James S. Brady Press Briefing Room
1:38 P.M. EDT
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Hi. Good afternoon, everybody.
Q Good afternoon.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: All right. I do have a couple things at the top. I’ll get to it. Today, the Biden-Harris administration announced the next major step to cancel student debt for approximately 30 million Americans when combined with the administration’s prior actions, providing them with information about how they can stand to benefit from upcoming debt relief programs.
In April, the president announced his administration’s new plan to deliver relief to millions of Americans, including those whose balances have grown due to runaway interest and those who have been repaying their loans for a very long time. This is in addition to the nearly 5 million Americans who have already received relief.
Despite attempts by Republican elected officials to block our efforts, this administration is committed to fixing our broken student loans system and giving Americans a little bit more breathing room.
Next, I want to highlight our new announcement to address the overdose epidemic and save lives.
Since day one, the administration, President Biden, Vice President Harris have prioritized action to combat the scourge of illicit fentanyl and beat this crisis, leading to the first decline in overdose deaths in five years.
These actions include stopping more illicit fentanyl at ports of entry in the last two years than in the last five years combined; sanctioning over 300 persons and entities engaged in the illicit drug trade; making naloxone, a lifesaving opioid overdose — overdose reversal medication, widely available over the counter; and mobilizing global leaders to join the fight against this global epidemic.
Today, the Biden-Harris administration is announcing two new initiatives to build on these ongoing efforts, including a new national security memorandum directing every federal agency and department to do even more to stop the flow of narcotics into the United States and a call on Congress to pass legislation that would close key loopholes drug traffickers ex- — exploit — drug traffickers exploit, increase penalties on drug traffickers, and more.
We also continue to call Congress to pass the bipartisan border security agreement, which would deliver funding for thousands more border agents and 100 more high-tech drug detention machines. Congressional Republicans must stop putting partisan politics over American safety and national security.
And today, as you can see, we have two guests joining us to speak on both domestic news and foreign de- — and foreign developments.
First up, we have — we are joined by Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to discuss new actions the administration is taking to address the efforts — the effects of discrimination in farming and ranching thanks to the president’s Inflation Reduction Act.
This historic action delivers on a promise the president made to help farmers and ranchers who were unable to access federal resources due to discrimination in farm loan programs.
Farmers and ranchers work around the clock to put food on our tables and steward our nation’s land, so it is critical we do everything we can to support them, especially when they suffer the injustice of discrimination.
President Biden will continue to ensure that all Americans — all American farmers, specifically, and ranchers have the tools and resources they need to be successful.
And, with that, Secretary Vilsack, the podium is yours.
SECRETARY VILSACK: Thank you. Karine, thanks very much.
As I briefed the president today, the Department of Agriculture has just completed an important step in advancing a key commitment that the president made. We’re able to announce today, thanks to Section 22007 of the Inflation Reduction Act, that more than 43,000 individuals in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and American Samoa are receiving direct financial assistance in response to discrimination that they reported to have experienced at USDA farm lending programs prior to 2021.
This action advances a key priority of President Biden and Vice President Harris when they laid out an executive order signed on day one to advance racial equity and to support for underserved communities through the federal government.
Now, this financial assistance is not compensation for anyone’s loss or the pain endured, but it is an acknowledgement by the department. And our hope is and the president’s hope is that this financial assistance will help many farmers stay on the farm, contribute to our nation’s food supply, and continue to do what they love.
The culmination of this program is an important marker in our effort to rebuild trust and to make USDA an equitable and accessible department that truly serves all of its customers. And it’s the result of a lot of really hard work by many, many people deeply committed to that effort and as well by 30 par- — third party organizations that directly administered this program.
So, the announcement is significant. It represents USDA acknowledging and responding to reported past discrimination, such as racial, gender, or disability discrimination.
I’m grateful to the individuals who took time to complete applications and, in doing so, relived their stories — which I know, for many, was not an easy task.
Our priority has been getting the assistance out the door. The work will continue as we analyze the information provided, dig into details, and assess what it tells us about ways in which we can continue to break down barriers at USDA.
Now we’re committed to releasing additional information about these awards as our analysis continues. This is also a milestone in connection with our implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act, which has made historic investments across dozens of USDA programs to keep farmers farming, to invest in climate-smart agriculture, and we’ve worked hard in ways that reach historically underserved and new and beginning farmers.
We’re supporting the development of a clean and more affordable energy infrastructure, and we’re improving the health of our country’s forests and making them more resistant to wildfires.
To date, we’ve obligated over $12 billion of that funding, which, in many cases, reached the smallest, most rural, and often most under-resourced communities.
What the Inflation Reduction Act has done in many cases is to give us the tools at USDA not just to help people but to show to them that USDA is open for business to them.
A lot of these changes have been informed by our work implementing another section of the Inflation Reduction Act, Section 22006, which allotted $3.1 billion for farmers in financial distress.
Through the 22006 program, we’ve been able to work directly with over 43,000 farmers as well who had loans through USDA but who were struggling to repay them, providing them some relief.
Under Section 22006, in two years, we’ve distributed $2.4 billion to those nearly 43,000 farmers who were in financial distress. Because of that assistance, many of them have given a second chance at farming are now able to pass their farms down to the next generation.
Our experience in implementing this section of the IRA has also informed many changes at the Farm Service Agency, where our farm loans are made.
Changes at FSA under this administration have included but not necessarily been limited to diversifying the agency leadership and county committee membership; the ability to apply for farm loans and make loan payments online, which is new this year; a streamlined and shortened paperwork requirement; and new processes that have reduced the need for human discretion in loan decision-making.
While the discrimination payments of nearly $2 billion today are a look at the past, what all of this broader work boils down to is learning from that past so we can create a better future — one where everyone who wants to participate in farming and agriculture has a fair shot of doing so and continuing to do so and that all of America’s communities, regardless of how rural or remote they may be, are getting the investments they need to thrive.
We’re truly working to live up to our moniker, the “People’s Department.”
And with that, I’d be glad to respond to questions if there are any.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: (Inaudible.) Go ahead.
Q Hey, Secretary Vilsack, thanks for being here. About a month ago, the Secre- — USDA released a sort of comment period on climate-friendly — assessment of climate-friendly policies.
I realize that’s not what you’re here to talk about today, but it is about a month since it came out. And I want to ask you, you know, what the comments have been. But also, looking at the possibility that, in fact, former President Trump could be reelected and — you know, how do you secure the changes that you’ve been able to enact and avoid them from being reversed when — if a new administration came in?
SECRETARY VILSACK: Let me answer the question generally without going into specifics about the election because, as I mentioned to Karine, I don’t really want to get arrested for violating the Hatch Act today. (Laughter.)
What I would say is this. The reason we asked for these comments was we want to inform the Treasury Department’s guidance on the development of a new and exciting industry that this administration is fostering, which is the sustainable aviation fuel industry.
It is an industry that’s twice the size of the current biofuel industry, and it opens up the opportunity for many — as many as a million new job opportunities in rural America.
So, we want to make sure that farmers and farming and ranching are able to fully participate in that process. So, we asked for information about commodities and/or practices that could potentially be established as having a positive, climate-smart benefit.
Because the Treasury Department, for purposes of 45Z — a tax credit that was established under the Inflation Reduction Act — has got to make guidance by the end of the year to provide the industry an awareness of how to qualify the sustainable aviation fuel that’s going to be made in the future for that tax credit, which is extremely important because it’s what’s going to make it cost-effective to produce the fuel.
So, opportunities here for large new income sources for farmers, new products being produced in rural America, and b- — and continuing this administration’s commitment to manufacturing in rural places.
So, that’s why we ask for the information. And I think it’s information that I th- — that I hope the Treasury Department takes into consideration as it makes a very important decision.
Q What — what’s the timing for the 45Z clean tax fuel credit?
SECRETARY VILSACK: I think the goal is to try to get this done by the end of the year.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead, Kayla.
Q Thank you. Secretary Vilsack, you detailed many of the programs that USDA is administering under the Inflation Reduction Act. But I’m wondering how much funding the agency has remaining from that legislation and whether you feel any pressure to spend that or disperse it before November.
SECRETARY VILSACK: There’s not pressure. You want to make sure that you’re investing those resources wisely.
I will tell you, for example, we have yet to obligate all of the renewable energy resources. And the reason we have is because we are in the process of completing the evaluation of the applications for that funding.
When you talk about the transition of — of rural electric- — electricity from fossil fuel-based transition and generation to more renewable sources, it’s complicated. So, it takes a while for us to basically analyze those contracts.
I’m e- — I’m expecting that we will be able to make awards in that program by the end of the year — significant awards — and have a better — general sense of what awards will be made in 2025 and 2026.
The Inflation Reduction Act was structured so that you would be making payments o- — and investments over a period of time. The Forest Service, for example, was given resources to invest in forest restoration and hazardous fuel buildup removal over a period of years.
And so, we’re on track. In fact, I’d say we’re probably a little bit ahead of schedule in terms of our obligations under the Inflation Reduction Act. So, I’m confident that we’ll meet the goals that were set by Congress — probably exceed them — and, in doing so, create a lot of new opportunities out there in the countryside.
Q But Congress sought to rescind some of the unspent stimulus money during negotiations over other issues. And I’m wondering if you worry that there’s a possibility that unspent IRA money could get rescinded —
SECRETARY VILSACK: Well —
Q — in future negotiations as well?
SECRETARY VILSACK: — that would be a serious mistake on the part of Congress to do this because there is genuine interest. The level of applications we’ve received under the IRA would suggest that there is interest above and beyond the amount of money that was provided by Congress. And in that normal — in that circumstance, I think the message that’s being sent by rural America is: This is resources that we need, that we want, and we should preserve.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Okay. Go ahead, Peter.
Q Thank you for being here, Mr. Secretary.
I think, if I’m not mistaken, earlier this week, you and the USDA announced that there were going to be about 25 separate counties — at least ones in our area — Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland — that qualified as primary natural disaster areas due to drought conditions. Clearly, we’ve been keeping an eye on this in keeping with the conversation about climate change.
Can you give us a better understanding of where you have seen this go and what the impact has been in terms of the American investment required to help sort of accommodate these communities and where it is going?
SECRETARY VILSACK: Well, I can tell you that the — we have a number of programs. And if you’re interested in knowing all of the programs that are impacted by drought or any other disaster, we have a tool on our website, “Disaster at a Glance,” which will tell you, based on the criteria — whether it’s a tornado or a flood or whatever it might be — what programs are available.
The fact that we have that document would suggest that we are aware of the fact that there is an ever-increasing number and intensity of these events, and they are, in some cases, horrific. And they are extraordinarily expensive because they impact not only the ability to make a living for farmers, ranchers, and producers and forested landowners, but it also results in devastations of homes and businesses.
We’re now seeing floods that are supposed to be hundred-year floods occurring every six months. We’re — we’re seeing droughts that are supposed to last for a year la- — lasting for multiple years — in fact, over a decade. We’re seeing tornadoes that are just incredibly powerful.
I didn’t know what a derecho was until a couple of years ago, so the very — the fact that we have things that I’ve never heard of in my life now coming up on a regular basis in the Midwest tells you that there’s something going on here, which is why it’s important for this administration and for future administrations to continue to invest in climate-smart practices.
Frankly, it isn’t just about dealing with the climate issue; it’s about creating a whole new American economy that creates new job opportunities and, as the president likes to talk about, rebuilding that middle class. Because when you do climate-smart practices, you are essentially creating supply chains, you’re creating new industries, you’re creating new and innovative ways to do things — all of which is going to require people that work with their head and their hands.
So, whether you’re concerned about climate or whether you want to build an American economy that’s stronger, you got to continue to invest in these — in these practices. And — and, you know, I think, fortunately, we have the tools through the Inflat- — Inflation Reduction Act and the infrastructure law and the American Rescue Plan to do a lot of that work right now.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: All right. Thank you so much, Mr. Secretary.
SECRETARY VILSACK: Thank you.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Thank you for your time.
Q Thanks, Mr. Secretary.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: All right. And now I’m going to turn it over to Admiral John Kirby to talk about the Middle East developments that we’ve seen over the last 24 hours or so.
Go ahead.
MR. KIRBY: Thank you, Karine. Hey, everybody.
Just a quick note on Venezuela, too, before we can get into any of that.
I want to note that our patience and that of the international community is running out. It’s running out on waiting for the Venezuelan electoral authorities to come clean and release the full, detailed data on this election so that everyone can see the results.
You may have seen, the Carter Center, an independent observer, just earlier this morning released a report stating that, quote, “Venezuela’s 2024 presidential election did not meet international standards of electoral integrity and cannot be considered democratic.”
They concluded that the, quote, “electoral authority’s failure to announce disaggregated results by polling station constitutes a serious breach of electoral principles.”
We share those concerns.
Matter of fact, this afternoon, the Organization of American States’ Permanent Council is going to hold a meeting to address the results of the electoral process in Venezuela.
I’m not going to get ahead of that meeting, of course. I would simply reiterate that the United States joins other democracies in the region — and actually around the world — in expressing serious concerns about these subversions of democratic norms.
Now, as you all know, the Venezuelan people have taken to the streets to demand that their votes be counted. You can’t very well blame them for that.
We have serious concerns about the reports of casualties, violence, and arrests, including the arrest warrants that Mi- — Maduro and his representatives issued today for opposition leaders.
We condemn political violence and repression of any kind. And our hearts, of course, go out to all the families that have lost a loved one or are facing injuries they’ve got to try to recover from.
Alongside the international community, we’re watching, and we’re going to respond accordingly.
Now, as Karine alluded to, I know that you’re all interested a whole heck of a lot in everts that occurred in the last 24, 48 hours in Iran and Lebanon. I want to manage expectations here and let you know that there’s going to be a — a significant limit as to the operational detail or anything else that I can talk about today.
So, I just — as — as that as precursor, I just want to — (laughter) — let you know I’m —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Have fun with that. (Laughter.)
MR. KIRBY: I’m happy to — I’m happy to take your questions. I don’t know that you’re going to like all the answers.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: (Inaudible) have fun with that one.
Go ahead, Seung Min.
Q Well, with those — with our expectations tempered, can you talk about whether the United States had any previous knowledge of the assassination beforehand?
MR. KIRBY: No.
Q Or —
MR. KIRBY: Again, I’m not —
Q Or di- —
MR. KIRBY: — in a position to — just want to s- —
Q “No, you can’t say that we had knowledge” or “no, we had no knowledge”?
MR. KIRBY: Well, you throw your voice pretty well, all the way to the back of the room. (Laughter.)
Q (Inaudible.)
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: (Inaudible) just need a puppet.
MR. KIRBY: Let me just clarify here. I am —
I’m not in a position to confirm the reports coming out of Tehran. I’ve seen the statement that Hamas put out. I can’t confirm or — or verify. We have no independent confirmation.
But I can — but I can state that I also have no conversations around that reporting that I can speak to today.
Q And can you talk about the White House’s view on a potenti- — on an impact on a potential ceasefire and how much this complicates and delays the prospect of one?
MR. KIRBY: It’s always been a complicated process. I mean, my goodness, how many times have we talked about it in the last few months and even in just the last few weeks?
I think it’s too soon to know what any of these reported events could mean for the ceasefire deal. But if I could add two points: One is that doesn’t mean we’re going to stop working on it. In fact, we have a team in the region right now as we speak to try to continue to work with our counterparts to move this forward because it’s that important.
And number two, as I kind of alluded to earlier, it’s always been complicated work. And it’s not like the complications with every passing day get easier, and that includes today.
Our job since the beginning of this conflict — in addition to making sure Israel has what it needs to defend itself, in addition to making sure the people of Gaza aren’t suffering more than they already are — is to manage risk in the region.
One of the things the president has been very focused on is trying to prevent escalation here. That work is complicated and difficult every day, and that includes today.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead, Danny.
Q Thanks, Karine. Thanks, Admiral.
Admiral, earlier this week, you said that fears of an all-out war in the Middle East were exaggerated. Is that still your assessment and the White House’s assessment of the situation following the — these latest strikes?
MR. KIRBY: We don’t believe that an escalation is inevitable. And there’s no signs that an escalation is imminent. But I also said that we watch it very, very closely. I also said, just — and — and said again today that this is something that we’ve been concerned about since the 7th of October.
It’s not like we’re brushing off concerns at all. We’re watching this very, very closely. And it’s been a — a chief concern of the president.
Q And will the White House be urging restraint from Israel following this —
MR. KIRBY: I’m — I’m not going to talk about our diplomatic discussions with our Israeli counterparts.
We have been working hard to keep this war from escalating, just as we’ve been working very hard and are today to make sure Israel has what it needs to defend itself.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead, Karen.
Q Thanks. Can you tell us was the president briefed on this last night as the reports started coming out and how he’s been informed about this throughout the day?
MR. KIRBY: The president was briefed on reports coming out of the Middle East. He routinely —
Q Last — last night, was he —
MR. KIRBY: I — I’m not going to get into the specific timing or the parameters of it. But he has been kept fully informed, as you would expect that he would be, from the national security team. And that means on a continuous basis as well.
Q Egypt’s foreign minister said in the statement that the assassinations “undermine the strenuous efforts made by Egypt and its partners to stop the war in the Gaza Strip.” You had just said in an earlier answer that it doesn’t mean that the United States would stop working toward a ceasefire deal. But can you talk about the concerns about the negotiators continuing that work and what this means about that going forward?
MR. KIRBY: I would just tell you, as we’re standing here today, they’re still at that work, and we’ve got a team in the region. And we’re going to — we’re going to keep the shoulder to the wheel. It’s that important. And we still believe the gaps are narrow enough to be closed. We still believe the details can be hashed out.
It’s too soon to know, based on the reporting over the last 24 or 48 hours, what impact any of this is going to have on the ceasefire deal. It was always complicated. It remains complicated. And — and reports coming out of the region, as we’ve seen, again, over the last 24 to 48 hours, certainly don’t make it less complicated.
Q Has there been contact with Egypt and Qatar to reassure them to stay in these conversations right now?
MR. KIRBY: I would just say that we have and maintain routine communications with our counterparts in Egypt and in Qatar and with Israel. Those com- — those communications are ongoing.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead, Peter.
Q Just to be clear about that, has the U.S. reached out or had contact either directly or indirectly with Iran since the occurrence in Iran?
MR. KIRBY: I have no diplomatic conversations to speak to — certainly none of that type.
Q So, just to be clear, you — there have not been with them or with any of their — any intermediaries? Or you can’t tell us that there have or haven’t been?
MR. KIRBY: I have no conversations to speak to.
Q Okay. Fundamentally, is an Iranian response here inevitable?
MR. KIRBY: Look, you’ve seen the comments by the supreme leader and what he said publicly. It’s out there for everybody to see. I’ll certainly not speculate about whether and to what degree Iran does anything.
What I can tell you is we have and will maintain a level of readiness to preserve our national security interests in the region. It’s not like we take a blind eye to what Iran is capable of doing and has shown their capability of doing in the region. It’s not like we’ve demonstrated an unwillingness
to defend Israel from threats in the region, including from Iran, if that happens. And we maintain that capability and that readiness to do so now.
I would also say, lastly, Peter, what I said earlier: We don’t want to see an escalation. And everything we’ve been doing — since the 7th of October, we’ve been trying to manage that risk. Those risks go up and down every day. They are certainly up right now. They don’t make the task of de-escalation, deterrence, and dissuasion — which is the goal — any — any less complicated.
Q So, to be clear, does the U.S. think this action was escalatory, provocative, justified?
MR. KIRBY: As I said earlier, I’m not in a position to verify the — the accounts.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead, Paris.
Q Thank you, Karine. John, I have two questions on Middle East and then on Russia and Ukraine.
So, on the Middle East, besides Egypt, we see Qatar, China, and Russia all condemn the killing, saying the killing would jeopardize the ceasefire talks. What is the White House response to those countries’ reaction on this?
And also, is United States worried China is expanding its influence in the Middle East and may not be using its in influence for the purpose that U.S. and allies believe to be positive?
MR. KIRBY: On the first thing, I — I believe I’ve already kind of addressed this. I’m not in a position to verify the reporting — certainly, the statement by Hamas. I’m just not going to do that.
On China, we’ve said many times we would welcome any credible role by China or any other nation, whether they’re in the region or not, that — that want to help get involved and de-escalate the tensions and help us bring this war to a close and make sure that Israel’s security is guaranteed going forward.
Any other nations contributions that can be done in a credible, transparent, and sustainable way would be welcome. We’ve simply not seen that coming out of the PRC.
Q And on Russia and Ukraine. Does United States know the whereabouts of Paul Whelan? And can you confirm the report that the first delivery of F-16 jets in Ukraine?
MR. KIRBY: Look, on your first one, all I’ll say is that we have been consistently, since the beginning of this administration, working hard to bring home Americans that are wrongfully detained overseas and the — the attention that the president has paid personally to the cases of Paul Whelan and to Evan Gersh- — Evan Gershkovich from the Wall Street Journal is very, very high, as is the whole team. And we continue to work at that very, very diligently.
On the second question, you’d have to talk to the Ukrainians. I’m certainly not going to talk about weapons capabilities.
I will only add that — to remind — as we have said and said at the NATO Summit, that the process of providing F-16s to Ukraine continues to move forward. We said that they will be operational by the end of the summer. We have no reason to doubt that.
Q Thank you.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead, Raquel.
Q Thank you so much, Karine. Hi, John.
On Venezuela, two questions. One about the call with President Lula yesterday. Did President Biden ask anything specific from the Brazilian president, any kind of help to moderate the situation in Venezuela?
MR. KIRBY: The president was grateful for the time with President Lula. They obviously talked about the electoral results in Venezuela and our concerns about where that’s leading to.
I won’t go beyond the readout, though, in terms of specific asks. The president was grateful for President Lula’s time.
Q And another one because, as you were saying, the United States and other countries like Brazil are asking for the full release of the voting count. But three days later, as you were saying, the patience is running out. There is no indication that Maduro will release — give in to this international pressure and release the data.
On the opposite, as you were saying, there’s violence now. They’re persecuting people protesting against —
MR. KIRBY: Yeah.
Q — the results. So, does the U.S. still believe that Maduro can be convinced to release this data? And how long is the U.S. willing to wait? What is the strategy?
MR. KIRBY: They — they need to release it. We’ve been calling for it. As I said, our patience is running out. Those — those electoral authorities, which obviously work for Mr. Maduro, they need to release the — the data, the tabulated data so the world can see exactly what happened here. And we’re going to continue to call for that.
And as for consequences, I won’t get ahead of policy decisions that haven’t been made yet.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Okay. A couple —
Q Does the White House recognize that Edmundo González won the election?
MR. KIRBY: Again, we want to see that full tabulated data from the polling places. We want to see something that’s — can be verifiable and can — can — and can convince not only the United States but the international community about what the results actually were.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Okay, a couple more. Go ahead, in the back.
Q Hi. Hi, John.
Two Al-Jazeera journalists were killed today in Gaza, Ismail al-Ghoul and his cameraman Rami al-Rifi, in an Israeli airstrike. It was obvious they were journalists. Everything was clear that they were journalists. They were targeted. Are you condemning this? And do you have any other reaction regarding the killing of journalists that is continuing since October 7th?
MR. KIRBY: I don’t have any specifics about this particular strike to speak to. So, dif- — difficult for me to get into any detailed discussion of it.
We obviously continue to not only recognize and honor the service that journalists do around the world, particularly in places like Gaza, which is very dangerous; it’s a combat zone. We know that that takes a special kind of bravery for a journalist to go on the ground in — in a place like that. And we want to make sure, as I think Karine has mentioned herself in just the last day or so, that press freedoms are observed and recognized and respected and that reporters are allowed to do their job, and that includes covering the war in Gaza.
But I just don’t have any detail on this particular strike to be able to — to characterize it one way or the other.
Obviously, our hearts go out to the families and — and all those who are touched and affected by this — by this terrible loss.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead.
Q John, just — I know — I know we’ve talked about what you’ve said before about the temperature going down, but Secretary Austin also spoke about this and said that the sense was that the temperature was going down in the Middle East. So, can you say to what extent this —
MR. KIRBY: This doesn’t help.
Q — this was a surprise? Like, was — was —
MR. KIRBY: These reports over the —
Q — the U.S. caught off guard?
MR. KIRBY: These reports over the last 24, 48 hours certainly don’t help with the temperature going down. I’m not going to be Pollyannish about it. We’re obviously concerned about escalation.
And, again, without confirming the reports over the last 24, in terms of Tehran, certainly, the IDF has already spoken to operations that they’ve conducted elsewhere.
All of this adds to the complicated nature of what we’re trying to get done. And what we’re trying to get done is a ceasefire deal that can get you six weeks in phase one, get a lot of hostages — the most at risk — out of there and home with their families, and get some more humanitarian assistance in there.
And I know I keep coming back to that. But it’s important that we do keep coming back to that, because that’s what we’re really trying to drive at. And if we can get to phase one, by God, we maybe get to phase two. And if you can get to phase two, maybe you can get a cessation of hostilities.
When you have events — dramatic events, violent events — caused by whatever actors, it certainly doesn’t make the task of achieving that outcome any easier.
Q But, you know, who is Israel supposed to negotiate with if the leader of Hamas is dead?
MR. KIRBY: Again, I can’t confirm the reports coming out of Tehran or Hamas’s statements.
We still believe there’s a viable process. We still believe there’s interested counterparts. And we still believe that there are meetings and discussions to be had. We wouldn’t have a team over there right now if we didn’t believe that it was possible to — to try to gather — gather together and — and push this forward.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Okay. Just got to wrap it up. Go ahead. Go ahead.
Q Thank you. Follow-up on her question. What is the U.S. strategy for Venezuela if Maduro still be considered the winner? I- — is the U.S. planning to impose more sanctions? Or what is —
MR. KIRBY: It’s a terrific hypothetical question that I’m not going to answer.
I would simply say that we will reserve our rights and our abilities in terms of consequences one way or another based on what we see coming out of electoral authorities in Venezuela. It’s in their interest, too, to be fully transparent and credible about what happened on Sunday. So, we’ll see — we’ll see where this goes.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead, Andrew.
Q But if he — if he considered to be the winner, what — what the U.S. planning to do?
MR. KIRBY: Let’s see the results. Let’s see the results.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead, Andrew. And then we got to — we got to —
Q John, two questions for you. You said there’s a team in the region from the U.S. You’ve said there are interested counterparts to — to speak to. Who are they? And why would they show up to these talks given that the guy who was heading the talks for Hamas is — is now dead? What reason do they have to — to poke their heads up above ground?
And then I have a second one.
MR. KIRBY: As I also said, it — it’s too soon to know what these reports are going to mean for the ceasefire deal.
What we do know is we have a team in the region. What we do know is we want to keep having these conversations, and we believe they’re still worth having.
We also haven’t seen any indications at 2:07 on Wednesday afternoon here, the 31st of July, that the process has been completely torpedoed and it ain’t worth pursuing, so we’re going to keep pursuing it.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: All right —
Q So, on — on the process being torpedoed completely or otherwise. My colleagues and I have spoken to family members of hostages who are still being held, and the view among many of them is that Netanyahu and his government do not want to deal, and Netanyahu in particular does not want to deal, because if there is a deal and the war ends, his government collapses and he possibly continues on trial for corruption and goes to prison. Does the president still believe that the prime minister is acting in good faith here?
MR. KIRBY: Based on the constructive conversations that we had with the prime minister last week, we still believe that this is a worthy endeavor. We still believe that the gaps can be narrowed, the details can be flushed out, and a deal can be had.
Now, again, it’s too soon to know what these recent events over the last 24, 48 hours are going to do to the process.
I don’t want to sound overly sanguine here, but we still believe the deal on the table is worth pursuing and the hostages need to come home. And — and we’re not going to stop trying to work on that.
Q Those conversations of — all of them took place before the events of — of the last few days. Is the president open to changing his view based on what has happened?
MR. KIRBY: I mean, I’ve never known President Biden to ever not be willing to — to look at things with a fresh set of eyes. And as I said earlier, it’s just too soon to know, with the reports coming out of the region, what kind of impact there’s going to be on the ceasefire deal.
What I can tell you he hasn’t changed his mind on is we got to — that we want to get the deal, that we want to pursue it, that the deal on the table is a good one. Both sides ought to accept it. They ought to sit down in earnest and hash through these details that have to be fleshed out and — and close the gaps that we believe can be closed, and let’s move forward. Let’s get phase one in — in place. He hasn’t changed his mind on that. Not at all.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Okay. Thank you so much, Admiral.
MR. KIRBY: Thanks, Karine.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Appreciate it.
Okay. Just have one thing at the top.
So, I wanted to mention that the president and the first lady and the entire administration are proudly cheering on Team USA.
The women of USA gymnastics brought home a gold medal with an unbelievable performance. And Simone Biles now has more Olympic medals than any U.S. gymnast in history. And the U.S. men’s gymnastics team brought home their first medal in 16 years.
And it’s not just our gy- — gymnasts that are winning big. The U.S. swim team have scored gold in two contests, and the women’s rugby team won their first-ever Olympic medal with an incredible win.
From tennis, soccer, and basketball to fencing, track, and volleyball, our nation’s athletes are making us all proud. Our athletes are, as the president said, the big reason so many of us believe we can do big things.
And not to brag too much, but USA — (laughs) — is also currently leading the Olympic Games with the most medals.
As the first lady said ahead of the opening ceremony, and I quote, “Our athletes carry more than just our flag. They carry our nation’s heart and our hopes with them too.”
So, we wish the team all — the team of — the Team USA, all of them, good luck as they continue to make us proud. We are especially excited to see the women’s soccer team and the men’s basketball team in action today.
I’m wearing my Olympic Team USA gear. So, go Team USA. But we wanted to lift them up from — from the briefing room today. Hopefully, you guys didn’t mind.
Go ahead, Seung Min.
Q We don’t mind at all. (Laughter.)
I know —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q — you typically don’t discuss the lunches between the president and the vice president.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q But since we’re kind of in a unique time —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah. (Inaudible.)
Q — do you have any sort of details or color or what the president planned to talk about with her?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, again, I — I just want to be — and I — and I — you’re right, we are in a — a different time. And I get the question.
Always are — are very respectful of the president and the vice president’s private conversations. And, obviously, they do regularly meet and — and — whether it’s for a lunch or meetings about the national security, and they do that regularly, whether — even White House events and just many — much more. They have ta- — stayed in touch regularly over the past coup- — couple of weeks, but they — couple days, couple weeks — but they do that normally as well. So, it’s nothing new there. But I don’t want to get into their private discussion.
As you know, the president is incredibly proud of the vice president and what she has been able to accomplish, their — their partnership together, and is going to continue to support her.
Q And I know you’ve said that we would continue to see President Biden at work on the job. But he’s had a lot of —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q — things on his calendar just today that were all closed press. Some of them seem like things we would have seen, at least at the top of the — top of the meeting.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q So, is that going to be the standard operating procedure going forward?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: No, it’s not.
You’ll — you’re going to — I can tell you right now: You could expect to see from him and hear him tomorrow. The president — or later this week, I should say, to be more specific, but tomorrow is already Thursday. (Laughter.) But you’ll hear from him later this week. I promise you that.
Look, every — every event is access- — is — we assess it differently, as it relates to press access.
The — Secretary Vilsack, we brought him to the podium because you [we] wanted to make sure you heard directly from him on their conversation. They met, obviously, this morning to talk about this new announcement as it relates — relates to the Inflation Reduction Act.
And he’s going to continue to get briefings all day. We — I talked about the fentanyl announcement.
But it will not be the norm. It will not. You will s- — you will hear from the president later this week. And he definitely wants to continue to — to have — to make sure you have access.
He had a, you know, little bit of a — a press conference, if you will, at 1:15 in the morning the other day. And so, he certainly wants to continue to take your questions and see all of you. And so, that’s — that’s not going to stop.
Q And what is the event later this week?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, I don’t have anything to share at this time. But, certainly, we will — as — as you all know, when — when we lock things in, we certainly will share that. But we — you will see him. You will see and hear from him for sure later this week.
And your — this is your first time in the front row. Hi. (Laughter.)
Q I appreciate it. Thanks for the warm welcome.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Wi- — Will?
Q Yeah.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Hi, Will.
Q Good to see you. Good to see you.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Good to see you.
Q Just staying on the vice president. I know you can’t —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q — talk about their meeting and whatnot. But in terms of medical records and a physical, are we going to see a little bit of sunlight on the vice president’s health as we get closer to election?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, I know there was a lot — we were getting some incoming on this, and I know there’s a lot of interest. The vice president’s office asked that you refer those qu- — we refer those questions to her office. And so, they will be gla- — gladly able to take those questions from all of you.
Q And just one other question I wanted to ask as well. The president had previously committed to talk to Black journalists at NABJ.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q I don’t know if you’re attending or going to Chicago for NABJ.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q We’ve seen you there before. He’s no longer a candidate. And there’s some back-and-forth between the Harris campaign and NABJ.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q But does the president have a message for those Black journalists there at the conference?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, April Ryan asked me a question about this yesterday. And, look, when it comes to Black journalists, we want to make sure — and — and, obviously — and all Americans, including Black journalists — that we have an opportunity and — obviously, talking to Black journalists is obviously talking to the community.
And so, it’s important that we do interviews, as we’ve normally done, with Black-owned publications. And we have done that, from the president to the vice president to myself to other senior members of his team, because we understand how important to have that — that kind of entry point into the community.
And so, that is something that we have been very proud of doing the past three and a half years. And we will certainly continue to do that.
As it relates to NABJ, that was a campaign decision. So, I would have to, obviously, refer you to the campaign.
The president, as you know, is no longer a candidate, which is why he’s not speaking this year. And so, as it relates to the vice president as well, that is something for her office to — to speak to.
But it is important for us to — to speak to — whether it’s a radio host, a TV host, or a newspaper reporter, we do that on a regular. And it is something that we have been proud to do because we believe that we have been able to deliver for the community — all communities — whether it’s the economy, health care — issues that they really, truly care about.
And so, we’re going to continue to do that, certainly, for the next six months.
Q Thanks, Karine.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead, Jacqui.
Q Thank you, Karine. Just following up on Seung Min’s question. Could you sort of give us an idea of how much the president’s schedule has changed since the ticket changed?
Because if you look at what —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q — we look at — the big event on Tuesday was a phone call; big event today is a lunch; tomorrow, we don’t know what he’s doing; Friday, he heads to Delaware —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q — it lends itself to the appearance that he’s done governing.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: No. He’s not done governing at all. I think that appearance would be false. It would be a misled appearance.
I — I understand the question. What I will say: We were in Austin on Monday. We were — obviously, in Texas. We went to Austin, went to Houston. He went to pay respect to the late congresswoman. He went to Austin to make a very important announcement, as we went back and forth on this yesterday, on SCOTUS reform, which something that majority of Americans want to see. We got back — we landed on Marine One on the South Lawn at one o’clock in the morning, took some questions. That was something that he wanted to do. Took a couple of questions from press. We were out for about 12 hours. He continues to meet with his team today. And as I said, you will see him later this week. You will hear from him directly later this week.
And I think — again, I’m going to throw Matt Viser here into the conversation — we are recalibrating. I mean, that is very true. I mean, there — there is — there is a change in — in just him stepping down for reelection. He’s still very much the president. And we’re trying to figure out what the next six months are going to look like.
But we are committed. The president is steadfast on continuing to build on the unprecedented record that he has had with the vice president over the last three and a half years. That doesn’t change. But just give us a beat, and we certainly will be — will be out there.
And the president does want to continue to — to speak directly to the American people. You will see him.
Q Why haven’t we heard from him, for instance, on the news unfolding in the Middle East? We heard from —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q — Secretary Blinken. We heard from Secretary Austin. We heard from the vice president.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q It would be something that, ordinarily, we’d expect to hear from —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Stay tuned. Stay tuned. I just said that you’re going to hear from the president later this week.
And — and, look, I think when it comes to the Middle East, when it comes to foreign policy more broadly, this is a president that has a record to stand on when it relates to making sure we’re putting the national security of the American people first.
This is something that he’s done — making sure that we — you know, that we reengage with our allies and also our partners. We saw what happened in the past administration. The president had to fix those relationships. And he did that in the last three and a half years, when you think about reinvigorating NATO, you think about how the people of Ukraine have — has what it needs now to defend itself against Russia’s aggression so they can fight for their democracy and freedom.
This is a president that has a long list of foreign policy accomplishments that he’s incredibly proud of. And when it comes to the Middle East, the president has been incredibly engaged from — from — certainly, from day one of what we have been seeing, the developments there over the past — just under a year.
But he’s going to continue to do that. You’re going to continue to hear from him. That will not change.
Go ahead, Andrea.
Q So, on the potential comment from the president on the Middle East. Can you say anything more about what the venue would be? And — and then I’ve just got —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Well, I just said he will — you’ll continue to hear from him. And I said you’ll see him, certainly, later this week. That’s what I can — I can speak to.
Q So, next week, Vice President Harris is going to Detroit. The UAW has just endorsed her ahead of a rally that will be taking place in Detroit.
The administration began work on an Islamophobia strategy last year. Do you a- — have any kind of an update for us on what’s going on with that? Like, when are we seeing results?
This — you know, next week might be a good opportunity to sort of give an update on that, especially since Vice President Harris will be speaking then, you know, in a — in a community where there are a lot of Muslims and a lot of people who’ve been very concerned particularly about the Gaza policy.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah. So, that — I — I have to be careful on that because it’s a campaign event, so I can’t speak to what exactly she’s going to be doing. You just mentioned the endorsement. So, that’s certainly for the campaign to speak to.
But as you ask me about the — the strategy that we have put forward, look, our — the strategy that we’ve put forward on antisemitism, anti-Islamophobia is the first of its kind. We took — we are taking that incredibly seriously. And we wanted to put together an all-of-government effort to make sure that we — we are — to make sure that Americans here feel safe and to know that this administration is taking — is certainly taking awareness and doing everything that we can from an all-of-government approach to deal with this, whether it’s through — at the Department of Education, Homeland Security, and — and Department of Justice.
This is a — this is an issue that is — is incredibly important. And we are going to condemn — continue to condemn any type of hatred against any community. That is something that we believe that is — there’s no place in — in this nation for any type of violence.
And so, the president continues to be steadfast on this, continue to speak on this.
I don’t have an up- — update on — on any of this at this time. But we have, throughout the past year or so, announced new actions. We’ll certainly continue to do that. But as for today or even next week, don’t have anything specifically to — to point out to you.
Q I just want to follow up on that.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q The president has met, obviously, with, you know, various people who are interested in this issue and the unfolding — I mean, just the violence in the Middle East.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q With the escalation that we’ve seen, with the concerns about an all-out war rising now — you know, the risks that John just outlined too — is the president intending to carry out any further outreach or is the White House planning further outreach to affected communities?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, we are in — in regular touch. The — we have a — as you know, we have the White House Office of Public Engagement, Intergovernmental Affairs here, and they are in regular touch with communities out there. And we understand that communities are fearful. They are feeling some pain here. And we get that. And that’s why, as an administration, we’re trying to address the rise of reported antis- — -semitism; the rise of — of reported, and what we have seen, Islamophobic incidents. And we’re — we’re talking about, sadly, at schools, right? We’re talking about at college campuses and in communities.
And so, this is something that we take very seriously. As you know, not too long ago, we did make some new announcements on actions that we were taking here in the administration. And so, we’re going to continue to work towards that.
And to your — but to your question, we are in regular touch with communities, hearing them out; hearing, also, how can we be helpful, any- — anything that they want to share with us that would be helpful to us and how we continue to provide assistance and — and, you know, come up with actions that’s going to be helpful to them.
I mean, we’ve — we’ve announced more than 100 new actions in the past year to deal with this type of hate. And so, we t- — we’re taking this very seriously. And it’s an all-of-government approach here.
Go ahead, Kayla.
Q Thank you, Karine. You said that with each event the president does, there’s a discussion about whether to open it up to press and in what way. I’m just wondering if you could elaborate a little bit on the rationale behind not showing the president on two days where the vice president now has public events of her own. Is there —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q — a desire to not have the president out there publicly while she’s campaigning?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I mean, look, I’m — I’m not going to get into — I’m not going to get into the campaign specifics here.
What I will say is that you will — you will get this — the president later this week.
And, look, it’s a case-by-case basis. And that’s kind of how we’ve always moved forward with — with — when we think about these different events that we do here. The president will be out later this week. You’ll get to see him. He will speak directly to all of you and to the American people, obviously.
I just don’t have anything to share beyond that.
Q But specifically yesterday and today — the rationale for not having him appear publicly?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I just don’t have any specifics here. It is assessed by an array of people, not just by my office. We try to — to figure out what’s the appropriate way of getting — of giving briefings to the president.
And so, you know, he and Secretary Vilsack, for example, had a one-on-one conversation. They wanted to — to check in. They wanted to talk about this particular piece of the Inflation Reduction Act and how it’s going to certainly help communities — obviously, Black farmers, in — in this regard.
And so, that is — was part of the conversation. But I just don’t have anything else specifically.
You all — you will see the president later this week. You saw thi- — the president — he was out for 12 hours on — on Monday, spoke to all of you, took a couple of questions. And you’ll con- — you’ll certainly continue to see that.
Q And in that 1:15 a.m. discussion with — with press where he answered a few —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q — questions, he was asked about —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q — whether he would weigh in or — or have a discussion with the vice president on her running mate —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q — and he said, “We’ll talk.” Is today that talk?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: (Laughs.)
Q Has it happened — (laughter) — in the interim?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I appreciate you all trying. I — I really do not have more to add to what the president said to — to your colleagues, a- — as you said, at 1:15 in the morning on, I guess, Tuesday morning. I just don’t have anything else to add.
Q To the back?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: That is obviously — when it comes to that particular decision, that’s something for her to make, and — and we trust that she will make that decision for what works for the American people.
Go ahead, Michael.
Q Yeah, thanks. Thanks, Karine.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Oh, no —
Q No, Joey.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Joey.
Q You’ve never called me “Michael” before.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I know. It’s been — (laughter) — I know. It’s been a while.
Q Well —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: It’s been a while.
Q It’s all right. It’s all right.
Hey, what’s President Biden’s reaction been so far on the strong initial enthusiasm the Democratic voters are showing —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q — for Kamala Harris’s candidacy? She had a rally in Atlanta last night with over 10,000 people, raised more than $2 million — $200 million in a week, has improved on polling in battleground states from where Biden was.
Does the president feel reassured about his decision to drop out of the election by what he’s seen so far from Harris?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I’m going to ask you: Wouldn’t you — what would you — wouldn’t you be reassured?
Q Well, I’m asking you.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: (Laughs.) No, but you just listed out what’s occurred the past week — I don’t even know; everything is just coming all together — past week or so.
Again, campaign. Don’t want to get into specifics of — of numbers that you just ticked off and — and what we’ve seen. But, I mean, look, you just listed off some pretty incredible moments that we’ve seen with her campaign over the last week or so.
And so, look, I think at the end of the day, what I can say — and I’ve said this before, and I’ll repeat it — is the president is incredibly proud of the vice president, Vice President Kamala Harris. And he has said — he has said that the reason why he chose her, the reason why he picked her to be his vice president back in 2020, almost — gosh, almost four years ago, is because he believed she could lead on day one.
And that — we have to remember who the vice president is. She’s been vice president for almost three and a half years. She’s helped be a partner in really big decisions that we’ve had to make here, whether it’s domestic or foreign policy.
She was a senator. She was an attorney general. She is incredibly qualified. And he could not think of anybody else who — who could have done this job that he could have made this decision and — to — to take over the campaign, obviously.
And so, he’s very proud of her, and I will just leave it there.
Q And so, he does feel reassured by that decision, from —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I mean, he’s proud of his decision. He’s proud of his decision. And you’ve just listed out a long list of reasons of why.
Go ahead, Peter.
Q If I could ask you about something that’s happening at the NABJ right now.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q Donald Trump is speaking to some of the reporters who were assembled there, and right out of the gates, there was what can best be described as a contentious exchange, where the former president said — and I’m asking this through the lens of someone who represents the president and vice president, not someone who has to speak as a campaign question.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q He says of Kamala Harris, the vice president, “She was always of Indian heritage, and she was only promoting Indian heritage. I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago, when she happened to turn Black,” he said, “and now she wants to be known as Black. So, I didn’t know, is she Indian or is she Black?”
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Wow.
Q “She has always” — this is unclear — “I respect either one. But she obviously doesn’t, because she was Indian all the way, and then all of a sudden, she made a turn and she went Black.” Your response to those comments.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: (Laughs.) He is a candidate. So, I’m going to be super careful.
Q You’re —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Wait. No, no, no —
Q Maybe you can speak — okay.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Hold on. Hold on. I have more to say. I certainly have more to say.
As a person of color, as a Black woman who is in this position, that is standing before you behi- — at this podium, behind this lectern — what he just said, what you just read out to me is repulsive. It’s insulting. And, you know, no one has any right to tell someone who they are, how they identify. That is no one’s right. It is someone’s own decisions.
It is — I’ll add this. Only she can speak to her experience. Only she can speak to what it’s like. She’s the only person that can do that. And I think it’s insulting for anybody — it doesn’t matter if it’s a former leader, a former president — it — it is insulting.
And we have to put — she is the vice president of the United States, Kamala Harris. We have to put some respect on her name, period.
Q Thank you.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Oh, my goodness. Go ahead, Jon, all the way in the back.
Q Thanks, Karine. Can you talk about what efforts are being undertaken as it relates to those wrongfully detained Americans, people like Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan? Are there renewed efforts in terms of trying to win their release right now?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, I’m going to just repeat a little bit of what my colleague said just moments ago — admiral — the admiral. And, look, what he said was spot on, which is: This is a president that has made it a priority to get home wrongfully detained Americans, back to their families, back to their loved ones.
It is something — and all you have to do is look at his record and what he’s been able to do in getting home wrongfully detained Americans. And so, he’s committed to that. He will continue to be committed to that through these — the next several months — the next six months.
We are careful here. We do not negotiate in public. We cannot negotiate in public, because we want to make sure that we get this job done, get this work done. I do not have any specifics. I would not be able to do that from here, because we want to be mindful, we want to be careful.
But the president is committed to make sure that we get wrongfully detained Americans home to their friends and families and loved ones, obviously.
Q Those efforts —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q — in terms of trying to get those wrongfully detained Americans home, could they possibly involve a third country — a prison swap involving Germany, for instance? Is that a possibility?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I just cannot get into specifics from here. You have to understand that what we’re trying to do is on behalf of Americans who are detained. The president is committed. He is committed and will continue to do everything that he can to get Americans home to their loved ones.
And you’ve seen that. You’ve seen that over the last three and a half years. I’m not going to get into specifics. I’m not going to get into details. I can’t confirm anything from here or lay out. What we’re going to do is continue to do the work.
Go ahead.
AIDE: You have time for two or three more.
Q Thanks, Karine.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Okay.
Q Just a follow-up on the scheduling question.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah, sure.
Q As the president dials back a bit, of late, the public events —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q — are we to read into that either now or in the near future that the vice president should be the kind of primary messenger of the administration’s policies?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: No, the president is going to be certainly the messenger of the policies. He’s the president of the United States. He’s going to continue to do that. They both will be, as she’s out there, as well, as vice president. That is not going to change.
You will hear from the president. You will hear from the president. He wants to be out there. He believes there’s still a lot of work to get done in the next six months. He wants to lay out what it is that he would like to get done, building on our successes. Whether it’s the — whether it’s health care, whether it’s the economy, there’s still a lot of more work to do in the economy, even though we’re leading the world in what we’ve been able to do here to turn — to restart the economy.
And so, look, you’re going to hear from the president about this in a short order. You’re going to see the president later this week. You’re going to hear from him. And so, I would say stay tuned. And the president certainly is looking forward to the next six months continuing to — to lay out his plans on behalf of the American people.
Okay. Go ahead. Last one.
Q Yeah. When are we going to see the president and vice president together?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: That’s a good question. I don’t have anything for you right now at this time. But obviously, they were together today having lunch. That was a private discussion — private — private lunch. But I — I could assure you, you all will see them together at some point.
Q I do want to ask you about the border security legislation that —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q — the president still wants and that the vice president, Harris, is also talking about. Would the president be willing to make a deal on that in the — in the lame-duck session when Congress is back?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: You know, I — I get the question. But he did make a deal. That was what we did — what? — two months with Republicans in the Senate. We ma- —
Q Yes, but they — they stopped agreeing to that deal, so —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: But it’s — it’s so wild because we worked with Republicans and with Democrats. And if this deal in Congress, obviously — in the Senate, to be more specific — and if this deal would have gone through, it would have been the toughest, fairest bipartisan border security legislation in modern history.
And congressional Republicans decided to block it because Donald Trump felt like it would make Americans safer, so do not move forward with it; that’s what he felt. Or it — and it would harm him politically; that’s what he felt.
And so, look, we did a deal. It was a very good deal that — that Republicans agreed on, Democrats agreed on. The president reached across the aisle to make this happen when people told him that that wouldn’t be possible. And the former president got in the way.
And it was — he got in the way not because it was the right thing to do for the American people. It was the right thing to do for himself.
And so, the president would love — would love to move forward with that deal — with that deal that we were able to get done. But they themselves, Republicans, voted twice against it.
And so, the president has taken executive actions, and — and we want to make sure that we continue to reduce unauthorized crossing to lower — and we’ve been able to do that — to lower than any other — any — under any other prior administration. We have been able to do that through actions here.
But in order to deal with this, we have to have legislation. And there was a deal. There was a deal on the table that we were able to negotiate with Republicans and Democrats in the Senate. The former president got in the way. You know?
Q Will that deal still be on the table after the election?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I — it’s on the table right now. We want to make that deal move forward. We do. We are ready. The president is ready to sign it. It’s Republicans.
This is really — I appreciate the questions, but this is really a question for Republicans in Congress to — to answer to.
Okay, guys. We’ll see you tomorrow. Thanks, everybody.
Q Thank you, Karine. Go Team USA! (Laughter.)
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go Team USA!
2:40 P.M. EDT
