ウィスパリング同時通訳研究会コミュのWhite House Holds Press Briefing: June 22

MS. PSAKI: Hi, everyone. Okay. So, I know some of you are going to have to leave for the pool call, which is absolutely fine. We will also keep you honest on when the President is getting ready to speak. So there are a couple of mechanics. Chris is going to be our special helper on this front today. Thank you.
Okay, a couple of items at the top. As you may have seen, today, the FAA — the Federal Aviation Administrator — Administration — announced it will award $8 billion in airport rescue grants from the American Rescue Plan to keep airport workers employed, construction projects going, provide rent relief to in-terminal concession companies, and help U.S. airports recover from the impacts of COVID-19.
Thanks to the President’s successful vaccination program, America is on the move again. There are over three times more Americans traveling through airports now than at any time last year, and this funding will help airports ramp up operations, keep travelers safe, and workers employed. Hundreds of airports across the country will receive this funding, thanks to the American Rescue Plan, including airports in Philadelphia; Charleston, West Virginia; Anchorage, Alaska; Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina; Portland, Maine; and Portland, Oregon.
Last item for the top: It’s the first official week of summer, as you all know, and the onset of peak wildfire season. We’ve already — we’re already experiencing extreme heat in the West, several large wildland fires, and we’ve had three named Atlantic storms — including Tropical Storm Claudette, which led to the tragic loss of life in Alabama this past weekend.
It was important to the President to meet with the FEMA Administrator and members of the Emergency Preparedness team, including the Homeland Security Advisor, to discuss the federal government’s ongoing preparedness and response efforts, as well as how FEMA supports communities in need. Hence, that’s what he will be doing this afternoon. Josh, why don’t you kick us off.
Q Thanks, Jen. Two subject areas. First, with regard to voting rights, President Biden described his 2020 campaign as a battle for the soul of America. What does the administration think is more important for the soul: upholding the tradition of the filibuster or getting the voting rights agenda through? If you had to make the choice, what is that choice?
MS. PSAKI: Well, we don’t see it through that prism, which won’t surprise you. I will say that, first, the President believes that expanding access to voting, making it easier for people to vote should be a fundamental right for the American public across the country. And it will be a fight of his presidency long past today.
And I will also note — since you gave me the opportunity — that this has been a fight that he has been battling through the course of his career. When he was in the Senate, he fought for an extension of the Voting Rights Act.
And it’s something that he, of course, talked about on the campaign trail, and he will continue to use the bully pulpit but also every lever in government to continue to advocate for moving forward.
Q And then, secondly, the President is going to meet with the FEMA Administrator this afternoon.
MS. PSAKI: Yes.
Q Obviously, we’re seeing a lot of extreme weather and climate events. Researchers have an event at Columbia University this week to look at moving people out of harm’s way in order to mitigate the effects of extreme weather. Does this administration believe that more people need to leave the areas adversely affected by climate change in order to address the issue?
MS. PSAKI: That’s a really interesting question, Josh. And I don’t know if they’ll be talking about that during the President’s briefing this afternoon.
I will note that, while it’s traditional for Presidents to get briefings on hurricanes and preparedness for hurricanes, it was important to him and to our team to also get a briefing on wildfires and the impacts, and also to take steps that are — to prepare for that and the impacts on local communities.
Whether that means moving people from their homes — it’s a great question. I’ll have to see what comes out of the briefing today. Go ahead.
Q Thanks, Jen. On COVID and missing the 70 percent deadline: As this White House sees it, what went wrong? What happened there? Was the goal too high, the number just not attainable?
MS. PSAKI: Sure. Well, we don’t see it exactly like something went wrong. How we see it is: We set a bold, ambitious goal — something the President has done from the very beginning — and we are expected to meet that goal just a couple of weeks after July 4th. And, in fact, at this point, as of today, we’re going to be already at that point for people who are 30 years of age and older.
What we also know, though — and we’ve learned this as we’ve been working to get the pandemic under control, take on this herculean task where there is no playbook — is that there are demographic groups and sometimes populations where it’s more difficult to reach. We’ve seen that and we’ve talked about that as it related to — early on, to hesitancy we were seeing in communities of color or some more conservative communities. And we’ve seen it’s been a great deal more difficult to get — to get young people between the ages of 18 and 26 vaccinated than adults who are older than that. Hence, we are redoubling our efforts to ensure we are targeting, we are focusing on, we are making the vaccine more accessible for those age groups.
But again, we are on — we are already meeting the goal of vaccinating with one dose 70 percent of Americans 30 years of age and older. And we are working toward meeting it for all adults as soon as possible.
Q And just quickly, if I can follow up on voting rights here. Yesterday, you said that there’s more work to be done — among that is including engaging state legislatures. But the problems, as Democrats at least see it, is not problems in blue states — state legislatures; it’s Republican-controlled states where many of these decisions are already being made. So what leverage do you actually have? And what, realistically, do you think you can accomplish in some of these red states?
MS. PSAKI: Well, first, I think the point we’ve been making is that it’s, in part, a federal approach that is needed.
And I think it’s important to remember why we’re at this point: State legislatures, as you referenced, across the country are passing a wave of anti-voter laws based on the same repeatedly disproven lies that led to an assault on our nation’s Capitol. They are putting these laws in place because they did not like the outcome and they’ve continued to perpetuate a lie about the outcome of the election. That’s why we’re here.
What the President and what the Vice President will do is engage with voting rights groups; engage with legislatures who are supportive of expanding access to voting around the country — yes, there are — even in red states, there are many Democratic legislators or legislators who want to expand that access; empower them, work with them, support them in these efforts; and continue to fight to get legislation across the finish line on the federal level.
So this fight is not over. No matter the outcome today, it is going to continue. Go ahead
Q Jen, you mentioned the bully pulpit on the voting issue. Jamaal Bowman, a congressman, said earlier today, the President needs to be a lot more “vocal,” a lot more “out in front” on the issue. Do you guys believe the President has elevated this issue enough, given the seriousness that you frame it?
MS. PSAKI: I would suggest that — that isn’t a — that is a fight — that those words are a fight against the wrong opponent. The President is passionate about this issue. He has been passionate through the course of his time in public office. You know, again, securing a 25-year extension of the Voting Rights Act — when, I would note, Strom Thurmond chaired the committee. So that was quite a time to live through.
And he’s absolutely revolted by the wave of anti-voter laws based on the same repeatedly disproven lies that led to our assault — an assault on our nation’s Capitol, as I know the congressman and many others are as well. We share their passion. We share the desire to fight these efforts. We share the desire to fight against efforts by many Republicans to suppress the vote around the country. It doesn’t mean that that fight will always be easy, but he is going to stand by them in this effort.
And I would note that it’s not that he has — you know, it is not just about private phone calls — he’s certainly done a number of those — and private meetings — as he did with Senator Manchin yesterday to convey to him the importance to him, personally, of moving this to a debate on the floor about this important piece of legislation. The President has also — gave a speech in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he gave a passionate — made a passionate case for the importance of voting rights.
He also has taken action, including empowering a number of nominees at the apart- — at the Department of Justice who have been leading advocates for voting rights, pushing for their confirmation to get through.
The Department of Justice also just announced a few weeks ago that they are doubling their support and their financial support for enforcement of important voting laws around the country.
And he signed a historic executive action, just several weeks ago, that puts in place a number of protections to ensure that people have the ability to vote. I would say that’s hardly being silent. That’s hardly sitting on the backbench. And we are — he will be standing with advocates in this fight for the foreseeable future. Go ahead.
Q Thanks, Jen. This White House is very good at setting ambitious but achievable goals. Did the White House believe that 70 percent was achievable when you set it?
MS. PSAKI: Well, I would say, first, there’s no record — there’s no playbook for this. There’s no record to look back and say, “These were the — these were the goals that were achieved 5 years ago or 10 years ago,” because we’re dealing with a historic pandemic. And the President’s view is that we should set bold, ambitious goals and do everything we pas- — possibly can to achieve them.
And in our view, we have — part of our objective was to return the country to normal, for people to enjoy backyard barbecues, which people across the country — millions of people will be. And we’ll have 1,000 people on the South Lawn here at the White House — frontline workers, men and women who are serving — also enjoying life back to normal.
But we also are honest about where we need to continue to redouble our efforts. And that’s among people who are 18 to 26. That is a small — relatively small demographic of the country, but one where there needs to be continued work. And we’re going to use every tool at our disposal to push for that.
Q So what is the game plan for getting young people vaccinated in greater numbers?
MS. PSAKI: Let me give you a couple of examples of what we’re working on. It’s not just Dr. Fauci on TikTok, though that is happening. (Laughter.) So, Dr. Fauci has done several Q&As with TikTok and Instagram influencers to answer questions, to meet people where they are, including young people, give them information they need.
CDC’s COVID Vaccine Chat on WhatsApp is now live to help Spanish-speaking young adults get vaccinated. We’re working with the private sector as well. As you all know, Microsoft is giving away Xboxes at Boys & Girls Clubs. The College Challenge is rallying university students across the country. Walgreens is giving out $25 to anyone who gets vaccinated there before July 4th. These are just a couple of examples of some of the approaches we’re taking. We’ll build on that from there. What we’ve all — what we’ll also note is that we’re seeing the same challenges that we’ve seen in other groups, which is that access and making it as easy as possible is the name of the game.
And so, continuing to re- — to support our pharmacy program, to support our mobile vaccination units, to make this — the vaccine as accessible to young people. They lead busy lives; we want this to be just a — just a box they can check on their weekend to-do list. Go ahead.
Q Following up on Phil’s question. You very ably went through the President’s history on voting rights and related issues, and you’ve laid out all the times he’s spoken about it. But this lectern is available to him today. We have not heard him talk about it. He has the biggest megaphone in the world.
MS. PSAKI: Aside from the Tulsa speech, just a few weeks ago?
Q No, I’m talking about when the vote is happening — using the President’s time.
MS. PSAKI: Mm-hmm.
Q And so, clearly, the President is choosing not to do that now. Why? Where is the President on this issue on a day when they’re voting?
MS. PSAKI: I would say, first, that the President has spoke — spoken passionately about his commitment to expanding access to voting rights a number of times, and you will hear him speak about this again. You certainly will hear us. We’ll put out a statement from him at the conclusion of the vote today. And I expect you’ll hear from — more from him in the coming days as well.
Q On another subject, with COVID: Former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb is among the voices saying he’s concerned that children who are not yet eligible to be vaccinated could be drivers of the variant, especially with school coming back and camps and all of that. What specifically does the administration feel needs to be done to address that issue for those not yet even eligible to be vaccinated?
MS. PSAKI: Yeah. Well, as a parent of a couple kids myself who are not yet eligible to be vaccinated, I think the challenge is we need to be vigilant and abide by the CDC guidelines. That’s not always easy to do, and we know that. And that means, you know, being mindful of social distancing, being mindful of where mask wearing should be essential to keep your kids protected and keep other kids protected.
Certainly, we can’t expedite the work of the FDA. They’re the gold standard in science, and we want them to abide by whatever timeline works for them. But it does mean — which again, is challenging — abiding by the guidelines for children and those who are not yet eligible until we get to that point. Go ahead.
Q Thanks, Jen. You said, yesterday, the President feels a lot — a great deal of the crime we’re seeing is a result of gun violence, but the stats show it’s not just gun crimes. So why does the President think there’s been a 30 percent increase in car thefts in D.C., 47 percent increase in robbery in New York City, or a 98 percent increase in rapes in Atlanta?
MS. PSAKI: Well, first, I think, if you look at a number of cities across the country, it is actually driven by gun violence.
Take St. Louis: In 2021, 96 percent of homicides where the instrument is known were committed using a firearm. In New York City, from March 2020 to March 2021, shooting incidents have jumped 77 percent. The city recorded more than 1,500 shootings in 2020; 97 percent more than 777 in 2019. There are major cities across the country where gun violence is absolutely the driver, where it is absolutely increasing. And that will be a central part of what he’ll talk about when he delivers his remarks tomorrow.
Q And given everything that is going on — with guns, without guns — does the President still think that this is the best time to end cash bail?
MS. PSAKI: I don’t think I have a — any new position on that for you, but I’m happy to check and see if there’s anything more to report.
Q So his stated position from his website, which is, basically, end cash bail — he wants to lead a national effort to end cash bail and reform the pretrial system. That stands?
MS. PSAKI: I don’t have a new position for you, but I’m happy to check for you.
Q And so, for people who are watching who might be worried about a rise in crime, what does the President think is a deterrent to committing a crime if there’s no cash bail in place?
MS. PSAKI: Well, let me give you just a sense to the degree I can, because we’re still finalizing the specifics.
There’s been, one, an increase in violent crime over the last 18 months; it’s not just over the last few months. And actually, if you look statistically back, it’s more over the last five years or so.
So there’s an initial set of actions the President has announced to date to address gun violence. Back in April, strengthening regulations on ghost guns; stabilizing braces that make firearms more legal [sic] — lethal; investing money in community violence intervention programs — an investment that he thinks can be quite effective. He’s talked about, for decades — and I think you’ll hear him talk about more tomorrow — supporting additional funding for community policing through his budget request, and helping state and local governments keep co- — cops on the beat.
So, yes, we believe that a central driver of violence is gun violence and is the use of guns. We’re seeing that statistically in a lot of areas. But he also believes that we need to ensure that state and local governments keep cops on the beat, that we’re supporting community policing, and that’s a key part of it as well.
Q And just the last one. You just said, again, you guys want to “keep cops on the beat,” but there are reports that big cities are having a very difficult time recruiting officers right now. And there are many other reports that morale is at an all-time low in big police departments. So why does the President think that there’s low morale with police officers on the beat?
MS. PSAKI: I don’t think we’re the right entity to give an assessment of that. I’d certainly look to the police departments to give that assessment.
But what I would say to you is that the President has never supported defunding the police. He’s always supported community policing programs. He’s supported giving funding to — to states and localities around the country, including through his American Rescue Plan, because he thinks there is an essential role to play for community policing.
Go ahead, Andrea.
Q Thanks. I want to ask you about infrastructure.
MS. PSAKI: Sure.
Q So, there was the meeting earlier today. Can you give us a little —
MS. PSAKI: It’s still going on.
Q It’s still going on. So —
MS. PSAKI: As far as I know. When I came out here, yes.
Q And are you hopeful that you’ll be able to invite those senators to the White House for a meeting with the President?
MS. PSAKI: We will see. As we do every day in democracy in action happening here, we assess what the right next step is.
And as I noted yesterday, the President is encouraged by the ongoing talks and discussions that are continuing with Democrats and Republicans. We’ve sent some — he’s asked some members of his senior team — as you noted, Steve Ricchetti, Louisa Terrell — to go up to Capitol Hill and meet with a group of bipartisan senators. And once they conclude that meeting, I expect we’ll assess what the next steps are.
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