. She was the recipient of honorary doctorates awarded by eight international (...)
Q: With regard to Ukraine, do we have any idea how many French citizens might still be in Ukraine, and how many would like to leave the country and have contacted the consulate? Is the consulate in Kiev still operational? A: The number of French nationals in a foreign country at any given time is always approximate. It includes the French nationals who live in the country and those who are passing through. Those who have been living in the country for more than six months can approach the (...)
Q: 1) Are there plans to carry out additional evacuation flights from Afghanistan in the near future? If so, how many potential passengers have you identified and how would you characterize them? 2) Many of those who were evacuated during the August airlift arrived in France alone or without all of their family members (spouses, children) because of the chaotic departure conditions. Will France show particular empathy when it studies their family reunification cases? A: 1 - Before the (...)
Announcement made during White House event with Vice President Kamala Harris, Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, Senior Advisor Mitch Landrieu Today, during a White House event with Vice President Harris, Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, and Senior Advisor Mitch Landrieu, the Biden-Harris Administration is announcing more than 10 million households are enrolled in...
Partnerships have helped heal, unite, and rebuild, with expanded collaborations expected in the year ahead A year ago today, President Biden signed an executive order reestablishing the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships and urged the Office to "work with leaders of different faiths and backgrounds who are the frontlines of their communities...
France and the World Health Organization (WHO) have announced a new ?50 million contribution agreement that will help countries' health systems overcome bottlenecks in the Covid-19 response and speed up equitable access to testing, treatments and vaccines. The agreement, which was publicly disclosed on the sidelines of the ministerial conference of foreign ministers and health ministers in Lyon, France, aims to support the work of WHO and the co-conveners of the Health Systems and Response (...)
