WASHINGTON - Today, President Joe Biden appointed the following individuals to serve in key regional leadership roles at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD): Blong Xiong, USDA State Executive Director, Farm Service Agency, California Matt Gellings, USDA State Executive Director, Farm Service Agency, Idaho Whitney...
James S. Brady Press Briefing Room 4:15 P.M. EST MS. PSAKI: Hi, everyone. Q Hello. MS. PSAKI: Okay. We have a very special guest - a return guest, shall I say - Brian Deese, our NEC Director, who is going to give some brief comments on the data out this morning, answer a couple of questions, and then...
U.S. CapitolWashington, D.C. 2:25 P.M. EST Q Mr. President, are you confident you can get this done? Q Mr. President, why can't you get these two votes? Q What is the plan B? Q Can you get this done? THE PRESIDENT: First of all, y'all ask questions about complicated subjects like, "Can you get this...
South Court AuditoriumEisenhower Executive Office Building 10:40 A.M. EST THE PRESIDENT: Good morning, everyone. I want to begin by thanking the Secretary of Defense and our FEMA Director for joining me today. We were joking earlier - no, it wasn't really joking: When you need something done, call on the military. (Laughs.) We'll get FEMA...
My administration began to institute vaccination requirements last July, when after months of making vaccinations free and widely available, 90 million Americans were still unvaccinated. Today, that number is down to under 35 million. These vaccine requirements applied to members of the Armed Forces, federal workers and contractors, health care workers, and employees in large...
Today, we received new information on producer prices. The data show a slowdown in producer price increases in December, relative to the month before, and the lowest monthly increase in the Producer Price Index (PPI) since November 2020. Monthly inflation results are always volatile, and this report was driven in large part by a reduction...
Since day one, the Biden-Harris Administration has taken every step available to keep schools safely open for full-time, in-person instruction. These efforts have resulted in 96% of schools open in-person in January 2022, up from 46% of schools in January 2021. Students have sacrificed so much over the course of the pandemic, and the President...
New Actions Advance Offshore Wind, Leverage Public Lands for Clean Energy, and Build the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law's Transmission Lines When President Biden came into office nearly a year ago, he pulled every lever to position America to scale up clean energy that creates good-paying, union jobs and lowers energy bills for consumers. Since then, the...
Clément Beaune, Minister of State for European Affairs, attached to the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, will spend today and tomorrow in Berlin presenting the top priorities for the French presidency of the Council of the European Union before the European Affairs committee of the Bundestag. On January 13, he will speak at a hearing there alongside the German Deputy Minister for European Affairs, Anna Lührmann. As Secretaries General for Franco-German Cooperation, Mr. Beaune and Ms. (...)
Q: The Kazakh president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev announced that the CSTO contingent will begin its withdrawal in two days' time and that this process will take no longer than 10 days. How do you view the withdrawal of the CSTO forces after such a short period of time? A: We have taken note of the Kazakh president's January 11th statement before the Majilis, the Parliament's lower house, regarding the withdrawal of the CSTO's rapid reaction force, which has been deployed in Kazakhstan. France and (...)
France condemns the latest missile launch on January 10, less than a week after the January 5th launch, both characterized by North Korea as hypersonic missile launches. North Korea's pursuit of its weapons program is a threat to international peace and security and undermines international efforts to resume a dialogue, as noted in the joint statement delivered the day before yesterday by France, Albania, Ireland, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States at the Security Council, and (...)
Via Teleconference 11:04 A.M. EST MR. ZIENTS: Good morning. And thanks for joining us. Today, Dr. Walensky will share the latest on Omicron. And Dr. Fauci will provide an update on COVID treatments. First, I want to discuss next steps - new steps we're taking to increase access to COVID testing for K-through-12 students, teachers,...
Atlanta University Center ConsortiumAtlanta, Georgia 4:14 P.M. EST THE PRESIDENT: In our lives and the lives of our nation - the life of our nation, there are moments so stark that they divide all that came before from everything that followed. They stop time. They rip away the trivial from the essential. And they force...
Q: In Geneva yesterday, the Russian diplomatic service stated that the Russian Federation has no "intention" of invading Ukraine. Is this likely to reassure France and the EU, and what would be the right occasion for the EU to take part in these "de-escalation" negotiations? A: Please refer to Jean-Yves le Drian's statement before the National Assembly in response to questions regarding the latest (...)
Today's report-which shows a meaningful reduction in headline inflation over last month, with gas prices and food prices falling-demonstrates that we are making progress in slowing the rate of price increases. At the same time, this report underscores that we still have more work to do, with price increases still too high and squeezing family...
Q: The Ukrainian Administration said today that it had conveyed detailed information to French and German advisors on the implementation of the Minsk Agreement and decisions taken at the last summit in 2019 on resolving the crisis in eastern Ukraine. Can you comment on this subject and perhaps give us an assessment of the extent to which Kiev is fulfilling its obligations under that agreement? A: France, along with Germany, is fully committed to the implementation of the Minsk Agreement (...)
Via Teleconference 3:12 P.M. EST MODERATOR: Thank you very much. And good afternoon, everyone. And thank you for joining the NSC press call on Ethiopia. As a reminder, this call will be on background, attributed to a "senior administration official," and the contents are embargoed until the conclusion of the call. For everyone's awareness but not...
France condemns the latest prison sentence handed down this morning against State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi. This travesty of justice exacerbates an already very troubling political situation.
Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian spoke with Dr. Denis Mukwege today about the fight against conflict-related sexual violence. The minister praised Dr. Mukwege for his work helping women survivors of conflict-related sexual violence and his determined efforts to break the silence surrounding that issue. The minister stressed France's commitment to this issue, and particularly the ?6.2 million it provided in financial support for the Global Survivors Fund co-founded (...)
Q: Has the French Consulate received evacuation requests from French citizens in Kazakhstan? If so, how many? A: Last week, the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs advised French citizens in Almaty to exercise the utmost caution and to stay home or at their workplace. They asked those in the rest of the country to travel only if absolutely necessary. Our Embassy is in constant touch with our fellow citizens and French companies in (...)
NOMINATIONS SENT TO THE SENATE: Marvin L. Adams, of Texas, to be Deputy Administrator for Defense Programs, National Nuclear Security Administration, vice Charles P. Verdon. Michael Cottman Morgan, of Wisconsin, to be an Assistant Secretary of Commerce, vice Neil Jacobs. Laura Gore Ross, of New York, to be a Member of the...
Yesterday, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. declared that a major disaster exists in the State of Missouri and ordered Federal assistance to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe storms, straight-line winds, and tornadoes on December 10, 2021. Federal funding is available to state and eligible local governments and certain...
James S. Brady Press Briefing Room 2:13 P.M. EST MS. PSAKI: Hi, everyone. Okay, just one item for all of you at the top. And I just have a hard out at five of, but I think we can get around to everybody in the room. Today, the President spoke with the New York City mayor,...
Aboard Air Force OneEn Route Atlanta, Georgia 12:13 P.M. EST MS. PSAKI: Okay. Good morning, everyone. Thanks for joining us on our trip to Georgia. Georgia is one of the 19 states where Republicans passed laws last year attacking the right to vote. While these voter suppression efforts are being driven by the Big Lie, they are...
South Lawn 10:45 A.M. EST Q Good morning, sir. Quick question on voting: Any thoughts on Stacey Abrams skipping your speech today, sir? Are you insulted she is skipping the speech? THE PRESIDENT: I'm insulted you asked the question. (Laughs.) I spoke with Stacey this morning. We have a great relationship. We got our scheduling...
