Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre 3/15/24

[inaudible 00:00:01]. Hi. Hi. Hi. Good afternoon. Happy Friday.

Good afternoon. Happy Friday. We’ve made it today, or this week I should say. Okay. I have a couple things at the top, so please, please bear with me here. So this morning, the president was excited to host Taoiseach of Ireland for a bilateral meeting. As you all know, this is a longstanding annual tradition, the leaders of our countries, and is an opportunity to reaffirm the close and enduring partnership between the United States and Ireland and the strong connections between our peoples.

(00:44)
The president and Taoiseach discussed our country’s shared commitment to supporting Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression, and the president commended the people of Ireland for opening their homes to welcome and support over 100,000 Ukrainian refugees who have fled Russia’s brutal invasion.

(01:03)
They also discussed our global issues, including the urgent need to significantly increase deliveries of humanitarian assistance to Gaza. The two leaders welcome the recent restoration of the Northern Ireland’s Executive and Assembly, reaffirming the critical role these institutions play in preserving the gains of the Belfast Good Friday Agreement, which has been essential to peace and progress in Northern Ireland.

(01:30)
This afternoon, the president traveled to the capital for the Annual Friends of Ireland luncheon. As you’ve heard the president say many times, the bond between the United States and Ireland has grown deeper and stronger over the years. We look forward to continuing to build a vibrant future US/Irish relations, which is something that you all know is very important to President Biden, who is a proud descendant of the Blewitts of County Mayo and the Finnegans of County Louth.

(02:00)
Sunday marks St. Patrick’s Day and also my mom’s birthday. Thank you. Thank you so much.

Happy birthday.

Thank you. Thank you so much. Happy birthday, Mom. The president will deliver remarks at a celebration here at the White House as part of our annual tradition.

(02:18)
Now if you give me another moment here, I also want to address a heartbreaking development in the tragic loss of Nex Benedict. For parents across the country and I know for many of you here and many of you watching, including myself, the cause of Nex’s death was devastating to learn. As the president said yesterday, “Every young person deserves to have the fundamental right and freedom to be who they are and feel safe and supported at school and in their communities.”

(02:51)
Bullying is completely unacceptable, and it is on all of us to take reports of bullying seriously. There is always someone you can talk to if you’re going through a hard time and need support. The president and his administration launched the 988 line to help, and we have a line dedicated to serving LGBTQI+ young people that can be reached by dialing 988 and pressing 3.

(03:21)
I want to close by saying that LGBTQI+ young people across the country, you are loved exactly as you are, as the president has made very clear. You should know this. The Biden/Harris administration has your back now.

(03:41)
Now, this morning the president released a statement marking the International Day to Combat Islamophobia. In his statement, the president recognized the violence and hate that Muslims worldwide too often face because of their religious beliefs and the ugly resurgence of Islamophobia in the wake of the devastating war in Gaza. Put simply, Islamophobia has no place in our nation. That’s why in 2022, the president asked his team to establish an interagency policy committee to counter antisemitism, Islamophobia, and related forms of bias and discrimination.

(04:20)
We are also currently drafting the first ever national strategy to combat Islamophobia and related forms of bias and discrimination, and we want to continue to implement the national strategy to counter antisemitism amidst the serious increase in antisemitism and to advance the White House initiative on hate-motivated violence. Put simply, we are taking concrete steps to make real for all Americans the promise of America, and we affirm our commitment to do all we can to put an end to the vicious hate of Islamophobia here at home and around the world.

(04:59)
Now, for more than a year, the United States has engaged Haitian stakeholders across the political spectrum, CARICOM and other international partners to support Haitian-led efforts for a peaceful transition of power. Since February 29th, the urgency of the support for Haitians has increased because gangs have escalated violence, exacerbating the humanitarian, security, and political situations.

(05:26)
On the humanitarian front, the United States remains the single largest donor of humanitarian assistance to Haiti with over $170 million since October 2022, including the additional $58 million we announced just this week alone, $33 million on Monday and $25 million today. With our assistance, UN agencies and NGO partners provide lifesaving assistance to more than 1.5 million Haitians.

(05:54)
On the security front, we are urgently mobilizing support we and the international community can immediately provide the Haitian national police to help them restore security. We are working expeditiously with international partners and Congress to expedite the deployment of the Kenyan-led Multinational Security Support Mission to which we have contributed a total of $300 million to bolster the HNP’s capabilities. That’s the Haitian National Police.

(06:27)
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan spoke today to his Kenyan counterpart, Monica Juma, reaffirming a shared commitment to supporting the Haitian people and expediting the Multinational Security Support Mission to assist to the HNP. We have surged law enforcement resources to counter firearms trafficking, and the Justice Department has prosecuted those responsible for smuggling firearms into Haiti.

(06:56)
On the political front, Haitians from across the political spectrum and segments of society, including religious leaders, business leaders, and civil society, made tough compromises which resulted in a Haitian-driven declaration released by CARICOM just this week. That declaration outlined the contours of an inclusive, broad transitional presidential council. The TPC will name an independent permanent election council, which was dissolved in 2021.

(07:24)
We applaud Haitians for creating a roadmap to establish a new permanent electoral council to support free and fair elections and strengthen its democratic institution. A lot of work lies ahead, and the United States remains committed to supporting the people of Haiti on the humanitarian and security and political fronts.

(07:50)
With that, I’ll turn it over to my colleague, Admiral John Kirby, who’s going to talk about Russia and Iran. Thank you, John.

Thank you, Karine. As you all know, we have expressed serious concerns from this podium that Russia is seeking to acquire close-range ballistic missiles from Iran to enable its brutal war in Ukraine and that Russian negotiations to acquire those close range ballistic missiles have been active and they’ve been advancing. Today, I just want to call your attention to a joint statement we released this morning by the United States and other G7 countries warning Iran not to go forward with the sale of close range ballistic missiles to Russia.

(08:33)
The G7 statement reads in part, and I quote, “Were Iran to proceed with providing ballistic missiles or related technology to Russia, we are prepared to respond swiftly and in a coordinated manner, including with new and significant measures against Iran.” So we’re speaking with one voice here on this matter from the United States, Canada, Japan, the EU, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

(08:59)
Now, shifting gears, next week, the United States will be sending a high-level delegation to the Summit of Democracy. That will be led by Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The US delegation will also include senior US government officials from the NSC, from USAID, and of course, from the State Department. At the summit, being hosted by the Republic of Korea and we’re very grateful for their leadership in that regard, the US will host a high-level event on the misuse of commercial spyware, and this is a significant priority for the Biden/Harris administration.

(09:28)
Our event will, for the first time, convene some of the most senior government officials around the world, with those from civil society, from the private sector, and even from those who have been directly affected by the nefarious effects of commercial spyware. We’re looking forward to the conversations at the summit and to continuing the important work of strengthening democratic resilience worldwide. Thanks.

Thanks. John. Can you say anything more specifically on what possible sanctions would be levied? I had heard maybe they were, I don’t know, banning flights. I know you’re going to say no, but just if you can?

No.

All right, fine.

No, I’m not. I mean, as you know, we don’t preview sanctions, Colleen. But clearly, we’re looking at a range of options here, and without question, additional sanctions would be on the table of those options.

What stopped Iran from going forward with ballistic missile sales to Russia already? Why the delay? What’s happening?

Well, I can’t speak for the mullahs, I wouldn’t do that, or for the supreme leader. We know they’ve provided drones, not only the drones themselves, but the ability to manufacture drones organically inside Russia. This is a burgeoning defense relationship that we’ve been watching very, very closely. We’ve talked about it many times here. We haven’t seen them move forward, other than the negotiation process actively advancing.

(10:54)
We really wanted to set down a marker here for Iran and for Russia that there will be swift consequences for them to do that. What’s in their calculus? I couldn’t say. But this would be obviously not just really bad for the people of Ukraine, but also bad for people in the Middle East because Iran’s hoping to get something out of this, too. It’s not just about sales of ballistic missiles to Russia. They’re hoping to get Russian military technology for themselves.

Thanks, Admiral. Does President Biden want to see new elections in Israel and for Prime Minister Netanyahu to no longer remain in power?

That’s going to be up for the Israeli people to decide.

So what about, beyond what he said in the Oval Office, did the president find good about Senator Schumer’s speech?

Well, the president spoke about the passion with which Leader Schumer made that speech, and the president said that he knows that those remarks, they resonate with many Americans out there. For our part, we’re going to keep supporting Israel in their fight against Hamas. We’re going to keep urging them to reduce civilian casualties, and we’re going to keep working to get a temporary ceasefire in place so we can get the hostages back home with their families and more additional aid into the people of Gaza.

The Netanyahu government says it has approved an operation, military, as well as evacuating of civilians for Rafah. What is the administration’s expectation about knowing what’s in that plan? What comes next? What do you know at this point?

We haven’t seen it. We certainly would welcome the opportunity to see it. As we’ve said, Kelly, we can’t support a major offensive in Rafah that doesn’t also include a credible, achievable, executable plan to take care for the safety and security of the more than a million Gazans that are seeking refuge in Rafah.

(12:42)
To move in right now in a major way without a proper accounting for all those people would, as we’ve said, be a disaster.So we’re going to keep talking to the Israelis about this. Again, if they’ve got that plan, we certainly would welcome the opportunity to see it.

Thanks, Karine. John, you guys are issuing this warning to Iran two days after renewing a waiver that unlocked $10 billion in frozen funds. Don’t you think Iran is paying more attention to the actions of this administration than the words?

I can’t speak for the mullahs or what they’re paying attention to or not. Jackie, I would remind that this sanctions waiver is up for renewal every three months. It’s a quarterly thing. It’s a sanctions package that was actually put in place by the previous administration, by President Trump and his team, that allows for Iraq to be able to work its way off of Iranian energy so that they can keep the lights on.

(13:39)
We’re continuing to work with our Iraqi partners about how to do that. But right now, they still are dependent for a lot of energy coming from Iran. So we don’t want to penalize the Iraqi people for efforts that they’re still trying to get to wean off of that. I would remind everybody, and we’ve talked about this before. I think three months ago, we probably talked about this before. None of this money goes to the mullahs. None of this money goes into Tehran.

(14:02)
The sanctions relief that is provided actually goes to vendors that provide humanitarian assistance to the Iranian people. So not only do the Iraqi people not suffer because of this, the Iranian people aren’t going to suffer because of this.

Wouldn’t it be though the Iranian people who would suffer as a result of the teeth and the warning? I mean you’re saying you would suspend flights on Iran Air to Europe if Iran supplies ballistic missiles to Russia?

I didn’t say that. The press report said that.

But it’s not like the Ayatollah flies commercial. I mean the Iranian people would be the ones who’d be harmed by that if that comes to pass.

It’s also not like the regime and the IRGC are thinking this is some sort of windfall, like this is somehow going to make a big difference in their support for terrorist networks in the region. I mean they continue to support Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis. I could go on and on. That hasn’t changed since 2018 when these waivers have been passed by this administration and the previous one.

[inaudible 00:15:02]-

Wait, now hold on a second. So this is you’re talking about one of the most heavily sanctioned countries on the planet, and we’re still going to look at additional options if we need to. We’ve been nothing but clear and direct and, quite frankly, forceful in pushing back on Iran’s activities in the region.

In the last three months alone, since the last renewal, you had an Iran-backed proxy kill three American soldiers in a drone attack in Jordan, the Houthis in the Red Sea firing anti-ship and ballistic missiles, suicide drones, commercial vessels, and navy ships. You had three atomic bombs apparently could be built in Iran with uranium that has been enriched to that extent, Blinken today addressing that very issue in Vienna, saying there’s still an issue of the IAEA inspectors. I mean what have they done in the last three months to justify another renewal of this waiver?

It’s a renewal that we go through every quarter, and it’s really about not penalizing the Iraqi people and the fact that they’re still heavily dependent on Iranian energy. But in the last three months, look what else we’ve done. We’ve gone after Houthi capabilities ashore. We’ve got a coalition of ships in the Red Sea protecting against Houthi attacks on shipping there. We have struck back, and forcefully, against some of these militia groups in Iraq and Syria.

(16:14)
We continue to have sanctions in place, significant sanctions on the Iranian regime for multiple reasons. They’re going after protestors, the support from terrorist networks, their nuclear program. I mean there’s a lot of sanctions in place. And oh, by the way, we’re still conducting interdiction operations at sea to try to prevent their shipment of material and arms to some of these groups. So the idea that we’re just laying back and not doing anything on Iran just flies in the face of the facts.

Thank you, Admiral. So you said the US has not seen a plan to protect civilians in Rafah, yet Netanyahu has already authorized an invasion of Rafah, and that is exactly the scenario that the president said would be a red line. So how is the US going to respond?

As far as I know, there’s not been an operation in Rafah. What we’ve seen today is the Prime Minister’s office saying that they have seen a plan that accounts for the operational aspect, the military aspect, and the evacuation aspect. As I said to Kelly, we welcome an opportunity to look at that plan. We still can’t get behind a plan, and we won’t get behind a plan that doesn’t properly account for those million and a half refugees in Gaza who need a place to go where they can be safe from the fighting.

(17:25)
Look, Israel has a right to go after Hamas wherever they are. We get that. We’re going to continue to support their opportunity to do that. But as we’ve said 100 times, if not more, they have a special obligation as well to look after the safety and security of the innocent people of Gaza who are getting caught up in this conflict, a conflict that was started by Hamas.

Does that signal a turning point in the relationship though, that the White House has not been briefed on this, you still haven’t seen a plan to address civilians?

No, not at all. No, no, no.

And when you talked about the president saying the speech was good and you said Senator Schumer showed a lot of passion, did the president mean the substance of the speech was good or he was just talking about the passion?

I’ll leave it at that the president’s comments.

Thanks, Karine. Admiral, I wanted to pivot to Haiti real quick.

Okay.

On Jake Sullivan’s conversations with his Kenyan counterpart, Karine said there was a shared commitment. I wonder if you can expound on what that means in more tangible terms and on the topic. The administration urges a speedy confirmation of Dennis Hankins. On the other side of that confirmation, what are his next steps? When does he arrive in Haiti? What does that look like in the days coming forward?

I have to refer to my colleagues at the State Department to speak to the now-ambassador’s travel plans, and I have no doubt that he’s going to want to get down there as soon as possible and get started. I mean he’s obviously been eager to get confirmed. We’re really, really grateful that he got confirmed and he’ll be in place. That’ll make a big difference down there. But again, the State Department can speak to that.

(18:55)
As for shared commitments, and I do believe Karine actually covered quite a bit of this in her opening statement, we have a shared commitment with the Haitian people and certainly with the Haitian National Police to make sure that they have what they need to better enforce security and stability in Haiti, which is being obviously torn asunder by these gangs and these criminal groups.

(19:19)
We have a shared commitment, as Karine said, to see a political transition here that is smooth, that is credible to a new government that can represent the Haitian people and to look after their interests. Of course, they just want the same as anybody would want. They want to live in peace and security. They want a future for their kids, and we want to help them from a political perspective get there.

(19:43)
And then again, also Karine mentioned this, the Multinational Security Support Mission. We want to make sure we’re continuing to work with our Kenyan partners about that. We want to make sure that the Kenyans have what they need to be effective and successful in this mission. So we’re talking to them and, of course, the Haitian government about that as well.

Thanks, John. What is the White House view of the latest Hamas proposal, which is 700 to 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, including 100 hardened prisoners, in exchange for women, children, the elderly, and ill hostages?

I would say the proposal that was put forward is certainly within the bounds of, in broad brushstrokes, within the bounds of the deal that we’ve been working on now for several months. I don’t want to go into more detail than that, Nancy, because I don’t want to negotiate here in public.

(20:49)
The fact that there’s another delegation now heading to Doha, the fact that this proposal’s out there, that there are conversations about it, that’s all good. That’s all to the good. Now whether it ends up looking like that, I don’t know. That’s what the team will work on, and we’ll stay engaged.

That’s interesting because the Israeli prime minister called it unrealistic. But from the White House point of view-

With broad brushstrokes.

… you think that that’s in the range?

We think it’s in the broad brushstrokes of the deal that we’ve been talking about. But the devil’s in the details. As I said before, nothing’s negotiated until everything is negotiated. Without getting into the specifics of these press reports, I can just tell you that we’re glad that the conversations are going.

More broadly, it sounds like you’re saying that things are moving in the right direction?

Look, the fact that we still have active conversations and now another chance to meet in Doha, that’s all to the good. Now, I know for the families out there, it’s just another set of agonizing days to wait, and we understand that, too. We’re cautiously optimistic that things are moving in a good direction, but that doesn’t mean that it’s done. We’re going to have to stay at this till the very, very end.

Admiral, I just go back to Iran. Maybe I didn’t hear correctly. But those close-range ballistic missile, does the administration think would be used in Ukraine by Russia? Is there any recent evidence that the Iranian weapons have been used in the war in Ukraine?

Drones. Heck yeah. Drones by the hundreds. Iranian drones have been used to kill innocent Ukrainians and hit Ukrainian infrastructure, to hit Ukrainian defense industrial base. Absolutely, yes. Iranian weapons have been used in Ukraine, without question. We haven’t seen a consummation of this particular deal, which is why the G7 is warning against the consequences of it.

And a question on the Taoiseach’s visit. When he came out at the stakeout and he talked to us and he said, and I’m quoting, “None of us like to see the American weapons being used in the way they are. This is not self-defense.” Is it, or no?

We’ve talked about this before. Israel has a right to defend itself against a still viable threat by Hamas, a group that wants to do October 7th again and again. We are continuing to support the Israeli Defense Forces as they go after that. How they go after that threat matters, and that’s the context of the conversations that we’ve been having at all levels, including at the president’s level, with our Israeli counterparts about how they execute and prosecute these operations.

(23:29)
The right number of civilian casualties is zero. We want to see the numbers come down. We want to see the damage to infrastructure come down. We want to see more humanitarian assistance get in.

It looks like Putin’s going to win a new term. Is the White House ready to-

Shocked.

Yeah. Is the White House ready for another-

It’s going to be a real nail biter, isn’t it? Yeah. Look, we’ll watch this and monitor it and see how it comes out. I mean the idea of free and fair elections in Russia is a misnomer, but we’ll see what happens this weekend.

Thank you, John. I have a couple of things for you. You just referenced a meeting in Doha. I’m sorry if I missed this, but are you confirming that the US is sending a delegation to Doha for the-

We will not be participating in this particular delegation to Doha, but there is a meeting in Doha of the counterparts.

Is there a reason that a US delegation is not-

We have been at this, MJ, literally every day. I mean, believe me, we’re involved in all these conversations. The fact that we’re physically not going to have a delegation there should not be taken as any kind of signal that this isn’t a serious positive move forward. We think it could be.

Has the White House asked the Israeli government to see its Rafah plans?

We have made it clear to our Israeli counterparts that we would welcome the opportunity to see their plans. That’s a sovereign country, and these are their military plans. Certainly, they should speak to them, appropriately so. We’re not interested in speaking for the IDF, but we’ve made it clear we would welcome the opportunity to see it.

And just circling back to one thing you said earlier, does the US think that there is an achievable and executable plan, to use your language, that guarantees the safety of civilians in Rafah before a major military incursion into the area?

I think I kind of answered that already though.

Well, do you think that’s logistically and physically possible, given how many people are in that region?

I guess it would depend on the plan. Make no mistake about it. That’s a tall order. You’re talking about more than a million folks, probably a million and a half in a strip of ground that’s 12 miles wide, I mean there’s not a lot of places for them to go. So having our own experience at doing non-combatant evacuations and urban warfare points to certain lessons about how this can be done and what some of the pitfalls are.

(25:54)
I won’t get into that here from the podium, but accommodating for a million and a half people in a confined urban environment with not a lot of geography is a very, very tall order for any military to do.

Can I just ask you to clarify one more thing? When the president used the red line language last weekend, was he saying that Israel going into Rafah, period, was considered a red line or did he mean Israel going into Rafah without a civilian evacuation plan in place, that that would be crossing a red line?

I’m not going to parse the president’s words. Again, we’ve been very consistent, MJ, that we, the United States, can’t support an operation in Rafah that doesn’t include a executable plan for the safety and security of the million and a half Gazan refugees that are down there at Rafah. That has to be factored in and baked in and has to be accommodated. That’s our view, and the president was restating our view.

John, on humanitarian aid to Gaza, the humanitarian ship, Open Arms, arrived in Gaza today with about 200 tons of aid. Do you see that as a one-off? Is it something that could be replicated more? I mean it’s been described as a pilot project.

It’s difficult for me to speculate what the future is going to be on that. Any assistance, any food, any humanitarian goods that can get to the people of Gaza is good for the people of Gaza no matter what the size is. But we’re constantly looking for multiple opportunities to get it in. I mean, obviously, still the Israelis opened up the 96th gate. There are other crossings into Gaza we would like to see them open up because trucks by the ground is the best way to do this by volume.

(27:40)
We’re working on this temporary pier that could allow for additional shipments by sea. There’s just no really good port on the Gazan coast. So whether it’s a one-off or not, I don’t know. We certainly would like to see more aid get in more quickly from a variety of different ways.

Has the Biden administration asked countries, like France, to stop talking about sending troops to Ukraine?

No.

Has the US opposed any nation sending troops to-

Those are sovereign decisions that a nation has to make. I can just speak for this sovereign nation and this commander-in-chief, and he’s made it clear that we will not put US boots on the ground.

Thank you, Karine. Thank you, John. I have a question on Indo-Pacific and then Ukraine. So Indo-Pacific Fiji just decided to uphold the policing cooperation agreement with China. We know the Biden administration been working with the Pacific Islands for a few years right now, but it seems that country is still cozy with China. Is the United States losing the competition over there?

We don’t ask countries to choose between us and China. They got to make their own decisions. These are sovereign decisions as well. We are deepening our partnership with Pacific Islands countries, and we’re going to continue to do that across a range of capabilities, not just military security capabilities.

(28:57)
But each nation has to decide for itself. We are not asking people to choose between the United States and China. We have a bilateral relationship with China, which we greatly value, as you saw in the fall when we went to San Francisco.

Regarding the allies in the Pacific, we know Japan, of course, is a trustworthy ally. But we’re also seeing President Biden seems to opposing the Japanese company, Nippon Steel, to purchase the US Steel. So if Japan is not trustworthy enough to invest in like United States, who else is?

The relationship with Japan is extraordinarily strong. It’s one of the strongest alliances we have in the world. Five of our seven treaty alliances are in the Pacific, and that’s a key one. I think you’re going to see the power and the promise of that alliance in full flower here when Prime Minister Kishida comes for the state visit. There is an awful lot to talk about.

(29:52)
The president has also been clear about making sure that steel workers in this country know that he has their back, and us made his views known on this potential merger, but that doesn’t take away one bit from the terrific relationship that we have now and will continue to have with Japan.

Based on Ukraine, at least 20 people were killed and a dozen in Russian double strike on Odesa. What can the United States do to ensure Ukraine the needed air defense capabilities going forward, given right now the Congress situation?

Your question should have been what can the Congress do to ensure? They can pass the supplemental bill so we can get critical air defense capabilities to Ukraine.

Thank you, Karine. Vladimir Putin said that Russia is going to launch a nuclear power unit or some kind of a nuclear stuff into the space. So should the United States take it seriously as a serious threat, and are there any ways to deter Putin in space?

I haven’t heard that particular comment. I haven’t heard that actually been said. But just broadly speaking, your question is do we take it seriously? Yeah, obviously, we do. I mean the nuclear rhetoric coming out of Moscow, not just from Putin but from Lavrov and Peskov and others is worrisome, and you have to take it seriously with a nation with that kind of capability.

(31:16)
I would just tell you a couple of things. One, we monitor it very, very closely, and we’ve seen nothing that has caused us to believe we need to change our own strategic deterrent posture.

All right. Just a couple more. Right here.

Thank you, Admiral. Congress is still debating raising the cap on visas for Afghan allies, many of whom are still waiting to get into the country and waiting in pretty inhospitable places. What’s the administration’s position on the number of visas that the president would like included? Republicans are trying to keep it down under 4,000. If they don’t get this into the upcoming appropriations bill, is there a plan B?

I think I talked about this a little bit yesterday. We think that by end of summer, we’ll probably at the rate we’re processing SIVs, we’ll blow through the 7,000 we have left and we’re asking Congress for 20,000 more. We think that that will really be able to help us get all those worthy SIV applicants safely out of Afghanistan.

How hard is the president willing to fight for that 20,000 number?

He has been clear since the beginning. We may have ended the war in Afghanistan. We never ended our commitment to our Afghan allies. He is 100% committed to doing everything he can, and the rest of the administration as well, on working with Congress to get those SIV visa allowances in place so we can get those Afghans out of Afghanistan.

Thank you so much. A question about the Houthis. They have warned that they will expand their operations and start having the ships taking the longer route, the one going around the Cape of Good Hope. So how serious is this threat in your view, and also how actively is Iran supporting the Houthis right now?

They’re still supporting the Houthis. They’re still providing all the capabilities. We keep working to degrade those capabilities, and we take those threats seriously. We have to.

Thanks, Karine. Thanks, Admiral. There’s a report that Israel is exploring using international private security contractors to try and help protect international humanitarian aid going into Gaza. Is that something that the US would support?

First of all, that would be up for the Israelis to speak to about how they might want to help with the security of humanitarian assistance that comes in by sea and then further distribution inland. Again, that would be something for them to speak to. What I can tell you is that, as you know, we are already starting to move the first components of this temporary period. It’s called a joint logistics over the shore capability, and those are just starting to move from the east coast over there.

(34:02)
It’s going to take some time to get in place. While we have that time for it to get to … we are working with allies and partners including the Israelis about the details of how that temporary pier will be supported, how the aid that gets to the pier and gets to the people of Gaza, how that happens. All of that is still being discussed. We’re not at a point where we have final answers for that.

And then just to follow up on MJ’s question, you said that you would welcome the opportunity to review this. But is it your expectation that you will get that opportunity to see the-

We would welcome the opportunity to see it.

Go ahead, Phil.

Thank you, Karine. This week the Russian Foreign Ministry included Jeff Seldin, a VOA reporter, in its latest round of sanctions. And earlier this month, the Russian Interior Ministry issued an arrest warrant for Washington Examiner columnist, Tom Rogan, who is a US citizen. What’s the administration’s response to this effort by Moscow to intimidate and target US journalists?

Sadly, it’s consistent with the Kremlin approach to particularly journalists and the crackdown by the Kremlin on free speech and speech, in fact, that Mr. Putin finds offensive or inimical to his own selfish interests. So it’s, I think, just another reminder, and I think it underscores, first of all, the danger to Americans who may be in Russia and the need not to be there, but also the real danger of an autocrat like Putin and what he’s really after here.

Thanks, sir.

Raquel, you have the last question [inaudible 00:35:40].

Thank you so much, Karine. Hi, John. Two questions, John, one on the Russian election, including those that are taking place in Ukrainian territories-

Which are illegitimate.

… will the United States recognize these results?

No, of course not. No.

And then on Haiti, as you were saying, the White House is ready to support the transition in Haiti, but how can the US help with this transition or how effective can be the help, the $300 million be effective when it’s not even clear who is in control? Is the White House concerned that the gangs could take over the country?

The gangs already have an awful lot of influence and power in certain places, particularly Port-au-Prince. There are parts of the country that are not suffering the instability that these gangs and criminal thugs are perpetrating on the Haitian people. How much more? I mean, again, as Karine said right at the top, we’re very committed to this, and we’re going to stay committed to it.

(36:41)
We just announced another, I think, $25 million today in humanitarian assistance, and I suspect you’ll see more coming from the United States, not just from us though, but from some of our allies and partners as well. The situation on the ground is dire. We understand that, and we’re doing everything we can to support a truly international effort to better improve security and stability for the Haitian people. But it could take some time. We’re going to stay committed to it.

Thanks, Admiral.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Thank you. Thank you.

All right, Colleen. What you got?

So Speaker Johnson has said that he would be willing to put forward Ukraine funding, Israel funding once the shutdown situation is ended. I wondered if he has communicated that to the White House, that’s the White House’s understanding, and how you think the proceeding will be.

So obviously, we’ve seen those reports, and I’ll say this. We’ve said repeatedly the House needs to move forward at the Bipartisan National Security Supplemental, which, let’s not forget, passed in overwhelming fashion in the Senate, and they need to put that on the floor. We know that if the speaker puts that on the floor, it would get overwhelming bipartisan support. We need to make sure that we continue to stand with Ukraine as a defense against Russia’s brutal invasion.

(38:07)
We have to continue to do that, to stand with them, to stand as they’re fighting for their democracy, as they’re fighting for their freedom. Ukraine is losing ground. You’ve heard us say this before. You’ve heard this from NSC. You’ve heard this from my colleagues. They’re losing ground on the battlefield because Congress is not taking action, and so we need them to move. We need them to put that on the floor. We need that to happen as soon as possible, and we’re going to continue to be very clear about that.

What happens as American support for Ukraine funding continues to sort of degrade? What else can the White House do to articulate the importance of it?

Look, we’re going to continue to speak to it. But here’s the thing. In Congress, there’s bipartisan support. There’s overwhelming bipartisan support. We saw that in the Senate, and we know that to be true, to be a fact in the House. That’s what we know. The President understands the important role that Americans play. We, as United States of America, we play a leading role in making sure that we’re continuing to fight for democracy, and the President will speak to that directly to the American people, as he has in the past two years.

(39:18)
We know history shows us what happens if we do not stop a dictator. It shows us what happens. We know where we can end up, and we understand Americans understand that. They’re smart enough to get that. So Congress needs to move. They need to act. Their inaction is leading to Ukraine losing ground in the battlefield. We heard that from the CIA director. The big four, when they were here meeting with the president, they heard that directly from the CIA director.

(39:51)
It is unfortunate that the speaker is putting politics ahead of what our role should be, which is fighting for democracy and making sure that Ukraine has what they need for them to fight for democracy. Go ahead, Joel.

Thanks, Karine. Did the President have a chance to talk with Speaker Johnson at the luncheon today about Ukraine aid, and if so, what was his message?

I have to say I have not touched base with the president, so I do not know if they connected, and if they did, what their conversation was. I don’t have anything to share. We try to keep those conversations very private, obviously. What I will say, I don’t think the president is always very clear what he says publicly and in private, which is when it relates to, obviously, the National Security Supplemental, it needs to be put on the floor. The speaker needs to do this.

(40:36)
He didn’t hear this just when the speaker was here, the big four meeting with the president and the vice president. He didn’t hear it just from the president. He heard that from the other leaders as well, his counterparts, his peers in Congress, and they all agreed that we needed to move forward on this. It really doesn’t matter because the president’s been very clear. The speaker needs to put the National Security Supplemental on the floor.

(41:02)
It will get bipartisan support. It will get overwhelmingly bipartisan support. That’s what we know. That’s what we understand, and that’s what we heard from congressional members.

Thanks, Karine. So the majority of Palestinian American, Arab American, and Muslim organizations that the White House reached out to for a meeting this week rejected the invitation. What is the White House strategy on this, and are there plans for the president to directly engage with these communities?

So look, the president, as you know, has had an opportunity to meet with leaders of that community, the Arab American community, the Muslim American community, not too long ago. Look, what I will say is we understand that this is a difficult time, that this is a painful time. We understand that the events of October 7th that took more than 1,200 souls in Israel. Hamas, the terrorist organization, also, as we know, took hostage more than 200 people.

(42:10)
That war that led to is incredibly painful. We understand that. Look, we’re going to continue to, as you know, senior officials from the White House met with members of those communities in Illinois just yesterday, and we’re going to continue to have those regular meetings to hear directly from them. The president believes that’s important to do, to hear from those voices.

The majority of the groups that the White House reached out to you for that meeting in Illinois rejected the request. When was the President’s last meeting directly with communities? What date was it? It was [inaudible 00:42:53]-

I mean, look, I hear what you’re saying, but the point is that the White House is actively engaging with the community. We have been, and you know this. You know that to be true. We’ve been actively engaging with them regularly since October 7th, and we’re going to continue to do that. I’m not going to speak to who attended. That is not for me to do from here because the point of those meetings actually is for them to be private. We want to keep that private, obviously, so that members of that community could speak freely.

(43:25)
As you know, senior members of our administration, they were in Chicago yesterday. They met with those members, members of the Arab community, Palestinian community, Muslim community. This conflict is personal and painful for many people. So again, they’re private, a private meeting, and we are committed to the participant so that they could speak freely. We think that’s incredibly important. That’s what we can speak to.

Where does the White House think what’s going to happen to TikTok? Because even if the bill makes it to the president’s desk, the Chinese government needs to approve it, which they’re likely not to. It could also face significant legal pushback. So what does the White House ultimately think is going to happen with TikTok?

I mean I can’t get into predicting here. What we have been very clear about is this bill is important, and we welcome this step in ongoing efforts to address the threat posed by certain technology, services operating in the United States. These services put Americans’ data at risk. You heard the National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, speak to this on Tuesday. It is important for us to have an understanding, where this American data is going.

(44:39)
Do they live here or do they live in China, for example? He said that. Is the ownership here or is it in China, for example? Those are really important. So that’s why we welcome that bill. This isn’t a divestment bill. It’s not a ban. I’m not going to get into hypotheticals here. It’s going through the process. We’re going to offer technical support as it moves, obviously, from the House into the Senate. But we welcome this bill, and this is about our national security. That’s what this is about.

There was a settlement in the National Association of Realtors case that effectively ends the 6% commission.

Say that again? Can you start at the top? Sorry.

There was a settlement in the National Association of Realtors case that effectively ends the 6% commission on the house sales. Biden administration made a lot about fees and costs and consumer costs. Has the White House been tracking this case, and any reaction to the settlement?

So I can’t speak to the settlement. Obviously, you’re talking about junk fees and how important it is that we.

Yeah. I’m not calling this a junk fee. I’m just saying that you guys have been focused on consumer fees, consumer costs. This is kind of in line with those things. We’re seeing that effectively the 6% commission is going away.

Look, I’m going to be very careful because I don’t know much about this case, so I don’t want to speak to this case. But I can speak more broadly to what the president has tried to do. He’s trying to make sure that consumers don’t get taken advantage of by corporations. He’s made that very, very clear. That’s why we speak to junk fees. That’s why there’s a competition council, and that’s why we try to find out ways to save Americans money.

(46:08)
We’re talking about billions of dollars, billions of dollars that Americans have to pay because of these junk fees, because we see corporation not passing on their wealth, what they’ve been able to incur to the consumers. So look, it is very important. The president has always said he’s going to stand up for Americans, and he believes corporations, obviously, should pay their fair share here and not treat Americans like suckers. He has said that over and over again.

(46:41)
So I can’t speak to this particular case, but obviously this fits in more broadly in what this president has been trying to do.

On Biden’s opposition to the proposed purchase of US Steel, wondering if his comments were as a citizen or a sign that he’s going to use his authority to actually block the deal.

Say that one more time. You wonder what?

Biden yesterday made a statement about opposing the US Steel purchase. I’m just wondering whether it’s more simply is that a sign that he’s going to use some executive authority to actually block the deal?

Look, what I can say is this. When it comes to American owned and operated US steel companies, they’re incredibly vital to our supply chains and our national and economic security. That is what you heard from this president when we put out a statement on this. Look, the president has always said he has steel workers’ back, and he’s certainly committed to the iconic American steel companies remaining in America.

(47:42)
This is why he’s done the work that he’s done to make sure that manufacturers come back to this country, that we’ve created more than 800,000 jobs in American manufacturing jobs. So that’s what the president’s focus is always going to be, make sure that he puts Americans first here.

Next question, a lot of bad headlines around Boeing, some news today. Wondering if the White House thinks Americans should be concerned about flying commercial with Boeing airlines.

So as you know, there are investigations happening by the NTSB, so I would have to refer you to them on the specifics as it relates, in this particular instance, to Alaska Airlines. FAA is also conducting its own investigation and audit of Boeing. Look, we take this very seriously. The FAA takes this very, very seriously. But there’s investigations happening, and we stand by FAA and the actions that it is taking to increase safety oversight of Boeing.

(48:40)
So I’m just going to leave it there. But NTSB certainly will have more to share because they are an independent agency that’s looking into it. Go ahead, MJ>

Following up on that, I know I’ve asked you this question in the past. But given the additional Boeing-related headlines recently, does the president still believe that it is safe for Americans to get on Boeing airplanes?

So look, what our commitment is is to make sure that we want to put the safety of Americans first, and that’s what FAA is doing. So they are taking actions. We stand by those actions to increase safety, obviously, and oversight of Boeing. I think that’s important. There’s investigations that’s still continuing by NTSB and also FAA. The FAA’s going to take the action to do everything that they can to make sure that it is safe and to take those actions. I don’t have anything else to share beyond that.

Would he tell the American people though, obviously, there’s a lot of concern right now and nervousness, that it is safe to get on a Boeing airline?

I think what Americans should know is that FAA’s doing everything that it can to make sure that Americans feel safe. They are taking the actions. We stand by those actions to make sure that there is increased safety oversight of Boeing, and that’s what the American people should feel reassured by, that FAA is doing everything that they can to make sure that we get to the bottom of it.

Just on a different topic, CNN reported yesterday that some Democratic senators have told the White House that there aren’t enough votes in the Senate, including support among some Democrats, to confirm the president’s judicial nominee, Adeel Mangi, where do you think his nomination goes from here?

Look, I’m not going to get into speculation. Obviously, the president put forth Mangi because he believed that he was the right person for the job. He has the experience to get the job done on behalf of the American people. He certainly stands by his appointment. I just don’t have anything else to share about how this is going to turn out. But certainly, we support his continued process, and we think that Congress needs to move and make sure that he gets confirmed.

Does the President himself believe that Mr. Mangi was targeted for being Muslim American?

Look, that is something that Congress needs to speak to themselves. Really, that is a question for them.

Well, the White House hasn’t said that. I’m just wondering if the president believes that.

I mean, look, we’ve been very clear. If that is the case, that’s unfortunate. That shouldn’t be. That shouldn’t be. He has the experience to do the job. That’s why the President put him forth. If that’s the case, that’s certainly shameful. Go ahead.

Thanks, Karine. Two questions for you. Has President Biden had a chance to speak with Senator Schumer since his speech yesterday that [inaudible 00:51:27]?

I don’t have a conversation to read out to you at this time.

Following up on Selena, we reported a lot on a meeting that the president held with some Arab American and Muslim leaders in late October. Is there another meeting that the president himself personally took part in since that-

I don’t have another meeting to read out to you. But look, I think it’s important that senior officials in the White House have had regular conversation, regular meetings with the communities, with the Arab community, Muslim community, and Palestinian community. I think that’s important that we continue to hear directly from them. We want to hear what they are feeling, how they’re feeling about this situation.

(52:05)
We understand that it is incredibly painful for them, and so we’re going to continue to keep those lines of communication open. You’re aware, you all know that there was a meeting in Chicago. There was a meeting in Michigan, and there’s been others. Look, the president gets a readout of those meetings. He hears directly from the officials who have sat down and had these important critical conversations.

(52:34)
We try to keep them private because we want to make sure the leaders who are attending these meetings can have the freedom to say what it is that they want to tell us and want to share with us. So we try to keep those meetings as private as possible.

Are there any plans for the president to take part in another one of those meetings personally?

I don’t have anything on the present schedule as it relates to a meeting with the leaders. He has met with the leaders, as you know, and he feels that is incredibly important for his White House to continue to have those conversations. Go ahead.

Thanks, Karine. Regarding the vice president’s trip yesterday to the Planned Parenthood clinic in Minnesota, the president has spoken very often about how reproductive freedom is at risk. So I’m just wondering why it was the vice president that made this trip to this clinic instead of the president, and are there any plans for the president to go himself?

I think it’s important just to note that let’s not forget the vice president has been on a tour. She’s been on a tour around the country since the beginning of this year to go to important critical states to talk about what we’re seeing, to talk about what extreme Republicans are doing across the country in these state legislatures, trying to take away a woman’s right to choose reproductive rights. So it is something that the president even said in his State of the Union. He lifted up the vice president for the work that she’s done.

(54:03)
But if you think about the State of the Union, and I brought it up, it is the first domestic policy that he brought up during the State of the Union is abortion right, is reproductive healthcare. That was the first thing that he talked about and lead into. We are going to continue to stand with majority of Americans on this where they are. We have to continue to fight for women’s freedoms. So that’s what you see the vice president do. The president said that to over 30 million people who watched the first domestic policy that he leaned into, that he talked about extensively, and he’ll continue to do that.

(54:38)
What you saw yesterday is part of what the vice president has been doing for the first couple of months, obviously, in 2024, which is continuing to go to key states where women are affected by these laws. We see in Congress. Republicans in Congress have introduced three pieces of legislation that will ban abortion nationally, and we are not going to stand for it. We’re not going to stand for it. [inaudible 00:55:06].

On Monday, the Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments in Murthy v. Missouri, which argues that the administration overstepped and coerced social media companies into taking down posts. I’m wondering if you all are worried about what this case might mean for your ability to communicate with social media companies in the future.

So I’m going to be really mindful here. I’m going to refer you to Department of Justice and their briefing of this case, and that’s where I’m going to have to leave it for now.

Okay.

Just a follow-up on an earlier question about Boeing. The president flies on Boeing aircraft anytime he leaves Washington. Is he concerned that the aircraft he flies on might not be safe?

No, he’s not concerned.

So why can’t he say that Boeing aircraft in general are safe and that Americans should be confident in flying-

I want to be really mindful. As you know, there’s an investigation happening. FAA is doing everything that they can to increase security, increase safety for Americans, and so just want to leave it there. Obviously, this is a major, major priority for FAA to make sure that Americans feel safe. So that’s going to be his focus. Go ahead, Ed.

Thanks, Karine. So Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told me on Wednesday that she does not see a smooth path down for inflation. I’m curious how bumpy a road will it be before we see all prices then fall?0

Just going to reiterate a little bit of what she said here. She said inflation is down two-thirds from its peak, and this is a quote, “The trend is clearly favorable.” She expects it to continue to decline with a strong market in economy. I also want to remind you what caused inflation. We know that inflation was caused by supply chains that broke down because of the pandemic, Russia’s war on Ukraine. We know that caused oil prices to skyrocket.

(57:05)
Our economy was disrupted by so many ways because of the pandemic. That’s what caused inflation. So because the president took action very early on in his presidency to make sure that Americans got vaccinations and to make sure that we fix and strengthen the supply chain, he took historic actions on oil so that gas prices could go down, and so we have an unprecedented economic recovery here that is important to note.

(57:34)
But I do want to be really, really clear. We have seen inflation go down by two-thirds from its peak. So I want to make sure that it is clear what she said and what the data also shows.

But two-thirds from its peak, its peak was a year and a half into President Biden’s term. He also canceled the Keystone pipeline, which also sparked, and we passed $5.8 trillion in spending, which also pushes inflation. But my question is, how much longer will it be for Americans to then bring down all prices?

So look, because the president’s unprecedented actions that he took as it relates to the oil, we saw gas prices go down, which is important at the tank to Americans across the country. That was something that the president took really seriously because he knew what Americans were dealing with. He wanted to give them a little bit of a breathing room. You’re a data guy. You pay attention to the data. The fact that it went down two-thirds matters.

(58:30)
So what the president’s going to continue to do is making sure that we lower cost. That is the number one part of his economic plan, to continue to lower costs for Americans, and we’re going to continue to do that. Look, the pandemic, the supply chain, what we saw Putin do in Ukraine, that caused inflation to increase. In every part of what I just said, what I just laid out, the president has taken action on. So he’s going to continue to do everything that he can to lower cost for Americans.

What does the President thinking about Senator Bernie Sanders’ plan for a four-day work week with the same level of income?

Look, I’ll say this, the president has a very good working relationship with Senator Sanders. We’ve been able to get some historic pieces of legislation done on behalf of the American people. We will review that piece of legislation. I don’t have anything else to add from that.

What about the press?

Thank you. I didn’t hear you mention someone asked about Adeel Mangi being nominated out of New Jersey. Is the White House doing anything specific to get him across the finish line given his nomination has been pending for a while now?

So we are in continuous conversations with members of Congress and their staff, and that’s what we normally do. We think it’s important to get him through, and we’re going to continue to make sure that that happens. So we think it’s important that happens.

Has there been any personal appeal from White House staff or certain calls you can read out?

I’m not going to get into specifics on our conversations with senators. Obviously, it’s important. We believe it’s important to get Mangi through. We think he is more than experienced to have this role, and so we encourage the Senate to move quickly on this. Okay. Thanks, everybody. All right. See you next week.

Thanks, Karine. Thank you.