{"id":173755,"date":"2024-03-06T10:53:12","date_gmt":"2024-03-06T18:53:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/?p=173755"},"modified":"2024-03-06T10:53:12","modified_gmt":"2024-03-06T18:53:12","slug":"briefing-by-press-secretary-karine-jean-pierre-and-white-house-national-security-communications-advisor-john-kirby","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/?p=173755","title":{"rendered":"Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Washington, DC&#8230;Good afternoon, everybody.  So, I want to begin by sharing some news on how President Biden is fighting for working families and lowering costs by taking on corporate rip-offs.  Ahead of his State of the Union Address, the President is convening his Competition Council this afternoon to announce new actions to crack down on hidden junk fees and promote competition.  President Biden is establishing a new strike force, co-chaired by the Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission, to crack down on illegal pricing.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/9BkrmRQrJOc\" title=\"03\/05\/24: Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is slashing credit card late fees from an average of $32 down to $8. This will save consumers $10 billion a year, an average savings of $220 for the 45 million people who are charged late fees each year.<\/p>\n<p>The Department of Agriculture is finalizing a rule to protect small farmers and ranchers.  The Federal Communications Commission is circulating a proposed rule that would ban \u201cbulk billing,\u201d helping lower Internet costs and increase choices.<\/p>\n<p>Our administration\u2019s actions to ban hidden junk fees will save Americans more than $20 billion a year.  The President will make clear in his State of the Union that he will continue fighting to lower costs for families.<\/p>\n<p>I have some news we\u2019d like to share with you all.  On March 15th, President Joe Biden will host Taoiseach Leo Varadkar of Ireland for a bilateral meeting, followed by St. \u2014 by a St. Patrick\u2019s Day celebration at the White House on March 17th, continuing a longstanding St. Patrick\u2019s Day tradition.<\/p>\n<p>The leaders will reaffirm the close and enduring partnership between the United States and Ireland and the extraordinary bonds between our people.  They will discuss our countries\u2019 shared commitment to continue supporting Ukraine in the face of Russia\u2019s brutal aggression, as well as our cooperation on a range of other global issues.<\/p>\n<p>They will reaffirm their steadfast support for the Belfast\/Good Friday Agreement as we welcome the recent restoration of Northern Ireland\u2019s Executive and Assembly.<\/p>\n<p>Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff will also host the Taoiseach and Mr. Matthew Barrett for a breakfast at the Naval Observatory on March 15th.<\/p>\n<p>And as you can see when I walked out, three of our amazing wranglers came out with me.  And so, before we get started with the briefing, I have a couple things that I want to say.<\/p>\n<p>So, you know, they\u2019re moving up in the world.  They\u2019re going to stay in the family but still moving up \u2014 and it\u2019s so well deserved of all three \u2014 into new roles, obviously.<\/p>\n<p>Allyson Bayless has been by my side since day one and a rockstar wrangler \u2014 I\u2019m going to get emotional \u2014 for the last two years, is \u2014 is moving over to the campaign.  There is no one who worked harder or more hours than \u2014 on our team than Allyson, as you can \u2014 as you can all attest by the hours of the day that she responds to your emails.  She accomplishes everything with diligence and composure.  And she always has a bright, bright sunshine spirit, even when we \u2014 even I\u2019m in \u2014 when in my dark spaces, as we tend to joke around.  And she has a \u2014 an incredible sense of humor and a wit that is unmatched.<\/p>\n<p>Silas Woods has \u2014 has the biggest heart of everyone that I know.  And sometimes I worry about him because he has such a big heart.  And every single day, I see him go above and beyond to coordinate movements, get you all what you need and make accommodations for everyone as he \u2014 as he can.  And some of you don\u2019t know he\u2019s often the reason you\u2019re able to get that shot, right?  Silas is really good at getting that shot \u2014 shot, get in the room, or hear what the President has to say, obviously.<\/p>\n<p>There isn\u2019t a single person here who doesn\u2019t have a kind word to say about Silas, and there\u2019s no better teammate, which is why the Second Gentleman is stealing him from us.  He came from OVP, so now he\u2019s going back, essentially, to that world.  The Press team won\u2019t be the same without Silas, but we\u2019re glad we\u2019ll still get to work with him every day.  I\u2019m going to miss you very much, Silas.  Literally, the biggest heart of anyone that I know.<\/p>\n<p>And finally, Davis.  Davis Conger came to us from the State Department, having traveled the world with Secretary Blinken.  He\u2019s brought skill and professionalism to our team, and he\u2019s \u2014 and he is someone you always know you can rely on.  Every day, he has brought competence, kindness, and coolness under pressure to his job.  He\u2019s always so even cool \u2014 even-keeled and cool, which is why Annie Tomasini has hired him as an advisor in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff.<\/p>\n<p>Three \u2014 three incredible new roles for three incredible young people.  We are extraordinarily proud of all of you \u2014 the work you\u2019ve done and the work you will now continue to do at a higher level, obviously, on behalf of this President.  And so, I\u2019m super, super proud of you.  You guys are like \u2014 like my kids who are flying out \u2014 flying off.  So, I\u2019m glad you will still be part of the broader team, obviously.  And I\u2019m really, really sad to see all of you go, but I am so personally, personally proud of all of you.<\/p>\n<p>And now, they\u2019re going to get up and they\u2019re going to walk out \u2014 (laughter) \u2014 because there\u2019s so much work to do, as you know, as wranglers.  But thank you, guys.  Love you all. <\/p>\n<p>MS. BAYLESS:  Thank you, Karine. <\/p>\n<p>MR. WOODS:  Thank you, Karine. <\/p>\n<p>MR. CONGER:  Thank you, Karine.<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Thank you, thank you, thank you.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>All right.  With that, Admiral John Kirby is here to give an update on the Middle East.  And, Admiral, the floor is yours.<\/p>\n<p>MR. KIRBY:  Thank you, Karine. <\/p>\n<p>Good afternoon, everyone.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Good afternoon.<\/p>\n<p>MR. KIRBY:  This morning, I think you all are tracking, the Department of Defense conducted another airdrop of humanitarian assistance into Gaza.  Three U.S. C-130s dropped 60 bundles with a total of over 36,000 Meals, Ready-to-Eat.  We were joined in this endeavor by several Jordanian aircraft as well.<\/p>\n<p>As President Biden has said, this will be a part of a sustained effort while our \u2014 with our international partners to scale up the amount of lifesaving aid that we\u2019re getting into Gaza. <\/p>\n<p>And as I said last week, we\u2019re exploring other channels to get aid into Gaza, including a maritime route.  To that end, we are looking at both military and commercial options to move assistance by sea.  There\u2019s still an awful lot of work that\u2019s being done on this to flesh it out.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, we\u2019re also going to continue to urge Israel to facilitate more trucks and more routes, opening up more crossings so that more aid can get in to people in need and increase that flow.<\/p>\n<p>And, with that, I\u2019ll take some questions.<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead, Zeke.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Thanks, John.  That number on the \u2014 the 36,000 meals.  Was that just the U.S. contri- \u2014 contribution to that?  Or was that also the Jordanian contribution to that airdrop?<\/p>\n<p>MR. KIRBY:  That was just the U.S.  The Jordanians flew \u2014 I believe it was four aircraft.  And I can get you the exact number of how much they dropped.  But it was \u2014 it was food that they dropped too.<\/p>\n<p>Q    And then in terms of the scale of that, I mean, that\u2019s a drop in the bucket of what the need is in Gaz- \u2014<\/p>\n<p>MR. KIRBY:  Oh, certainly.<\/p>\n<p>Q    \u2014 in Gaza right now.  And you talked about the maritime corridor planning as well.  I mean, this war has been going on for, you know \u2014 for, you know, five months now. <\/p>\n<p>MR. KIRBY:  Yeah.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Why isn\u2019t the U.S. and its allies further along in the planning stages for a maritime corridor or other operations like an air drop with more equip- \u2014 with more equipment, more resources, more personnel on standby?  Should \u2014 you know, from the moment the President gave the go-ahead, shouldn\u2019t there have been more contingency planning to get more aid in much faster?<\/p>\n<p>MR. KIRBY:  We\u2019ve been working on the humanitarian assistance from \u2014 since the beginning, as you said, many months ago.  And quite frankly, the best and most efficient way to get aid in to people in a confined space like that in a very urban environment is on the ground.<\/p>\n<p>I mean, yes, you can move more volume in \u2014 in ships, whether they\u2019re military or commercial ships, but eventually that stuff has to get ashore, then it has to get loaded onto vehicles and then trucked in.  Right?<\/p>\n<p>So, the trucks are the best way to do that.  And that\u2019s why we\u2019ve been working so hard to \u2014 to try to increase the flow.  And during the week-long pause that we had before, we were able to get it up to 200 trucks a day.<\/p>\n<p>It was through President Biden\u2019s urging that we got the Rafah Cros- \u2014 Crossing open to aid.  It was at his urging that we got Kerem Shalom open.  But it just hasn\u2019t \u2014 the flow just hasn\u2019t been enough to meet the need.  And as the war has progressed, the need has gotten obviously much more dire.<\/p>\n<p>So, it\u2019s not like we \u2014 even though we\u2019re just now talking about airdrops, it\u2019s not like the idea of airdrops just \u2014 just happened, just dropped out of the sky.  It\u2019s been something we\u2019ve been talking about for quite some time.  And the maritime route as well.<\/p>\n<p>The maritime route, yes, it can move more volume at sea, but it also is going to require a heavier logistics lift and some infrastructure ashore and very much going to need the support of allies and partners.  And so, those discussions are ongoing.<\/p>\n<p>Q    And then does the President have any plans to meet with Benny Gantz before he leaves Washington this evening?<\/p>\n<p>MR. KIRBY:  No.<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead, Ed.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Thank you for answering that one. <\/p>\n<p>MR. KIRBY:  So, we can go and move on from Ed now.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Nope.  A few others here.  (Laughter.)<\/p>\n<p>The President this morning signaled that he\u2019s concerned about violence in Jerusalem and in the region in the coming days.  Is there something specific he\u2019s been told to anticipate?<\/p>\n<p>MR. KIRBY:  I \u2014 I won\u2019t speak to specific intelligence one way or the other, Ed.  I mean, obviously, this is something we\u2019re \u2014 we\u2019re always mindful of, particularly given what\u2019s going on between Israel and Hamas.  But I don\u2019t think I\u2019m going to elaborate on that.<\/p>\n<p>Q    There \u2014 just to backtrack on something from last week.  I don\u2019t think you\u2019ve been asked about this, at least on camera.  But when he was in New York and suggested he had reason to believe there would be a ceasefire by Monday, and that hasn\u2019t happened, why did he think that at the time?<\/p>\n<p>MR. KIRBY:  He was referring to updates and briefings that he\u2019d been getting from the national security team about the progress of negotiations.  Obviously, we all wish that that had happened.  We wish that it would happen today.  But we\u2019re still \u2014 we\u2019re still negotiating.  We\u2019re still trying to get there.<\/p>\n<p>Q    And on Haiti.  Is the U.S. continuing to monitor that situation?  And does it have any sense of the whereabouts of the Prime Minister?<\/p>\n<p>MR. KIRBY:  Yes.  As far as I understand, no.  I will let the Prime Minister speak to his travel.  But I\u2019m not aware that we have any keen sense of what his whereabouts are. <\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead, Mike.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Thanks.  Just following up on Haiti.  You\u2019ve called on Americans to evacuate.  How should they do that when the airport is under attack?<\/p>\n<p>MR. KIRBY:  We \u2014 again, I\u2019d refer you to the State Department to \u2014 they\u2019re the ones that issued that \u2014 that advisory.  Not a safe time for Americans to be in Haiti right now.  There are other ways to leave.  Again, I\u2019ll let the State Department do that. <\/p>\n<p>They\u2019re \u2014 they\u2019re in touch with \u2014 or are making themselves available to Americans who are there and want to \u2014 want to get that information.<\/p>\n<p>Q    You said yesterday that you\u2019re working to expedite this multinational force led by Kenya to deploy to Haiti as soon as possible.  They\u2019ve said that they\u2019re ready to deploy within 72 hours.  The holdup is funding \u2014 in part, U.S. funding \u2014 that was pledged by the administration that\u2019s being held up, as we understand it, by Republicans in Congress. <\/p>\n<p>How urgent are those conversations?  And how are you going to expedite it if you\u2019ve got this \u2014 this key holdup?<\/p>\n<p>MR. KIRBY:  Yeah, I\u2019m not sure that that simplistic explanation is exactly accurate, that the \u2014 that that is the only thing holding this up.  But let\u2019s put that \u2014 but let\u2019s put that aside.<\/p>\n<p>You\u2019re right, we\u2019re going to need some \u2014 we\u2019re going to need some support.  And we are working actively with members of Congress.  I mean, we \u2014 I think \u2014 I think we can all recognize that this is in our interest as well as the region\u2019s interest and certainly the interests of the Haitian people to get a more stable, calm, secure environment there.<\/p>\n<p>Q    So, just one last follow-up.  If \u2014 if that\u2019s a simplistic explanation, then what \u2014 what is the holdup?<\/p>\n<p>MR. KIRBY:  Again, we \u2014 there\u2019s \u2014 they\u2019ve al- \u2014 Kenya has already agreed to do this.  That\u2019s a big first step.  And we\u2019re working with Kenya, we\u2019re working with other partners to see if we can get this multinational security mission up and running as soon as possible.<\/p>\n<p>I just don\u2019t have any more updates for you other than that.<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead, Selina.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Thanks, Admiral. Thanks, Karine.  You had said yesterday that part of the reason why it\u2019s so hard to get aid into Gaza is, in some cases, because of the Israeli War Cabinet.  Is that acceptable? <\/p>\n<p>MR. KIRBY:  There\u2019s nothing acceptable about the dire situation on the ground in \u2014 in Gaza in terms of the lack of food; lack of water; lack of medicine; in some cases, a lack of fuel.  That shouldn\u2019t be acceptable to anybody.  So, short answer to your question is: No, it\u2019s not acceptable.  And that\u2019s why we continue to work with our Israeli counterparts. <\/p>\n<p>As I said in my opening statement, and you\u2019ve heard the President say as well and the Vice President, that it\u2019s time for Israel to open up more crossings and allow more aid in.<\/p>\n<p>Q    And on the Vice President.  There were reports that the National Security Council had asked her to, quote, \u201ctone down\u201d her speech on Sunday.  What can you say about that?<\/p>\n<p>MR. KIRBY:  I would point you to what the Vice President\u2019s spokesperson already said about that story, in \u2014 in calling it inaccurate.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Does the administration still believe it\u2019s more effective to withhold public criticism of Netanyahu in order to have more sway in private?  And is that private sway waning?<\/p>\n<p>MR. KIRBY:  Well, I\u2019m just \u2014 I don\u2019t think I\u2019m going to accept the premise of that question.  I mean, we have been nothing but candid and forthright in private with our Israeli counterparts and, certainly, in public in the comments that we have made. <\/p>\n<p>And you\u2019ve heard, again, from the President and the Vice President in just recent days expressing very clearly what our concerns are with the humanitarian situation in there and how it is unacceptable and how we need the Israelis to step up and do more.<\/p>\n<p>Q    And just lastly, Hamas said today they won\u2019t accept a deal that does not include a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.  Is that realistic?  And if not, where do negotiations go from here?<\/p>\n<p>MR. KIRBY:  I ain\u2019t going to negotiate in public.  We \u2014 we\u2019ve been working this real hard.  As \u2014 you heard from President Biden just today that we\u2019re still hopeful we can get there.  But nothing is done until everything is done, and not everything is done in terms of this negotiation. <\/p>\n<p>So, what we\u2019re looking for and what we want: a temporary ceasefire for about six weeks that will allow us to get more aid in and, more importantly, get all those hostages back with their families where they belong and reduce the violence.  That\u2019s the deal on the table. <\/p>\n<p>And as the President also said today, it\u2019s a rational deal, and the Israelis have been cooperating.  They have been negotiating in good faith on this.  It\u2019s time for Hamas to step up to the plate, take a swing, and let\u2019s get this thing done.<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead, Jeff.<\/p>\n<p>Q    The \u2014 Hamas is saying that they have now extended a deal that Israel has not responded to.  Israel is saying that Hamas has to accept the deal that you\u2019ve been referencing with regard to hostages.  What\u2019s \u2014 can you sort out what\u2019s true in both of those things?  And can you also comment on \u2014 has it been more difficult to have these talks in Cairo without an Israeli representative at the table?<\/p>\n<p>MR. KIRBY:  I, kind of, sort of, already did it, Jeff, but I\u2019ll \u2014 I\u2019ll \u2014 maybe I\u2019ll take it a different way.  There has been, throughout the process of these many weeks, back and forth between the sides \u2014 proposals, counterproposals, and \u2014 and haggling over the details and all the modalities of how this is going to work in terms of the phasing of the hostages and how many and the release of Palestinian prisoners and how many and how that\u2019s all going to take place. <\/p>\n<p>There is now a framework.  There is a deal, as the President said today, that has been the result of all this back and forth.  So, the back and forth has happened.  There\u2019s a deal now, and the onus is on Hamas to accept it. <\/p>\n<p>And you had a second question. <\/p>\n<p>Q    Israel hasn\u2019t been at the table \u2014<\/p>\n<p>MR. KIRBY:  Oh, in Cairo.<\/p>\n<p>Q    \u2014 since \u2014 since Sunday.<\/p>\n<p>MR. KIRBY:  Again, I won\u2019t speak to Israel and the presence or \u2014 of their negotiators one w- \u2014 they get to speak to that. <\/p>\n<p>But as I said earlier, the Israelis have negotiated in good faith.  They have agreed to this framework.  Th- \u2014 they have taken it right up to the end, and now it\u2019s up to Hamas.<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead, Kevin.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Given that Hamas has now responded to the \u2014 to the deal, and that they have not agreed to it as written, is it still practically possible to come up with an agreement by the start of Ramadan?<\/p>\n<p>MR. KIRBY:  That \u2014 look, the negotiators are working hard on this, Kevin.  That\u2019s what we \u2014 we hope will happen, but we\u2019ll have to see. <\/p>\n<p>Q    So, you \u2014 there\u2019s \u2014 there is still a belief that that is a possibility?<\/p>\n<p>MR. KIRBY:  I didn\u2019t say a belief.  I said we hope that we can get this done as soon as possible. <\/p>\n<p>We would have liked to have this done two, three weeks ago, if not before then.  We are where we are.  And we\u2019re working on this really, really hard. <\/p>\n<p>Q    And given what the President said about the potential dangerous situation should an agreement not be reached, what conversations is the White House having with Israel about, for example, the situation around the Al-Aqsa Mosque?  What \u2014 what are, sort of, the conversations in advance to try and curb some of the violence that the President is \u2014<\/p>\n<p>MR. KIRBY:  I don\u2019t think the Israelis need \u2014<\/p>\n<p>Q    \u2014 worried about?<\/p>\n<p>MR. KIRBY:  \u2014 need to be reminded by the United States that they live in a tough neighborhood.  And I don\u2019t think they need to be reminded about the prospect of violence, particularly in a sensitive time like Ramadan.  They don\u2019t need us to remind them of that.  They\u2019re \u2014 they\u2019re well aware of it. <\/p>\n<p>Again, we\u2019re \u2014 we\u2019re going to continue to work with them, as we have, to help sure \u2014 make sure that they can defend themselves against Hamas, make sure that the Israelis \u2014 the Israeli citizens are safe and secure as much as possible, and that we can try to get this hostage deal in place. <\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Yeah, thank you.<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Oh.  Go ahead, Joe-Joe.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Hey, thanks, Karine.  John, why isn\u2019t President Biden meeting with Benny Ga- \u2014 Gantz whi- \u2014 while he\u2019s in Washington? <\/p>\n<p>MR. KIRBY:  Mr. Gantz asked to come to Washington and asked for a series of meetings with administration officials, and he\u2019s getting those.  He met with Jake Sullivan yesterday.  He met with the Vice President yesterday.  Today, he\u2019s met with the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of State.  All of these conversations have been constructive and productive. <\/p>\n<p>And we hope that Mr. Gantz goes home informed by the conversations that we had and the concerns that we expressed.<\/p>\n<p>Q    I mean, was it a scheduling issue with the President being in Camp David or was it \u2014<\/p>\n<p>MR. KIRBY:  Mr. Gantz had a chance to meet with senior levels all the way up to the Vice President of the United States.  And \u2014 and, you know, again, we think these \u2014 these conversations were constructive and productive and \u2014 and hope that he goes home informed by them.<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead, Andrew.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Thanks.  John, the President and the Vice President \u2014 and you, for that matter \u2014 have both said that the situation with getting aid into Gaza is too difficult.  The Vice President said that Israel needs to allow more aid in.  \u201cNo excuses.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>What is preventing the President from communicating to the Israeli government that if they don\u2019t allow aid, we will not continue supplying weapons?  Why is that not a fair trade \u2014 no aid, no bombs?<\/p>\n<p>MR. KIRBY:  Because the President still believes that it\u2019s important for Israel to have what it needs to defend itself against a still viable Hamas threat.  And maybe some people have forgotten what happened on the 7th of October, but President Biden has not. <\/p>\n<p>Q    John, how does keeping aid out of Gaza contribute to Israel\u2019s right to defend itself?<\/p>\n<p>MR. KIRBY:  Keeping aid out of Gaza is not the right thing for any purpose.  It\u2019s not about \u2014 it\u2019s just \u2014 it\u2019s just not acceptable on the face of it, as I told Selina, and that\u2019s why we\u2019re working \u2014 more than any other country, by the way \u2014 to increase the flow.  I mean, it is U.S. aircraft that are dropping these \u2014 this food out of the sky in the last couple of days. <\/p>\n<p>Q    Yes, but you \u2014 you keep saying \u2014 and you said yesterday \u2014 the holdup \u2014 that the problem is the lack of capacity being delivered on the ground.  And that\u2019s \u2014 that\u2019s the Israelis and, to some extent, the Egyptians, but mostly the Israelis.  How is that \u2014 and you said it\u2019s not acceptable earlier \u2014<\/p>\n<p>MR. KIRBY:  You guys \u2014 you\u2019re looking at this as a zero-sum game.<\/p>\n<p>Q    No, I\u2019m not.<\/p>\n<p>MR. KIRBY:  Yes, you are, sir.  It\u2019s, \u201cWell, if they\u2019re not doing what you want, then cut off the aid so they can\u2019t defend themselves.\u201d  That\u2019s not the way we\u2019re going to do this.  It\u2019s not the way we have done this.  They have a right to defend themselves.  They need the capa- \u2014 wait, wait, let me finish.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Okay.<\/p>\n<p>MR. KIRBY:  They need the capabilities to do that.  There\u2019s \u2014 there\u2019s aid that\u2019s desperately in need.  And you know what?  We can do that too.  We can do both.  Both are important.  And both are going \u2014<\/p>\n<p>Q    Not if the Israelis \u2014<\/p>\n<p>MR. KIRBY:  \u2014 to be pursued by this administration. <\/p>\n<p>Q    \u2014 don\u2019t let it in, sir.<\/p>\n<p>MR. KIRBY:  I know \u2014 I know you don\u2019t approve of necessarily the policy choices that we\u2019ve made, but \u2014<\/p>\n<p>Q    I don\u2019t \u2014 I have no opinion on the \u2014<\/p>\n<p>MR. KIRBY:  But \u2014<\/p>\n<p>Q    \u2014 policies.  I\u2019m just asking questions, sir.<\/p>\n<p>MR. KIRBY:  But we \u2014 and I\u2019m answering them.<\/p>\n<p>We can do both.  We can influence our Israeli counterparts to do more, to be more careful, to let more aid in, and we can continue to work to get that aid in ourselves. <\/p>\n<p>Q    And one more follow-up, then.  Israel \u2014 according to Israeli media, the Israeli Defense Forces and industrial base are ramping up or preparing to ramp up domestic production of weapons that are currently U.S. supplied \u2014 including dumb bombs, firearms, that sort of thing \u2014 to be \u2014 to be commenced next year, 2025. <\/p>\n<p>Is the President concerned that this would lower U.S. leverage?  And is th- \u2014 is there a window that\u2019s closing during which the U.S. has the leverage and influence to get the Israeli government to do certain things with respect to human rights, for instance, allowing more aid into Gaza?<\/p>\n<p>MR. KIRBY:  The President\u2019s concerned, as I\u2019ve said, about Israel being able to defend itself against a still-viable threat.  We\u2019ll let the Israelis speak to their defense industrial base plans and intentions. <\/p>\n<p>They\u2019re a sovereign country.  They get to make those decisions, and we respect that.  They\u2019re also a key ally and a partner, and we respect that alliance and that partnership as well.<\/p>\n<p>The other thing that\u2019s keeping the President up at night is the humanitarian assistance and the humanitarian situation on the ground in Gaza.  And that\u2019s why he has ordered these air drops.  That\u2019s why we continue to urge \u2014 very, very stridently \u2014 the Israelis to open up more crossings on the ground to supplement the \u2014 to supplement the aid that\u2019s already getting in and to try to improve what\u2019s not getting in. <\/p>\n<p>And that\u2019s why, as I said in my opening statement, the President also has the team looking at maritime options.<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead, Aurelia. <\/p>\n<p>Q    Thank you so much.  I want to ask you about some remarks the French President, Emmanuel Macron, made today.  So, he urged Ukraine\u2019s allies not to be cowards, and he also added that he \u2014<\/p>\n<p>MR. KIRBY:  Not \u2014 not to be what?<\/p>\n<p>Q    Not to be cowards.<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Cowards.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Cowards.<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Cowards.<\/p>\n<p>MR. KIRBY:  Oh, cowards.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Cowards.  Cowards.<\/p>\n<p>MR. KIRBY:  Sorry.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Sorry, my accent.  And he added that he fully stood behind those controversial remarks he made last week about sending troops to Ukraine.  So, what do you make of this rhetoric?  Do you think the time has come for stronger language on Ukraine?  Or is this not helpful?<\/p>\n<p>MR. KIRBY:  I\u2019m not going to parse President Macron\u2019s words.  I mean, he certainly has every right and ability to \u2014 to speak for himself and his views.  All I can do is speak for President Biden, the Commander-in-Chief.  And the President has been clear: We have been extraordinarily strong in leading international efforts to support Ukraine for the last few years.<\/p>\n<p>We need Congress to help right now \u2014 pass that supplemental \u2014 so we can continue that strong leadership and support more \u2014 a coalition of more than 50 nations that the United States put together to support Ukraine.<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s also been very clear since the very beginning of this war: There\u2019s not going to be U.S. troops on the ground fighting inside Ukraine.  And you know what?  President Zelenskyy isn\u2019t asking for that.  He\u2019s just asking for the tools and capabilities.  He\u2019s never asked for foreign troops to fight for his country.  He \u2014 he and his troops want to do that.  But they need the tools, and that\u2019s what we need to help with.<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Okay.  We\u2019re bumping up against the President\u2019s schedule.  Go ahead.<\/p>\n<p>MR. KIRBY:  Sorry.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Thank you, Karine.  I have questions on the Indonesian election, but just to finish up on Gaza.  Is the Gantz meeting with the VP and also with Jake a signal that the administration is looking forward to a future Israeli government without Netanyahu?<\/p>\n<p>MR. KIRBY:  No.<\/p>\n<p>Q    And maybe this one is for Karine.  Will the President use any part of his State of the Union Address to acknowledge the anger of American Arabs and Muslims and progressive Democrats and explain to them why he\u2019s not imposing conditionalities on Israel?<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I\u2019m going to go around, and I\u2019ll get to that question.  Let me just get to a couple more people before we lose the Admiral.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Okay.  Great. <\/p>\n<p>And so, just on the Indo- \u2014 on the Indonesian election.  China, the United Kingdom, Australia, and several other countries have congratulated Indonesia\u2019s President-elect, Prabowo Subianto, on his apparent victory.  Is there a reason why the administration is waiting?<\/p>\n<p>MR. KIRBY:  We congratulate the Indonesian people on a successful election.  The President looks forward to early engagement with the new administration and to strengthening our cooperation under what is already a strategic partnership.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re obviously closely following the ongoing vote count, and we understand that Minister Subianto has a significant lead.  We\u2019ve had excellent cooperation with him since the time he was Defense Minister.  And, you know, if he is, in fact, finally elected, then we look forward to continuing that relationship.<\/p>\n<p>Q    And just to clarify.  The President-elect does have a long track record of allegations of human rights violations.  He was at one point the son-in-law of former President Suharto, who ruled Indonesia for 32 years, and his Vice President-elect is the son of the outgoing President, Joko Widodo.  Is the administration concerned at all about democratic backsliding in Indonesia? <\/p>\n<p>MR. KIRBY:  We\u2019re never ba- \u2014 we never back away from our concerns about the need for human rights, civil rights, and all the values of democratic institutions.  And the President absolutely will not shy away about expressing our concerns.<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  All right.  Go ahead, Gabe.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Admiral, to ask that question more directly, or one of the other questions that was just asked: In Israel, the Vice President\u2019s meeting with Gantz was seen as a snuff to the Netanyahu government.  Was it?<\/p>\n<p>MR. KIRBY:  The meeting with Minister Gantz, again, was at his request.  He is a member of the War Cabinet.  There is a war going on.  And we believed it would \u2014 it was a good opportunity to have a discussion with the War Cabinet about the way in which we\u2019re supporting Israel and the things that we want to see Israel do.<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Okay.<\/p>\n<p>Q    The President was asked this morning how his relationship was with Netanyahu these days, and he responded, \u201cLike it\u2019s always been,\u201d and then he smiled.<\/p>\n<p>MR. KIRBY:  Yep.  (Laughter.) <\/p>\n<p>Q    What was \u2014 what do you \u2014 what do you make of that?<\/p>\n<p>MR. KIRBY:  I don\u2019t know if I can improve upon that.<\/p>\n<p>Q    What would you add to that?<\/p>\n<p>MR. KIRBY:  I wouldn\u2019t.<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.  (Laughter.)  All right.  Let\u2019s \u2014<\/p>\n<p>Q    One question \u2014 one question on Haiti.<\/p>\n<p>MR. KIRBY:  I still like my job.  (Laughter.)<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  We got \u2014 we\u2019ve got to \u2014<\/p>\n<p>Q    One question on Haiti.  The administration has provided more than $126 million in humanitarian aid to Haiti in 2023.  Where has that money gone?  And is it \u2014 has it been affective?<\/p>\n<p>MR. KIRBY:  I can get you a \u2014 Gabe, I\u2019ll get you \u2014 we can get you a rundown of exactly how that \u2014 those funds were allocated.  But we are \u2014 we\u2019re proud of the humanitarian assistance that we have and will continue to provide Haiti.<\/p>\n<p>But the \u2014 right now \u2014 man, right now, the focus has got to be on getting that multinational security element in there to help create the conditions where the people of Haiti can live free and in security so that humanitarian assistance can get there more freely and get to the people that need it.<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Last question to the foreign pooler.  Go ahead.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Thanks, Karine.  Thanks, Admiral.  Following up on Aurelia\u2019s question.  There\u2019s been some pushback on Macron\u2019s comments from the Germans and also from the Swedes as well.  Is the U.S. worried that Ukraine\u2019s allies are starting to splinter?<\/p>\n<p>MR. KIRBY:  No.  There has been tremendous international support and unity for Ukraine.  The Pres- \u2014 as you know, we met with the Prime Minister of Italy just last week.  They\u2019ve been strong.  There\u2019s \u2014 there\u2019s incredible unity.  Everybody shares the same concerns that we do about just letting Putin take Ukraine and what that means for their safety and security and for the security of \u2014 of the NATO Alliance.<\/p>\n<p>No.  No, we\u2019re not concerned about that.<\/p>\n<p>Q    And are you worried about the stalling of this U.S. aid \u2014 that it\u2019s putting more pressure on European Allies and causing fractures on \u2014 at all, in that sense?<\/p>\n<p>MR. KIRBY:  We\u2019re worried that the delay on the national security supplemental and the assistance coming from the United States is going to have a detriment- \u2014 actually, already is having a detrimental effect for Ukrainian soldiers on the battlefield.  That\u2019s the main concern.  And the time is way past now to get them the tools that they need to defend themselves. <\/p>\n<p>Their defensive lines are starting to shift now, going in the wrong direction, because the Russians continue to push west out of the Donbas. <\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Thanks.  Thanks, Admiral. <\/p>\n<p>All right.  As you know, the President\u2019s event is going to start shortly.  Zeke, you have anything?<\/p>\n<p>Q    Yeah.  Do you have a, sort of, broad rundown of how the President spent the last few days at Camp David preparing for the State of the Union?  Who was with him?  Does he have the final speech text at this point?<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah, so, as you know, the President has been working on, as you just stated in your \u2014 in your question to me, the State of the Union Address for the past several days.  I\u2019m not going to get into any specifics as to who was with him. <\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s \u2014 you know, it\u2019s \u2014 it\u2019s some- \u2014 it\u2019s going to be a moment that\u2019s incredibly important to him.  Obviously, he\u2019s going to be not just addressing Congress but also millions of Americans who will \u2014 going to be tuning in.  And he\u2019s looking forward to that, to talking about the accomplish- \u2013accomplishments that he\u2019s made the last three years and also the vision \u2014 the vision that he has for this country, obviously, for the American people. <\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m just not going to get into any specifics or details.  We\u2019ll have, certainly, more to share with you all tomorrow as we get closer.<\/p>\n<p>You know, the State of the Union Address is incredibly important.  He\u2019s going to be working on it, I believe, until the very last minute so he gets it just right.  Because it\u2019s going to be an important moment.  But don\u2019t have anything beyond that. <\/p>\n<p>You heard me talk about the Competition Council, how that is part of the President talking about wanting to focusing on lowering costs for the American people. <\/p>\n<p>Obviously, he\u2019s going to talk about our democracy; our freedoms \u2014 right? \u2014 fighting \u2014 continuing to fight for that; reproductive freedom, how that\u2019s an issue that the American people truly care about.  You\u2019re going to hear him talk about that. <\/p>\n<p>And so, there\u2019s a lot of issues in front \u2014 obviously, in front of the American people that they care and they want to hear directly from the President about.  And so, that\u2019s what he\u2019s going to focus on. <\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ll certainly have more to share as we get closer to Thursday.<\/p>\n<p>Q    And then, on a different topic.  A bit of a kerfuffle this morning across Lafayette Park at the Department of Veterans Affairs, running an effort to ban the display of that i- \u2014 that iconic Time Square kiss photo on \u2014 on V-J Day at the end of World War Two. <\/p>\n<p>Was anyone at the White House consulted in that \u2014 in the drafting of the initial memorandum?  And then, did anyone at the White House call up the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and say, \u201cRescind that memo\u201d? <\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, just \u2014 I want to be really, really clear.  The VA is not going to be banning this photo from VA facilities.  So, I just want to be super, super clear about that.  I know, as you just said \u2014 you described it as a \u201ckerfuffle.\u201d  There was, obviously, some reporting on that.<\/p>\n<p>I can say that \u2014 I can definitely say that the memo was not sanctioned.  And so, it\u2019s not something that we were even aware of until you all started reporting on it.  But we are not banning that photo.  And I\u2019m just going to be super clear about that. <\/p>\n<p>Any specifics about the memo and the process over there, certainly, I would prefer to the VA.<\/p>\n<p>Q    But once you were made aware of it and after that \u2014 after the memo, sort of, spread on social media, did the White House direct the Veterans Affairs Secretary to rescind it?<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I \u2014 I believe the VA Secretary made a statement on this, so I\u2019d refer you to the statement \u2014<\/p>\n<p>Q    But did he say it under his  own \u2014 of his own volition?<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yes, he did that on his own volition.  But he \u2014 I would refer you to his statement.  And just re- \u2014 I\u2019m really reiterating what the VA said.  The VA Secretary said that it will not be \u2014 that particular photo will not be banned from any facility \u2014 VA facility.  So, I want to be very, very clear about that. <\/p>\n<p>Okay.  Go ahead.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Thank you, Karine.  President Biden has said a possible endorsement by Taylor Swift \u2014<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  (Laughs.)<\/p>\n<p>Q    \u2014 is \u201cclassified.\u201d  How disappointed is he that she is telling people to vote but not for him?<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Going to very careful.  We\u2019re talking about 2024.  And so, I can\u2019t comment on what Taylor Swift is saying or not saying.  I have no idea.  I\u2019m not seen those statements. <\/p>\n<p>And I\u2019ll just \u2014 I\u2019ll just leave it there \u2014<\/p>\n<p>Q    Okay.<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  \u2014 and be mindful.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Different topic.  How is President Biden going to fix the border if he can go years without talking to the head of Border Patrol?<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  He was literally just with the head \u2014 the Chief of the Border Patrol just this past Thursday in Brownsville, Texas.  You all reported it.  You all saw it.  He was with \u2014 he was with the Chief \u2014 Chief Owens, I believe.<\/p>\n<p>Q    The Chief who was in charge for two years before that said, \u201cI\u2019ve never had one conversation with the President or the Vice President.\u201d  How is that possible?<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, one thing I will say about Chief \u2014 you\u2019re talking about Chief Ortiz?<\/p>\n<p>Q    This is Chief Ortiz.  Yeah. <\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, he was invited, I believe, to participate in the President\u2019s first trip \u2014 visit to El Paso, which was back in January of 2023, and he did not attend.  He was invited.  He was invited.  He is \u2014 he did not attend. <\/p>\n<p>What I can say is that you saw \u2014 you saw the President with the present chief, which I think is important, because we are dealing with challenges at the border, because the President has take- \u2014 made that a priority, worked with the Senate in a bipartisan way to come up with a way to move forward on the border, on immigration.  Republicans rejected it because of what the former President, Donald Trump, told them to do.  He told them to reject that proposal. <\/p>\n<p>So, the President is going to continue to be steadfast, focus on an issue that a majority of the American people care about, which is the border. <\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s not forget, if that policy had went into law, it would have been the toughest and the fairest bipartisan border security agreement in decades \u2014 in decades. <\/p>\n<p>Q    And last one.<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Will President Biden publicly address Laken Riley\u2019s murder, allegedly at the hands of an illegal immigrant who was released by law enforcement multiple times, on Thursday night?  I know he\u2019s put out a statement.  But what about at the State of the Union?<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  You \u2014 look, let me \u2014 I do want \u2014 this is such a tragic story and, obviously, situation.  This is someone\u2019s life that was lost, so I do want to always acknowledge and extend our deepest condolences to \u2014 to her family and to her friends and the people who \u2014 who loved her.  And so, want to always be sure to say that and \u2014 because it\u2019s so tragic.<\/p>\n<p>Look, I don\u2019t have anything to share about the President\u2019s speech as it relates to that particular question that you have.  But we \u2014 you know, we want to always \u2014 always be sure that we li- \u2014 lift up the families who have lost their loved ones in that way. <\/p>\n<p>And I would reiterate \u2014 you just asked me about the Border Patrol chief.  The President was just there with the current chief, Owens.  The President went to the border \u2014 obviously, Brownsville, Texas \u2014 to lift up the importance of doing something \u2014 of doing something at the border. <\/p>\n<p>And I would be remiss if I did not continue to say that Republicans rejected a bipartisan proposal that came out of the Senate.  And so, if they truly, truly cared about what was going on at the border; if they truly cared about this immigration policies and trying to fix that, trying to move forward in a step, in a way where we have a tough and fair law, they would work with us on it.  They wouldn\u2019t listen to the former President, who is clearly telling them to reject \u2014 telling Republicans to reject it for their \u2014 for his own political gain.  And that\u2019s shameful.  That\u2019s truly shameful.<\/p>\n<p>Go ahead, Selina. <\/p>\n<p>Q    Thanks, Karine.  Will the President be watching the election results come in tonight?<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, as you know, the President is going to be talking about the Competition Council today.  He is continuing to work, obviously, on his State of the Union Address, because it\u2019s important to him, and he knows how important it is for the American people to hear directly from him.  I don\u2019t have a \u2014 I don\u2019t have anything to share.  I\u2019ve not spoken to him about his plans tonight. <\/p>\n<p>Obviously, he will be kept updated.  And he\u2019ll \u2014 he\u2019ll be aware of what\u2019s going on tonight as \u2014 as we see elections happening across the country.  I just don\u2019t have anything specific on that. <\/p>\n<p>Q    And the Consumer Bankers Association has been very critical of the Biden administration\u2019s rule to cut the credit card late fees.  They called it \u201canything but\u201d a win for consumers and \u201cknowingly putting consumers\u2019 financial health at risk.\u201d  What\u2019s the administration\u2019s response to that criticism?<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, I totally disa- \u2014 we totally disagree, obviously.  The President has always been very, very clear: He\u2019s going to do everything that he can to make sure that we lower costs for the American people.  And what we are seeing is that \u2014 we\u2019re seeing, you know, corporations, obviously, not passing along their gains to Americans \u2014 to American consumers.  And we\u2019ve always been very clear about that.  And so, we want to make sure that we protect \u2014 we protect Americans.  We want to make sure that we, obviously, protect American consumers. <\/p>\n<p>So, we disagree with that sentiment.  We disagree with that statement.  And the President is always going to put the American people first.<\/p>\n<p>Go ahead, Jeff.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Karine, does the White House have a position or comment on latest bill in Congress to crack down on Tik Tok \u2014 just introduced today, I believe?<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, I have not seen the text or had an opportunity to speak to our Office of Leg Affairs or any \u2014 anyone else in \u2014 in the \u2014 in the White House Office, so I don\u2019t want to get ahead of myself and speak to that.<\/p>\n<p>Obviously, we\u2019ll take a look, as we normally do on any legislation, that believe will \u2014 will be beneficial to the American people.  I just can\u2019t speak to that at this time. <\/p>\n<p>Go ahead, Kevin.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Robert Hur is supposed to testify a week from today.  Has the White House made a decision on releasing the transcripts of the President\u2019s interview with him?<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I would refer you to the \u2014 my colleagues at the White House Counsel\u2019s Office.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Okay.  And the Dartmouth basketball team has become the first college sports team to vote to form a union.  Does the White House think that that\u2019s a good idea?  Is that a smart move for college athletes?<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, look, I\u2019m going to, obviously, let \u2014 let teams make their decisions for themselves.  We\u2019re not going to weigh in on that.  As you know, the President is a union guy.  We say that all the time, but I\u2019m not going to comment on any particular team or actions that they\u2019re taking.  That\u2019s for them to decide.<\/p>\n<p>Q    To the back?<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Karine, Senator Sinema just announced that she\u2019s not running for reelection.  She\u2019s going to retire at the end of this term.  I\u2019m wondering if the White House has any comment.<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, I have not seen that.  Obviously, that is news \u2014 news to me.  Look, we have had opportunities to work closely with the senator on some really key, important bills.  She was leading \u2014 one of the leading negotiators on the border security bill that came out of the Senate in a bipartisan way.  We appreciated her efforts on that.  And there are some other, obviously, ways that we\u2019ve worked closely with her.<\/p>\n<p>Outside of that, I don\u2019t want to get too far ahead.  I \u2014 this is the first time I\u2019m hearing the news.  But she\u2019s been a partner with us on many critical issues that matter to the American people.  And I think that\u2019s important.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Is there any \u2014 anything you can tell us about the President\u2019s travel after the State of the Union this weekend and \u2014 (a reporter sneezes) \u2014 and into next week?<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I think the \u2014 the \u2014<\/p>\n<p>Q    Excuse me.<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Bless you.<\/p>\n<p>I believe the campaign has made some announcements on some travel that the President will be doing after the State of the Union, so I would refer you to them.  It is common that after a State of the Union, the President goes around and \u2014 goes around the country to speak directly to the American people.  You\u2019re going to see the President do the same.  But I would refer you to the campaign on specific stops that he has coming up.<\/p>\n<p>Go ahead.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Karine, I just wanted to ask about the Meta \u2014 the breakdown this morning \u2014 hundreds of thousands of users.  Do you have any more information on that and whether it\u2019s connected to a cyberattack?<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, obviously, we all are aware of what happened from \u2014 for the last couple of hours \u2014 the incident.  And so \u2014 so, don\u2019t have anything at this time.  We are \u2014 we are not aware of any specific malicious cyber activity \u2014 so, I can say that \u2014 or any specific nexus as it relates to today\u2019s election.  But we would have to refer you to the individual social \u2014 social platforms, obviously, for any more information on that. <\/p>\n<p>Q    Okay.  Thank you.  A quick separate one on the minibus spending agreement in Congress right now.  It would divert about $45 million in fees from the Justice Department\u2019s Antitrust Division.  So, I\u2019m just wondering, given the administration\u2019s take on antitrust, is this a concern that that money would be going away?<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, look, as it relates more broadly, you know \u2014 well, I\u2019ll say this: You know, the President obviously strongly supports funding for antitrust enforcement, which is critical to promoting competition and lowering cost for consumers.  It\u2019s a \u2014 this is a bit more complicated, so I just want to break this down a little bit. <\/p>\n<p>The antitrust funding proposed in the funding bill is \u2014 is a 4 percent increase over the last year and a 26 percent increase since 2021.  Because of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, every agency is subject to budget caps, so preventing us from fully funding programs the way we want to. <\/p>\n<p>These full-year bills represent a compromise.  Obviously, this is what has come together with these \u2014 with these six different bills.  So, no \u2014 no one got everything they wanted, obviously.  That\u2019s what a compromise is.  But they fund the government, prevent a damaging shutdown, and protect our progress.  And that\u2019s what happens when you come with a \u2014 when you come forward with a compromise \u2014 a bipartisan compromise.<\/p>\n<p>Go ahead.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Karine, is the President aware or have any concern about the number of Super Tuesday states that have campaigns for uncommitted votes, ceasefire write-ins \u2014 essentially, a vote against the President \u2014 because of his stance on the war in Gaza?<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, look, I\u2019m going to be super, super mindful.  These are \u2014 obviously, people are \u2014 are voting right now, and I cannot speak to any upcoming election or \u2014 as voting \u2014 as voting is happening.  So, I\u2019m going to be super, super careful about that. <\/p>\n<p>But what I will say is what I said last time when I was asked about Michigan specifically: The President thinks it\u2019s important for people \u2014 for Americans to voice their opinions, to have their voices heard.  He thinks that\u2019s incredibly important.  We understand how painful this moment is for many Americans, for many communities \u2014 obviously, the Arab and \u2014 the Arab community, the Muslim community, more specifically.  And so, we get that. <\/p>\n<p>But I just want to be super careful and not speak to upcoming \u2014 upcoming election \u2014 upcoming voting that \u2014 voting that\u2019s happening right now, to be more specific. <\/p>\n<p>Q    Karine, can I just follow up?<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I know you had a \u2014 I know you had a similar question.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Is that \u2014 is that also the message that the President will be saying during the State of the Union?  And then I think you mentioned to my colleague that he will be taking this message around the country after the address.  Is Michigan one of those destinations?<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, not going to get into the states.  I know that the campaign announced a couple of states already that he\u2019s going to be going to right after Thursday.  So, you can expect the President to be visiting multiple states across the country the next, obviously, couple of months. <\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m not going to get into that.  I would refer you to the campaign specifically on the most upcoming states, the announcements that they\u2019ve made. <\/p>\n<p>And I just kind of laid out, you know, what the President has been very clear about, the understanding of how people should have the right to voice their opinion, to voice their concern, to voice their pain.  And that\u2019s what the President is going to consistently do.  He\u2019s a president for all Americans, obviously.<\/p>\n<p>As it relates to the State of the Union, I\u2019m not \u2014 I\u2019m just not going to get ahead of any specifics on what he\u2019s going to say as it relates to that question.<\/p>\n<p>Go ahead, Ed.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Thanks, Karine.  So, Cookie Monster posted on X that shrinkflation is making his cookie smaller.  The White House official Twit- \u2014 Twitter, or X, responded that \u2014 blaming shrinkflation, basically, on companies.  So, does the President, again, believe that shrinkflation and inflation are solely a company problem?  Or do his policies play any role in that?<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, also, from my tweet, I believe we said, \u201cC is for consumers getting ripped off.\u201d  Right?  And \u2014 and the President \u2014 the President has called on \u2014 on companies to stop \u2014 to stop, you know, taking advantage of Americans.  He\u2019s been very clear about that. <\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s repeatedly called on large corporations, more specifically, to pass along their savings on to their customers.  We\u2019ve said that.  We\u2019ve been very consistent about that.  And that includes rip-offs such as shrinkflation.  We see that.  And \u2014 where the size of a product, for those who don\u2019t know, gets smaller, even as the price stays the same or increases.  That\u2019s what we\u2019ve been seeing.<\/p>\n<p>And so, it\u2019s giving families less bang for their buck.  And the President has said \u2014 and I\u2019ll quote him \u2014 \u201cTired of being\u201d \u2014 the President said, \u201cAmericans are tired of being played for suckers.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>And so, the President is going to have the Amer- \u2014 the American people\u2019s back.  That\u2019s what he\u2019s going to continue to do.  He\u2019s going to talk about this \u2014 not just shrinkflation but other ways that he sees corporations are ripping off Americans.  You\u2019re going to hear from him shortly about the \u2014 about the \u2014 what he\u2019s doing next to \u2014 to deal with junk fees.  And I think that\u2019s really important.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s what Americans want to see.  They want to see their president fighting on their behalf.<\/p>\n<p>Q    And out of that Competition Council, the President is announcing that strike force.  Why did it take the Cookie Monster to speak up or an election year for this strike force to go?  Why not do it year- \u2014 a couple years ago when inflation was 9 percent?<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I don\u2019t \u2014 I disagree with the premise of your question there.  It did not take the Cookie Monster.  If anything, it feels like the Cookie Monster is responding to us and what we\u2019ve been saying about shrinkflation.  (Laughs.)<\/p>\n<p>I can\u2019t believe I\u2019m having a conversation about the Cookie Monster at the podium.  (Laughter.)  But that is where \u2014<\/p>\n<p>Q    Does the President have full confidence \u2014<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  But that is \u2014 but that is \u2014<\/p>\n<p>Q    \u2014 in the Cookie Monster?  (Laughter.)<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  That\u2019s a good one.  I\u2019m glad you\u2019re awake.  I\u2019m glad you woke up for me.  I know you were nodding off in the back earlier.  But \u2014<\/p>\n<p>Q    But why did it take \u2014 why did it take so long to announce a strike force \u2014<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I mean, look \u2014<\/p>\n<p>Q    \u2014 when inflation was 9 percent?<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  \u2014 here\u2019s \u2014 we\u2019ll \u2014 here\u2019s the thing.  The President\u2019s Competition Council has been going \u2014 going on for some time now.  Right?  He has taken this very seriously in finding ways to lower costs for the American people as we are obviously dealing with inflation \u2014 right? \u2014 obviously dealing with that because of what we are coming out of with the \u2014 with the pandemic.<\/p>\n<p>So, the President has taken action.  He\u2019s going to continue to do that.  I would say the strike force is just another way \u2014 along of many other announcement that this President has made \u2014 in dealing with large corporations ripping off Americans \u2014 right? \u2014 and dealing with how do we get rid of junk fees.<\/p>\n<p>And so, that\u2019s what you\u2019re going to hear from the Amer- \u2014 from the President.  So, to say that, you know, now, all of the sudden, he cares about this is not true.  It is a false premise.  It\u2019s a false question, because the President has been dealing with this for some time now. <\/p>\n<p>And now he\u2019s making a new announcement on \u2014 on the strike force, and I think it\u2019s important.  And so, you\u2019ll hear more from him momentarily.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Yeah.  And one more, if I may.  The President, I noticed, had \u2014 had notecards la- \u2014 at the border when he was doing his briefing there.  He also had notecards last Friday with the Italian Prime Minister.  Why does the President rely so heavily on notecards?<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  You\u2019re upset because the President has notecards?  You\u2019re \u2014<\/p>\n<p>Q    I\u2019m not upset.  I\u2019m asking you why. <\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  You\u2019re asking me a question about the President having notecards?<\/p>\n<p>Q    I\u2019m asking why does he rely so heavily?<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  The President, who has had a \u2014 probably one of the most successful first three years of an adm- \u2013administration than any modern-day president \u2014 he\u2019s done more in the first three years than most presidents who had two terms.  You\u2019re asking me about notecards?  I don\u2019t think that\u2019s \u2014<\/p>\n<p>Q    Can you answer \u2014<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I don\u2019t think \u2014<\/p>\n<p>Q    \u2014 his question?<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Wait.  I\u2019m \u2014<\/p>\n<p>Q    I\u2019m asking you why he \u2014 why he relies so heavily.<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I\u2019m not speaking to you right now, James.  I\u2019m talking to \u2014 I\u2019m talking to your friend over here, Ed.  So, thank you so much \u2014 but thank you so much for interjecting.<\/p>\n<p>Go ahead, Ed.<\/p>\n<p>Q    I was just asking why he relies so heavily on notecards.<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I think what\u2019s important here and what the American people care about is how this President is delivering for \u2014 for them.  And that\u2019s what he\u2019s doing.  And that\u2019s what\u2019s the most important thing here.<\/p>\n<p>All right.  I\u2019m going to take \u2014<\/p>\n<p>Q    In the back.<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I\u2019m going to take \u2014 go ahead.  Did I call on you already?<\/p>\n<p>Q    You did.  So, if you want to go to the back and then \u2014<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Okay.  Wait.  No, no, no.  I can\u2019t do that.<\/p>\n<p>     Go ahead, Karen.<\/p>\n<p>Q    \u2014 come up here \u2014<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  No, no, no.  Go ahead, Karen.  Go ahead, Karen.  Go ahead, Karen.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Aleksey Navalny\u2019s widow, Yulia, was invited to the State of the Union by the White House, but she\u2019s unable to make it.  Did the President extend that invite personally when he met with her last month?<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, yes, I can \u2014 I can confirm that she was indeed invited to the State of the Union.  She is no longer able to attend.  I would have to refer you to her and her people as to specifically why.  But I can confirm that, yes, she was invited.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Did the President extend that invitation \u2014<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yes, the President did.<\/p>\n<p>Q    \u2014 when they met?<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yes, the President did.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Karine, first it was Elmo \u2014<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  (Laughs.)  All right.  Go ahead.<\/p>\n<p>Q    \u2014 now it\u2019s Cookie Monster.  Are there \u2014 are there \u2014 <\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead, Jon.  Go ahead, Jon. <\/p>\n<p>Q    \u2014 any other \u201cSesame Street\u201d characters the President would consult?<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead, Jon.  Jon, go ahead.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Thanks a lot, Karine.  The President recently said that he\u2019d be open to meeting with the House Speaker in regards to that Ukraine funding bill.  Is there anything to report?  Is the President reaching out to the House Speaker in terms of a one-on-one conversation?<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Well, they just met \u2014 the Big Four just met last week.  They talked about the importance of, obviously, the national security supplemental, which includes the Ukraine funding.  They talked about, obviously, avoiding a shutdown, which we are glad to see that Congress is doing that. <\/p>\n<p>And, as you know, they had a pull-aside, they had a brief meeting afterwards.  Not going to get into what was discussed.  It was a private meeting.  But the President has spent some time with the Speaker over \u2014 I mean, just \u2014 just last week \u2014 literally, they were together just last week.<\/p>\n<p>I don\u2019t have anything else to share. <\/p>\n<p>All right, guys.  We\u2019re going to wrap it up.<\/p>\n<p>Go ahead.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Thanks, Karine.  Is the White House concerned about another \u2014<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  (Inaudible.)  (Laughs.)<\/p>\n<p>Q    Oh, I\u2019m so sorry.<\/p>\n<p>Q    No, no.  No \u2014 <\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  No, no.  I\u2019m more so teasing.  I\u2019m giving Ed a hard time.  Go ahead.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Is the White House concerned about another bank failure after New York Community Bank showed signs of trouble?<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, look, obviously I want to be super careful, right?  This is something that is monitored by \u2014 by regulators.  And this is something that we take very \u2014 that they take very seriously and are always monitoring. <\/p>\n<p>I don\u2019t want to get ahead of that.  And we\u2019re always going to keep an eye on \u2014 on that \u2014 or they will, more \u2014 more specifically, regula- \u2014 regulator- \u2014 regulators.  I just don\u2019t have anything else to share beyond that. <\/p>\n<p>All right. <\/p>\n<p>Q    In the vein of that question about the Speaker \u2014<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yes.  Yes.  Yes, yes.<\/p>\n<p>Q    \u2014 one of mine was: He did, last week, extend a bipartisan olive branch to the former President to work with him on border security.  Beyond saying that rhetorically, has there been any other attempt to reach him to talk about possibly working together?  Have you heard from the Trump camp about it?<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Well, it \u2014 as it relates to the Trump camp or campaign, that\u2019s something that I would refer you to the campaign on. <\/p>\n<p>Look, the President has been very clear, and I think you\u2019ve seen it in his action.  The fact that we worked with Republicans to try and get to a border security proposal \u2014 we did that because we believe it needed to be dealt with in a bipartisan way. <\/p>\n<p>And I would add that when \u2014 when we are able to work in a bipartisan way, in a bi- \u2014 in a \u2014 on behalf of the American people, we get things done.  Right? <\/p>\n<p>We see that with the CHIPS and Science Act.  We saw that with the prevent \u2014 gun violence legislation \u2014 right? \u2014 anti-gun violence legislation.  You saw that with the infrastructure legislation. <\/p>\n<p>Remember las- \u2014 last time around, during the last four years, of the \u2014 of the last administration, it was a punchline.  Infrastructure, you know, Week was a punchline.<\/p>\n<p>Q    But beyond saying it last week, there\u2019s been no active attempt to get the former President \u2014<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I don\u2019t have \u2014<\/p>\n<p>Q    \u2014 on board?<\/p>\n<p> MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I\u2019m \u2014 I am saying to you I don\u2019t have anything to read out. <\/p>\n<p>But I do want to say, when we work in a bipartisan way, we are able to get things done on \u2014 for the American people.  We just are.  And we see that.  We see that with historic pieces of legislation that will change the lives of Americans for generations, which are incredibly important \u2014 issues that a majority of Americans care about.  And I think that\u2019s important. <\/p>\n<p>I don\u2019t have anything to read out on any outreach. <\/p>\n<p>I would certainly refer you to the campaign on anything specific as it relates to the Donald Trump campaign.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Thanks, Karine.<\/p>\n<p>MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  All right, guys.  I\u2019ll see you tomorrow.  Thanks, everybody.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Washington, DC&#8230;Good afternoon, everybody. So, I want to begin by sharing some news on how President Biden is fighting for working families and lowering costs by taking on corporate rip-offs. Ahead of his State of the Union Address, the President is convening his Competition Council this afternoon to announce new actions to crack down on [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":173756,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_cbd_carousel_blocks":"[]","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,5,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-173755","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-government","category-news","last_archivepost"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Fullscreen-capture-362024-105109-AM.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173755","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=173755"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173755\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":173757,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173755\/revisions\/173757"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/173756"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=173755"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=173755"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=173755"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}