Fact
ba
.
se
Press Conference: Karine Jean-Pierre Holds a Press Briefing at The White House Part 2 - June 7, 2022
-
Karine Jean-Pierre Person
-
Question Person
-
Note Person
Note
Neutral
00:00:00-00:00:00 ( sec)
"[The press briefing resumes]"
1
Karine Jean-Pierre
Somewhat Positive
00:00:00-00:00:05 (6 sec)
"I am -- I am back by popular demand."
2
Question
Very Positive
00:00:05-00:00:07 (2 sec)
"Appreciate it. Thank you."
3
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:00:07-00:00:31 (23 sec)
"Oh, absolutely. I'm -- and look, I just want to be very clear here -- you know, sorry about that. There are times where briefings get delayed for reasons outside of our control, and we wanted to make sure you all had the opportunity to cover the President signing those bills for -- to support veterans, which is incredibly important, as you all know."
4
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:00:31-00:00:50 (20 sec)
"And so, taking your questions is very important to us and -- which is why we do it almost every day and -- when we can. And it's why we strive to be responsive to your questions here in the briefing room; on TV, as I did this morning; and in individual conversations with administration officials. And our team does this on a daily basis."
5
Karine Jean-Pierre
Leans Positive
00:00:50-00:01:08 (18 sec)
"So, with that, I wanted to just come in and take additional questions for a few more minutes. And, you know, I know a lot -- a lot of you have deadlines yourselves and have to do evening TV. So I won't be here for too long, but I did want to come out and take some -- and take some questions."
6
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:01:08-00:01:17 (8 sec)
"Okay. Let's see. All right. I'm going to try and call on people I haven't called and start in the back, but there is like all these --"
7
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:01:17-00:01:21 (4 sec)
"Go ahead. Go ahead. I don't think I've called on you yet."
8
Question
Neutral
00:01:21-00:01:23 (2 sec)
"Not lately, so thank you."
9
Question
Neutral
00:01:23-00:01:32 (9 sec)
"Listen, Matthew McConaughey was banging on that podium just a few minutes ago before he left, and he had some specific policy asks. And a lot of them were -- not all of them, but a lot were about guns."
10
Question
Neutral
00:01:32-00:01:41 (9 sec)
"He wanted to raise the age from 18 to 21 for AR-15s. He talked about a waiting period for AR-15s. And he talked about red-flag laws and background checks."
11
Question
Neutral
00:01:41-00:01:51 (10 sec)
"So my question is: You and the President have made very generalized comments lately about doing something. Why won't he demand one of those things be in an overall package?"
12
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:01:51-00:01:53 (2 sec)
"You're talking about the President -- why won't he demand --"
13
Question
Leans Positive
00:01:53-00:01:55 (2 sec)
"I know he supports the policies, but --"
14
Karine Jean-Pierre
Slightly Positive
00:01:55-00:01:55 ( sec)
"Yeah."
15
Question
Somewhat Negative
00:01:55-00:02:01 (5 sec)
"-- is his message to these negotiators that those gun measures needs to be -- need to be in the package?"
16
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:02:01-00:02:09 (8 sec)
"His message to the negotiators is that we have to do something. His message is, to the American people: We have to do something."
17
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:02:09-00:02:26 (17 sec)
"He went to Uvalde, as you know. He went to Buffalo. And when he was in Uvalde -- and I was there with him, and we -- and some of you were there with him as well -- the thing -- the two words that he heard over and over again is please -- is: Do something."
18
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:02:26-00:02:43 (17 sec)
"And so, he is very encouraged by the engagement that he's seeing on the Senate side with the bipartisan group. And he wants to give them the space. We're not going to negotiate from here on what should be in the package, what should not be in the package."
19
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Negative
00:02:43-00:03:02 (20 sec)
"But we believe it's a step forward. The President is going to continue to -- continue to call for and fight for all of the comprehensive components for -- to prevent gun violence that he talked about on Thursday. That will not stop. He's going to continue to do that. But we're just not going to negotiate from here."
20
Question
Somewhat Positive
00:03:02-00:03:13 (11 sec)
"And John Cornyn, in his public comments, was talking today on the Senate floor about really hardening doors at schools and these sort of items. If the package only has that and not one of these specific gun measures, will it be a success?"
21
Karine Jean-Pierre
Positive
00:03:13-00:03:27 (13 sec)
"Again, I'm not going to negotiate from here. We're going to let them -- give them some space. It's a bipartisan -- it's a bipartisan conversation that's happening. It's going to be a bipartisan agreement, we -- we see or we feel."
22
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:03:27-00:03:38 (11 sec)
"And you know, Senator Murphy is very optimistic. And we're -- and he has said this is the most optimistic that he has been in some time. And he came in, as you know, and gave an update to the President."
23
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:03:38-00:03:41 (3 sec)
"So we're going to see how this -- this conversation continues to go."
24
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:03:41-00:03:42 (1 sec)
"Go ahead."
25
Question
Leans Negative
00:03:42-00:03:52 (10 sec)
"Thank you, Karine. Why do you think it is that 83 percent of people polled by The Wall Street Journal say the economy is "poor" or "not so good"?"
26
Karine Jean-Pierre
Slightly Negative
00:03:52-00:04:22 (30 sec)
"So, when it comes to consumer confidence -- is what you're talking about there -- we know that can reflect concern and uncertainty about higher prices. People feel the effect of high prices when they go to the grocery store and they fill up their gans- -- gas tank, which the President understands very personally -- when he was growing up and understanding how -- how when prices elevate even just a bit, how much that can hurt a family, how much that can really affect, you know, someone's household."
27
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:04:22-00:04:30 (8 sec)
"But the fact is: We are in a fundamentally different place compared to when the President took office and compared to this time a year ago."
28
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:04:30-00:04:50 (19 sec)
"And so, you know, during this President -- during his pres- -- this presidency, people felt uncertainty -- uncertain about the economy generally, but they actually felt as good about their personal financial situations as they ever have, according to the Federal Reserve survey, with nearly 80 percent of adults reporting that they are financially comfortable."
29
Karine Jean-Pierre
Somewhat Positive
00:04:50-00:04:51 (2 sec)
"So, that matters as well."
30
Question
Very Positive
00:04:51-00:05:08 (17 sec)
"But to the point about the -- you're saying that people feel good about their personal financial situation. High gas prices, people can't get baby formula, the supply chain is messed up, everything is more expensive. Where's the good part?"
31
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:05:08-00:05:19 (11 sec)
"So, the survey that I just read off started in 2013. And that is the first time that we saw numbers like this since 2013. So that does -- no, that does mean something. Just like you gave me 83 percent, I'm giving you --"
32
Question
Neutral
00:05:19-00:05:21 (3 sec)
"And I understand that. Another number then --"
33
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:05:21-00:05:22 (1 sec)
"I --"
34
Question
Somewhat Positive
00:05:22-00:05:33 (12 sec)
"-- newer than 2013, 61 percent are saying now, in this Wall Street Journal poll, they are generally pessimistic about people having an opportunity to achieve the American Dream. How's that going look on a -- on a bumper sticker?"
35
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:05:33-00:05:49 (15 sec)
"So, what I'm -- I guess what I'm trying to say, Peter, is that we understand that people are feeling -- feeling this. They are feeling the increase of prices, which -- with food, in particular, right now, and gas. That is -- that is something that we understand."
36
Karine Jean-Pierre
Positive
00:05:49-00:05:56 (7 sec)
"What we're trying to say, what I'm trying to say to you is that the economy is in a better place than it has been historically."
37
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:05:56-00:06:09 (13 sec)
"And so, we feel, here at this administration and other experts as well, is that -- we feel that we are in a good position to take on inflation. We are in a good position to really start really working on lowering prices."
38
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:06:09-00:06:23 (14 sec)
"We leave that piece to the Federal Reserve. They have the monetary policies to deal with the best -- to have the best tools to make sure that we bring down inflation. That's the -- that's the pain that the American family is feeling."
39
Karine Jean-Pierre
Positive
00:06:23-00:06:32 (9 sec)
"And so, that's what we're saying. We're trying to -- what we're saying is that we were in a different place a year ago, and now we are in a much better place economically. But there's still work to do, and we understand that."
40
Question
Very Positive
00:06:32-00:06:49 (17 sec)
"Okay. And then, just quickly, on gas prices. The Energy Secretary, Granholm, is saying, "Oh, well, if you went to Canada, you'd be paying $6.25 a gallon. If you went to Germany, you'd be paying over $8.80. In the UK, it's almost $8 a gallon." What kind of an argument is that: "Just be happy you don't live in Munich"?"
41
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:06:49-00:07:01 (12 sec)
"I think what she was -- what she's trying to say and what we have all been trying to say is this is a global challenge. This is not just in the United States that people are feeling inflation or people are seeing elevated gas prices. This is a global challenge."
42
Question
Positive
00:07:01-00:07:05 (5 sec)
"And isn't it the President's job to protect Americans from global challenges?"
43
Karine Jean-Pierre
Somewhat Positive
00:07:05-00:07:12 (6 sec)
"He's doing -- he's doing his part in trying to make sure that we -- the American people feel the impact less."
44
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:07:12-00:07:35 (23 sec)
"But here's the thing, and we've talked about this: Since Russia invaded Ukraine, we have seen gas prices -- these are the facts -- go up by $1.51. We have seen food prices go up because of what -- of what Ukraine and Russia represent when it comes to wheat and corn. This is just a fact. This is what we have seen for the past several months."
45
Karine Jean-Pierre
Positive
00:07:35-00:07:55 (20 sec)
"The President has done -- he's tapped into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in a historic way with a million -- a million barrels of oil a month for six months. We did -- we made the announcement of the E15, the homegrown biofuels that is going to help families in the Midwest."
46
Karine Jean-Pierre
Leans Positive
00:07:55-00:08:03 (8 sec)
"So, we know there is more to do. We're not disagreeing here. We know that there is more to do, and we're going to continue to do the work."
47
Question
Leans Positive
00:08:03-00:08:08 (5 sec)
"Does the President have any plans to invite any Republican senators to the White House before he leaves for Los Angeles?"
48
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:08:08-00:08:11 (3 sec)
"I -- I don't have any -- I don't have any meetings to preview for you at this point."
49
Question
Somewhat Negative
00:08:11-00:08:13 (2 sec)
"Has he spoken to any Republicans as it comes to gun legislation?"
50
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:08:13-00:08:18 (5 sec)
"I don't have -- I don't have any meetings to -- or calls to read out."
51
Karine Jean-Pierre
Slightly Positive
00:08:18-00:08:19 (1 sec)
"Okay, go ahead."
52
Question
Very Positive
00:08:19-00:08:44 (24 sec)
"Karine, thank you. I know you don't want to negotiate from the podium. I just want to try one more time. It seems as though talks are coalescing around more funding for mental health, school safety, and then expanded background checks and encouraging states to adapt red-flag laws. Is that the type of compromise legislation the President would sign? Would he sign that?"
53
Karine Jean-Pierre
Slightly Positive
00:08:44-00:08:51 (8 sec)
"Well, I -- again, I'm not going to negotiate from here. We don't want to -- I'm not going to talk through the contours of the plan. They're still having those conversations on the other side of the Hill."
54
Question
Neutral
00:08:51-00:08:52 (1 sec)
"I guess the question is --"
55
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Negative
00:08:52-00:08:54 (2 sec)
"But I can say -- but no, no. Let me --"
56
Question
Slightly Positive
00:08:54-00:08:55 ( sec)
"Okay."
57
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:08:55-00:09:11 (17 sec)
"Let me finish. I'll get to -- hopefully this will answer it, which is: He supports red-flag laws. That is something that he has supported for some time. He even talked about the red-flag law that is in Delaware -- is named after his son, Beau Biden, who was, as you know, the Attorney General of -- in Delaware."
58
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:09:11-00:09:18 (6 sec)
"He has talked about expanding background checks. I have talked about it. He has talked about it. We've all talked about it."
59
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:09:18-00:09:34 (16 sec)
"So, clearly, those are two things that we know are popular. The red-flag law -- red-flag law we saw -- I read a poll here last -- yesterday that has 72 percent for the red-flag laws. We know that expanding background check is overwhelmingly popular as well."
60
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:09:34-00:09:43 (9 sec)
"So, clearly, those are two things that he support. But I just don't -- we do not want to get -- give them some space, don't want to get in the middle of their negotiation."
61
Question
Neutral
00:09:43-00:09:45 (2 sec)
"I guess what I'm asking, Karine --"
62
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:09:45-00:09:46 (1 sec)
"Yeah, sure."
63
Question
Very Positive
00:09:46-00:09:57 (11 sec)
"-- is, particularly as it relates to the red-flag laws, what it seems to be coalescing around is a deal that would encourage states to adapt red-flag laws. Is that good enough for President Biden?"
64
Karine Jean-Pierre
Positive
00:09:57-00:10:11 (14 sec)
"I think it's a step. It's -- when red-flag laws are actually enacted, it saves lives. We have seen that in Florida. We've seen that in other states across the country. In California, there's been cases where the red-flag law has actually saved lives."
65
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Negative
00:10:11-00:10:23 (12 sec)
"And we know, we understand not every component of what the President is calling for is going to stop every tragedy, but we have to take the steps, and we have to move forward, and we have to do something."
66
Question
Neutral
00:10:23-00:10:30 (7 sec)
"There's been so much focus on the legislation. Is President Biden considering any new executive actions on the [inaudible] guns?"
67
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:10:30-00:10:36 (6 sec)
"You know, the President said this himself: If there is any way or any other new actions that he can take, he will. His team --"
68
Question
Somewhat Positive
00:10:36-00:10:37 (1 sec)
"Is he actively considering any?"
69
Karine Jean-Pierre
Slightly Positive
00:10:37-00:10:44 (7 sec)
"There's nothing that I can -- that I can preview for you at this time. I know that the team is looking at that. We just don't have anything for you -- to share at this time."
70
Question
Very Positive
00:10:44-00:10:59 (15 sec)
"Let me ask you on Roe v. Wade, if I might. We are anticipating the Supreme Court will render its final decision on Roe v. Wade. And based on, of course, that leaked draft report, it appears as though the Court is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade."
71
Question
Positive
00:10:59-00:11:10 (11 sec)
"What, if any, groundwork is the President, is this administration laying to ensure that women who want or need abortions can still have access to them?"
72
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:11:10-00:11:25 (15 sec)
"Look, protecting the constitutional rights of Americans afforded by Roe for -- for nearly 50 years, ensuring that women can make their own choices about their lives and bodies and families, is something that the President and the Vice President support."
73
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:11:25-00:12:06 (41 sec)
"For -- for we've -- we've taken actions over the past -- the past year and a half on making sure that -- making sure that women have the protection that they need, issuing a presidential memorandum to protect and expand access to comprehensive repre- -- reproductive healthcare and to revoke the Mexico City policy, a global gag rule that prohibits federal funding for organizations that provide abortion, counseling, and/or referrals; issuing a final rule to strengthen the Title 10 Family Planning Program, fulfilling the administration's commitment to restore access to equitable, affordable, client-centered quality family planning services."
74
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:12:06-00:12:13 (8 sec)
"So, we have done -- we have done an array of things over the past year and a half to give the protection that women need."
75
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:12:13-00:12:34 (21 sec)
"Obviously, the decision, it was a draft decision. We don't want to get into hypotheticals and we don't want to get ahead of of what is actually going to come forth. But it's something that it concerns us. All of the pieces of legislation that we see coming out of the states that are incredibly radical, we've called them that and it does give us concern."
76
Question
Somewhat Positive
00:12:34-00:12:48 (13 sec)
"Are there any tangible actions that the administration will take if it's overturned on that day or that week to ensure that women who need abortions can have access to them or that they can cross state lines to access an abortion?"
77
Karine Jean-Pierre
Somewhat Positive
00:12:48-00:13:12 (24 sec)
"So, one thing that I can say -- I don't have anything to preview or to announce or to lay out at this time. What I can say is that our team here -- the Gender Policy Council, the Domestic Policy Council, and the agencies who are involved, like HHS -- have been in constant communication with -- with groups on what we can do from here. I just don't have anything to preview."
78
Question
Neutral
00:13:12-00:13:35 (23 sec)
"Karine, the January 6th Committee is going to hold its first public hearing on Thursday while the President is in California. Do you expect the President to get briefed on what the committee has found in its investigation, if he hasn't already? And how is he looking at these hearings? Does he see this as something that will move the needle in how the public perceives what happened on that day?"
79
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:13:35-00:13:55 (20 sec)
"So, as you know, we're leaving, as you were kind of alluding to, tomorrow, and we're going to go to LA. The President is going to have a very busy week. And, you know, of course, will be keeping up on the committee's work, as he has been. And I'm sure he'll be following the news from the hearing as well."
80
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:13:55-00:14:30 (35 sec)
"I don't have anything else to -- in particular to share here. The President has been consistent voicing his support for the vital work of the bipartisan January 6th Select Committee. And he and his team have said many times it is critical that we have a full investigation into the events of January 6th to ensure something like what we saw that day can never happen again. And the work of this committee is crucial to that effort. And we will continue to speak out as appropriate or to defend our democracy and the rule of law, and to support those who are doing work to protect our democracy."
81
Question
Very Negative
00:14:30-00:14:51 (21 sec)
"Just one more. Senator Romney and Senator Ossoff have asked for a full investigation into the death of Shireen Abu Akleh. She was a Palestinian American journalist with Al Jazeera. She was killed last month while reporting in the West Bank. Will the White House be supporting an investigation into her death?"
82
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:14:51-00:15:05 (14 sec)
"So, we're in close touch with both Israeli and Palestinian authorities. The United States is not currently conducting an official investigation. As you know, we are working to bridge cooperation between the two parties."
83
Karine Jean-Pierre
Leans Positive
00:15:05-00:15:26 (21 sec)
"We have made clear our view to both Israeli and Palestinian officials the administration's call for thorough, transparent, and impartial investigation of her -- of her killing. We expect full accountability for those responsible. We have also urged that both sides share their evidence with each other."
84
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:15:26-00:15:31 (6 sec)
"We continue to call on all sides to maintain calm and avoid any further escalation."
85
Question
Positive
00:15:31-00:15:48 (17 sec)
"Karine, thanks so much. Secretary Yellen said over the weekend to CNN that she was "wrong" in predicting that inflation was transitory. And shortly afterward, Treasury walked back the statement. I'm just curious if the White House or any senior aides here were involved in walking back that -- those comments."
86
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:15:48-00:16:21 (33 sec)
"What I can tell you is that she -- she was -- even when you look at the transcript, she was clear on exactly what she meant by that. And she -- she -- the Secretary, you know, spoke to this herself to clarify her remarks. And it's true that nobody at the time foresaw the extent of the global challenges that have caused record inflation all around the world. In fact, even Wall Street and the private sector broadly thought that inflation would come down faster than it has."
87
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:16:21-00:16:28 (7 sec)
"I cannot speak to private conversation. But all I can say is she put out a -- as you know, put out a statement clarifying what she said."
88
Question
Leans Positive
00:16:28-00:16:43 (15 sec)
"And just one more question. On Friday, senior White House staff met with members of the Congressional Black Caucus to talk about some of the President's ideas for forgiving student debt. I'm wondering: What was the purpose of that meeting, as the President considers it? And was there any outcome from it?"
89
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:16:43-00:16:46 (4 sec)
"I don't have any readout from that meeting from Friday night."
90
Question
Leans Positive
00:16:46-00:16:59 (13 sec)
"Thank you. Based on what you know about the situation in both Uvalde and Buffalo, is there anything that the Senate negotiators are considering now that would have stopped those two shootings, or even one of them?"
91
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:16:59-00:17:11 (12 sec)
"Well, I -- look, I -- you know, I'm no expert here, but one thing that I do know that we all know is that both the shooters were 18. And one of the things that are -- that's on the table is raising the age limit."
92
Question
Somewhat Positive
00:17:11-00:17:13 (2 sec)
"Are you sure that's on the table?"
93
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:17:13-00:17:14 (1 sec)
"What -- I'm so sorry --"
94
Question
Neutral
00:17:14-00:17:20 (6 sec)
"Raising the age limit from 18 to 21 to buy AR-15s? Because John Cornyn has said that's not on the table."
95
Karine Jean-Pierre
Slightly Positive
00:17:20-00:17:23 (3 sec)
"Okay. I'm just saying it's been discussed. I don't --"
96
Question
Slightly Positive
00:17:23-00:17:24 (1 sec)
"Oh, I see. Okay."
97
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:17:24-00:17:24 ( sec)
"I'm --"
98
Question
Neutral
00:17:24-00:17:26 (3 sec)
"Okay. If that was on the table, that would have affected these."
99
Karine Jean-Pierre
Slightly Positive
00:17:26-00:17:27 (1 sec)
"Yeah, I --"
100
Question
Slightly Positive
00:17:27-00:17:30 (3 sec)
"Okay. But --"
101
Karine Jean-Pierre
Slightly Negative
00:17:30-00:17:36 (7 sec)
"You're -- you're asking me a question of when I thought -- what I think may have helped or -- stopped this awful [inaudible]."
102
Question
Somewhat Positive
00:17:36-00:17:39 (3 sec)
"Certainly it would have been. But in terms of what's on the table in the Senate?"
103
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Negative
00:17:39-00:18:10 (30 sec)
"I don't -- I'm just saying that's been one of the conversations that's been out there. I do not know. Again, we're not negotiating from here. I'm just trying to make a point. This is something that the President supports -- raising the age from 18 to 21. Because one of the things that we do know is both of the shooters were 18 years old. The one in Uvalde, in particular, when he was 17, he asked his sister to buy him a gun. She said, "No." And as soon as he turned 18, he went and bought -- he bought -- he bought a gun."
104
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:18:10-00:18:17 (7 sec)
"And so, that is something that we have heard about, that's out there, and that is something the President talked about on Thursday."
105
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:18:17-00:18:23 (7 sec)
"And so, I was just speaking to your question on what you -- what I -- what, potentially, could have helped."
106
Question
Slightly Positive
00:18:23-00:18:28 (5 sec)
"Well, I'm actually asking what the sen- -- what among the things the senators are considering could have prevented this?"
107
Karine Jean-Pierre
Positive
00:18:28-00:18:43 (15 sec)
"And, again, I'm not going to negotiate from here. I'm just trying to help in a way to show, "Hey, this is something that we know is out there." This is something that the President talked about. I'm not going to negotiate from here. They're working through the contours of the plan, and we're going to let them figure that out."
108
Question
Very Positive
00:18:43-00:19:01 (18 sec)
"Can I just ask one quick one on red-flag laws? So does the -- does the President prefer a federal red-flag law? Or does he think it's better on a state-by-state level and the government -- or the federal government should incentivize states instead?"
109
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:19:01-00:19:17 (16 sec)
"Well, he supports a red- -- he supports -- I want to be really careful here because he's not going to -- we're not going to negotiate from here. Right? We are going to allow the -- we're going to give them the space to come up with the contours of -- of the deal. And we're just going to give them that space."
110
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:19:17-00:19:27 (10 sec)
"What we're saying is: We support the red-flag law. The Pre- -- the President has talked about it. I'm not going to go into the nitty-gritty of what that looks like. We're going to let the negotiators figure that out."
111
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:19:27-00:19:28 ( sec)
"Go ahead, Karen."
112
Question
Very Positive
00:19:28-00:19:40 (13 sec)
"Thanks, Karine. First -- or two questions. First, can you commit that going forward, if there was a guest or a celebrity here that you would ensure that they would stay at the podium and take questions from reporters --"
113
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:19:40-00:19:41 (1 sec)
"Oh, I --"
114
Question
Neutral
00:19:41-00:19:41 ( sec)
"-- after they speak?"
115
Karine Jean-Pierre
Somewhat Positive
00:19:41-00:19:43 (2 sec)
"That -- they're a guest. That is not for me to ensure."
116
Question
Neutral
00:19:43-00:19:45 (3 sec)
"Can you try to have them stay and take questions?"
117
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:19:45-00:19:54 (9 sec)
"I -- they're -- Karen, they're a guest of ours. It is up to them if they want to take questions or not. We respect them and what they want to do."
118
Karine Jean-Pierre
Somewhat Positive
00:19:54-00:19:59 (5 sec)
"Matthew was here. And when he was done, he said thank you and he walked away."
119
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:19:59-00:20:01 (2 sec)
"That is -- that really is up to -- is up to him."
120
Question
Neutral
00:20:01-00:20:07 (6 sec)
"And on COVID: Last week, a guest, Dr. Jha, was here. But he did take questions after --"
121
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:20:07-00:20:09 (3 sec)
"[Laughs] Yeah, well that's a little different. He works here. [Laughs]"
122
Question
Somewhat Positive
00:20:09-00:20:13 (4 sec)
"Absolutely. We appreciated him taking questions, but --"
123
Karine Jean-Pierre
Positive
00:20:13-00:20:14 (1 sec)
"Yes."
124
Question
Neutral
00:20:14-00:20:24 (10 sec)
"He said that what keeps them awake at night is that the U.S. would run out of vaccines, not have enough of the next generation of vaccines, run out of treatments and tests in the fall. And this is something he has been saying a lot in interviews recently."
125
Question
Somewhat Positive
00:20:24-00:20:43 (19 sec)
"But can you give us an update on where the COVID funding talks stand on the Hill, in terms of what the White House is doing right now? What officials are meeting with lawmakers up there? Has there been any progress? Has the President talked with lawmakers about this? And is this getting overshadowed with the conversations that are happening right now on gun talks?"
126
Karine Jean-Pierre
Slightly Positive
00:20:43-00:21:03 (20 sec)
"Yeah, it's a very good question. You know, look, just to kind of reiterate a little bit of what Dr. Jha has said is: Without additional funding, you know, we are unable to purchase li- -- lifesaving treatments for the American people, including our most vulnerable. We're already -- we've already cut down on our purchase of treatments for high-risk Americans."
127
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:21:03-00:21:13 (10 sec)
"Imagine an -- a 13-year-old with a heart condition who may not be able to access preventive treatment to stay safe from a life-threatening illness."
128
Karine Jean-Pierre
Somewhat Negative
00:21:13-00:21:23 (10 sec)
"We're losing our spot in line while other countries are moving forward and buying next-generation vaccines for all Americans that may be needed in the fall and winter."
129
Karine Jean-Pierre
Negative
00:21:23-00:21:44 (21 sec)
"So I think that's what he's talking about when he says he's losing -- he's losing sleep. You know, when we think about the path forward and how we're going to get to where we need to be -- you know, we are working closely with members of Congress on a bipartisan basis to drive a path forward on COVID funding, and the President is committing to get -- committed to getting that -- getting it done."
130
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:21:44-00:21:50 (6 sec)
"And so, Dr. Jha and OMB Director have been -- have been on the Hill having those meetings."
131
Karine Jean-Pierre
Somewhat Positive
00:21:50-00:22:09 (19 sec)
"So, you know, the President deals with multiple things at a time. So this is still a -- very much a priority. So we will continue doing our part to protect the American people. We'll use the few funds we have remaining to continue getting testing, treatments, and vaccine out to the -- to Americans for as long as we can."
132
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:22:09-00:22:25 (16 sec)
"We will continue to work the phones, hold briefings, and make our case public -- publicly and privately with lawmakers, imploring Congress to act immediately [inaudible] on our long-overdue COVID -- to act on our long-overdue COVID needs."
133
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:22:25-00:22:38 (13 sec)
"And at the end of the day, it's Republicans in Congress -- they need to act. They have to answer to the American people if they can't get the vaccine treatments and tests that we will need come fall."
134
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:22:38-00:22:41 (4 sec)
"So, you know, we're going to continue doing the work. The work doesn't stop."
135
Question
Neutral
00:22:41-00:22:41 ( sec)
"[Crosstalk by reporters]"
136
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:22:41-00:22:43 (2 sec)
"Oh, my gosh."
137
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:22:43-00:22:46 (2 sec)
"S.V."
138
Question
Very Positive
00:22:46-00:22:47 (1 sec)
"Yeah, thank you."
139
Karine Jean-Pierre
Slightly Positive
00:22:47-00:22:47 ( sec)
"Yeah."
140
Question
Very Positive
00:22:47-00:23:18 (31 sec)
"Following up on the January 6th question: There have been Republicans -- prominent Republicans, as well as outside groups, who are already making a concerted effort to downplay the entire thing before a single word has been said about -- in the hearings. Has the President -- what are his thoughts about that? And has he made any efforts to reach out to Kevin McCarthy, to Mitch McConnell about, "Hey, this is important. We ought to be on the same page with this"?"
141
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:23:18-00:23:32 (14 sec)
"So the President has been really clear -- right? -- he supports the bipartisan effort -- the January 6th Select Committee bipartisan effort. But we're not going to get involved. That is something that is independent and needs to stay independent."
142
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:23:32-00:23:48 (15 sec)
"You know, it is important to protect our democracy. That is something that the President -- what happened on January 6th was a very dark day in our democracy. And so, we have to continue to find ways to protect it."
143
Karine Jean-Pierre
Positive
00:23:48-00:23:53 (5 sec)
"So he supports what they're doing. We're not going to get involved. It's an independent committee."
144
Question
Neutral
00:23:53-00:23:55 (2 sec)
"Karine? Karine? Back here."
145
Question
Very Positive
00:23:55-00:24:10 (14 sec)
"Yeah, so you said that we're in a stable economic -- or we're transitioning into a stable economic growth. The Treasury Secretary also testified today we're going to a stable economic growth. What exactly is a "stable economic growth"?"
146
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:24:10-00:24:17 (7 sec)
"I think the way that we're looking at it is just the data, just what we have seen in this past year."
147
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Negative
00:24:17-00:24:32 (15 sec)
"I think people forget what the President inherited when he walked in. You had 20 million people who were collecting unemployment benefits. You -- you had -- unemployment was at more than 6 percent."
148
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:24:32-00:24:45 (13 sec)
"And the work that he did with the American Rescue Plan, getting that done, and the Democrats -- only Democrats voting for it, helped get the economy moving, helped get the economy growing."
149
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:24:45-00:25:13 (29 sec)
"And so, the way we see it is that we are in a strong place. The U.S. economy may grow faster this year than China's economy for the first time since 1976. With -- with the right policies, we are confident that the U.S. can transition from recovery to stable, steady growth and bring down inflation without giving all of these historic gains that I just laid out -- 8.7 million new jobs in this past year and a half."
150
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:25:13-00:25:29 (16 sec)
"And so, one of the things that we've been very clear about is giving the Federal Reserve the independence to deal with inflation. And they are committed to it; we are committed to it. And they have the strongest tools to come up with monetary policy to get that done."
151
Question
Very Positive
00:25:29-00:25:36 (7 sec)
"So -- but is that -- is that GDP growth, like under the Obama administration, 1.5 percent, 1.8 percent for the year?"
152
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:25:36-00:26:04 (28 sec)
"I mean, I'm not going to get into, like, the specifics of GDP growth. But what I can say is the numbers -- the data that we have seen just on job growth -- 390,000 jobs in the month of May -- what we have seen is historic numbers, is a his- -- we are in a historic place in history -- historic place right now, as we have -- as we look at where we are with the economy. Very, very different than where we were a year ago."
153
Karine Jean-Pierre
Slightly Positive
00:26:04-00:26:12 (8 sec)
"And that is because of what the President has been able to do with a comprehensive plan to get people vaccinated, with a plan to get people back to work."
154
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Negative
00:26:12-00:26:28 (16 sec)
"Remember -- and I know some of you know this -- schools were closed when he -- when he entered the administration. Businesses were closed when he entered the administration. The economy was in crisis. We are in a different place. That's what -- that's how we see this."
155
Question
Very Negative
00:26:28-00:26:42 (14 sec)
"One quick one. Are we in a recession then? Because the Atlanta Fed GDP now looks at a snapshot, and it's 0.9 percent. It's gone down from 1.9 to 1.3 for the second quarter. Two quarters in a row of negative growth is a recession. So are we there? And how close --"
156
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:26:42-00:26:55 (12 sec)
"Look, the way that we see it is we have the right tools, and we are in a strong place to continue to get -- to get our -- to be in this transition where we have stable -- stable growth. And that is what's important. And so, that's going to be our focus."
157
Question
Somewhat Positive
00:26:55-00:26:57 (2 sec)
"Thank you. Will you follow up?"
158
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:26:57-00:27:01 (4 sec)
"Thank you. Thank you, guys. I actually -- I do have to go. I really do have to go."
159
Question
Positive
00:27:01-00:27:03 (2 sec)
"Thanks for coming back out."
160
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:27:03-00:27:08 (4 sec)
"Thank you. I appreciate that. Thanks, guys. Thank you."
161
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:00:00-00:00:05 (5 sec)
"Hello, good afternoon. Good afternoon. Good afternoon."
1
Karine Jean-Pierre
Slightly Positive
00:00:05-00:00:18 (13 sec)
"Okay. So, today we have Dr. Jha, the White House COVID Coordinator. He's going to talk about kids COVID vaccines. And so, he is only going to be here for -- he has about 10, 15 minutes with us -- I think 15 minutes, looking at the clock."
2
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:00:18-00:00:21 (4 sec)
"So, he's going to open up, and then he'll take a few questions, and then we'll start the briefing."
3
Karine Jean-Pierre
Positive
00:00:21-00:00:27 (6 sec)
"We want to -- we have a hard time out at 4:00 today, so we're going to try and get out of here at 4:00. Thanks, everybody."
4
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:00:27-00:00:28 (1 sec)
"Go ahead."
5
Ashish Jha
Very Positive
00:00:28-00:00:39 (11 sec)
"All right. Good afternoon, everybody. Thank you for having me. It's great to be back. Sorry, it's me and not BTS. [Laughter]"
6
Ashish Jha
Neutral
00:00:39-00:00:51 (11 sec)
"I want to take some time today to explain the timeline of what's happening with vaccines for our youngest kids -- for kids under five -- and what parents and pediatricians and Americans should be expecting in the coming weeks."
7
Ashish Jha
Slightly Negative
00:00:51-00:01:16 (25 sec)
"So, as you all know, the FDA is currently working through a rigorous and independent scientific process. As part of that, the FDA's advisory committee -- VRBPAC -- will be meeting on June 14th and 15th. They will review the data submitted by Pfizer and Moderna for their vaccines, and we expect an FDA decision shortly after the advisory committee meeting. And we look forward to this process playing out."
8
Ashish Jha
Neutral
00:01:16-00:01:29 (13 sec)
"Now, as you all know, because we've been through this many times, the FDA authorization is not the final step in the process. Before vaccinations can begin, CDC must also issue its recommendations."
9
Ashish Jha
Neutral
00:01:29-00:01:45 (16 sec)
"If the FDA authorizes the vaccines, the CDC will have its advisory committee meetings and, ultimately, the CDC Director will make her recommendations. And we expect the CDC to make its dates for its advisory committee meetings public very, very soon."
10
Ashish Jha
Very Positive
00:01:45-00:02:01 (16 sec)
"So, let's talk about what we know at this moment. We know that many, many parents are eager to vaccinate their youngest kids. And it's important to do this right. And that's what this process has been all about."
11
Ashish Jha
Very Positive
00:02:01-00:02:18 (17 sec)
"So, as I talk through the process today, I want to be very clear that I am not here to prejudge the outcome of the process. But the administration is hard at work planning all sorts of scenarios based on whatever the outcome is from the process that's playing out."
12
Ashish Jha
Somewhat Positive
00:02:18-00:02:29 (10 sec)
"We've been working very closely with states, with local health departments, with pediatricians, family physicians, other healthcare providers, and pharmacies to get ready."
13
Ashish Jha
Neutral
00:02:29-00:02:41 (12 sec)
"We started with the playbook we've used for a rollout of vaccines for other age groups. At the same time, we're building this program to meet the specific needs of this specific age group."
14
Ashish Jha
Very Positive
00:02:41-00:02:59 (18 sec)
"We expect that the vast majority of these kids will be vaccinated by their primary care providers. Now, if and when FDA authorizes a vaccine, we'll move from planning to execution. So let me highlight a few things of what that will look like."
15
Ashish Jha
Positive
00:02:59-00:03:15 (16 sec)
"Now, the good news is we have plenty of supply of both Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to start our vaccination program. And we are going to make 10 million doses available to states, pharmacies, and community health centers, and federal entities to order initially."
16
Ashish Jha
Neutral
00:03:15-00:03:38 (22 sec)
"Starting tomorrow, states can begin to place their orders. We have asked states to distribute the initial tranche of doses to their highest-priority sites, including those serving the highest-risk children and hardest-to-reach areas. And we've also asked them to prioritize sites that can handle large volumes, such as children's hospitals."
17
Ashish Jha
Very Positive
00:03:38-00:03:51 (14 sec)
"We've encouraged states and providers to find ways to ensure that parents have access to these vaccines for their kids outside of normal work hours, because we want to make this as easy as possible for working parents and their families."
18
Ashish Jha
Slightly Positive
00:03:51-00:04:05 (14 sec)
"Now, FDA authorization will allow us to start shipping doses. These doses are specifically formulated for these young kids. These doses will be shipped to thousands of sites across the country."
19
Ashish Jha
Neutral
00:04:05-00:04:29 (23 sec)
"So, let me go back and think through the timeline with all of you. VRBPAC meets on June 14th and 15th. We expect FDA to make its decision soon thereafter. Once FDA has authorized -- if they have authorized vaccines -- we can begin shipping. We expect some of the shipments to start arriving to -- in their destination over that long weekend."
20
Ashish Jha
Very Positive
00:04:29-00:04:45 (16 sec)
"Remember, Monday is an important federal holiday, and many doctor's offices may be closed. And we can't ship vaccines until FDA has authorized these vaccines. And vaccinations can't start until CDC has issued its recommendations."
21
Ashish Jha
Very Positive
00:04:45-00:04:54 (9 sec)
"So, we expect that vaccinations will begin in earnest as early as Tuesday, June 21st, and really roll on throughout that week."
22
Ashish Jha
Neutral
00:04:54-00:05:16 (21 sec)
"Now, it will take some time to ramp up the program and for vaccines to be more widely available. And as doses arrive in places throughout the country, more sites will have vaccines, more appointments will become available. And our expectation is that within weeks, every parent who wants their child to get vaccinated will be able to get an appointment."
23
Ashish Jha
Very Positive
00:05:16-00:05:33 (17 sec)
"We will of course do our part. We're going to continue monitoring. We're going to ship doses out as fast as possible. We're going to make sure that supply is always meeting demand. And we're going to do everything we can to make it easy for providers and parents alike to get their kids vaccinated."
24
Ashish Jha
Neutral
00:05:33-00:05:39 (7 sec)
"So, let me just close with a few words about the bigger picture about the moment we're in."
25
Ashish Jha
Neutral
00:05:39-00:05:48 (9 sec)
"It's been a long two years. This is the last group of Americans who have not yet been eligible to get vaccinated."
26
Ashish Jha
Very Positive
00:05:48-00:06:08 (20 sec)
"But as we think about getting ready to vaccinate our youngest kids, it's worth noting how much progress we've made: Two thirds of all Americans are now fully vaccinated, close to a third of all Americans are boosted, and highly effective treatment -- effective treatments are widely available."
27
Ashish Jha
Very Negative
00:06:08-00:06:26 (18 sec)
"As a result, when we look across the country, we see cases rising -- nearly 100,000 cases a day. And yet we're still seeing death numbers that are substantially -- about 90 percent -- lower than where they were when the President first took office."
28
Ashish Jha
Very Positive
00:06:26-00:06:41 (15 sec)
"Now, we know that COVID isn't over. We still have work to do. But we have made tremendous progress. And what we know is that we've got to keep vaccinating, keep reaching people who have not gotten vaccinated, keep making treatments widely available."
29
Ashish Jha
Slightly Positive
00:06:41-00:06:50 (10 sec)
"Because what we believe is that with science, with hard work, and with resources, we can continue to protect the American people, from our oldest to our youngest."
30
Ashish Jha
Positive
00:06:50-00:06:53 (3 sec)
"So, thank you. And I'm looking forward to questions."
31
Karine Jean-Pierre
Slightly Positive
00:06:53-00:06:55 (2 sec)
"All right. Okay. Who has a question?"
32
Question
Leans Positive
00:06:55-00:07:03 (8 sec)
"What's your expectation on when most kids will be vaccinated? Is it a matter of months? When -- what's your estimate?"
33
Karine Jean-Pierre
Somewhat Positive
00:07:03-00:07:19 (16 sec)
"So, we don't have an estimate of timelines of when most kids will be vaccinated. What we know is that, obviously, there are a lot of parents who are eager to get their kids vaccinated right away, and they will get vaccinated right away, within weeks, as I -- as I laid out."
34
Karine Jean-Pierre
Positive
00:07:19-00:07:29 (11 sec)
"There are other parents who are waiting to see how things go. And I think what we have seen in the past is that they will come on board as they see their friends and family getting their kids vaccinated."
35
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:07:29-00:07:38 (8 sec)
"So, I think this is a process that is going to take some time, but we want to make sure that we always have adequate supply and access for parents when they want their kids vaccinated."
36
Question
Very Negative
00:07:38-00:07:52 (15 sec)
"So, I think you are well aware about how much frustration and anger there's been from -- from parents of young children -- the fact we were talking about second boosters for much of the population before even this first one was available. I'm a parent of a four-year-old who got COVID while we sat around waiting for this."
37
Question
Very Negative
00:07:52-00:08:07 (15 sec)
"And I think one point, in all of that, that really is frustrating and raised a lot of questions for parents is why the FDA didn't move to hold a hearing right away after Moderna applied, why it waited for Pfizer and Moderna. Can you just explain the thinking behind that delay?"
38
Ashish Jha
Slightly Negative
00:08:07-00:08:17 (10 sec)
"So, first of all, I have -- I have a 10-year-old, so he has been able to get vaccinated, but I have a lot of friends who have kids under 5. So, let me just say, I feel the frustration and I certainly hear the frustration."
39
Ashish Jha
Positive
00:08:17-00:08:32 (15 sec)
"Two things. First of all, the FDA makes its decisions on timelines really based on its ability to review the data, to do a careful analysis. And that's what they've been doing. I think they've done that throughout the entire pandemic."
40
Ashish Jha
Very Positive
00:08:32-00:08:47 (15 sec)
"If you look at from the early days of the early adult vaccines through this one, they have moved expeditiously and -- and they have made the determinations of when they can be ready to evaluate and when they can make a decision."
41
Ashish Jha
Very Positive
00:08:47-00:08:58 (11 sec)
"The specifics of it, you're going to have to, I think, ultimately talk to the FDA, but I feel like they have moved very quickly to try to -- to consume and analyze a very large tranche of data from -- from Moderna."
42
Ashish Jha
Very Positive
00:08:58-00:09:10 (11 sec)
"And, look, at the end of the day, we all want to move fast, but we want to get it right. And that has got to be priority number one, and that's what I think the FDA has been focused on."
43
Question
Very Positive
00:09:10-00:09:22 (12 sec)
"On Paxlovid, do you have any information you can share with us on how much Paxlovid has been used so far and how much is left, and whether Congress -- or whether the U.S. is committed to completing its purchase of the 20 million courses?"
44
Ashish Jha
Slightly Positive
00:09:22-00:09:40 (18 sec)
"I don't have the numbers off the top of my head. What I will tell you is we're getting out about 30,000 prescriptions a day right now. And that's at the end of last -- as of end of last week. I don't have this week's data yet. So about 30,000 doses a day."
45
Ashish Jha
Slightly Positive
00:09:40-00:09:49 (9 sec)
"We obviously want to continue to expand access to Paxlovid for any high-risk person who is -- who gets infected. We want to make sure they have access to it if they're clinically eligible."
46
Ashish Jha
Very Positive
00:09:49-00:09:57 (9 sec)
"You know, the President made a commitment to get 20 million doses, and we remain committed to making that happen."
47
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:09:57-00:09:58 ( sec)
"Go ahead."
48
Question
Very Positive
00:09:58-00:10:23 (25 sec)
"Thank you. I wanted to ask about your COVID testing program, specifically the one that was launched to order COVID tests at home. Can you talk about what the demand has looked like lately -- now that we're seeing the up-and-down with cases is different than what we saw around Christmas; and what you're doing and to preserve supply -- I know that these tests eventually expire -- what you're doing to preserve supply should there be a big demand again?"
49
Ashish Jha
Very Positive
00:10:23-00:10:32 (9 sec)
"Good -- great question. So, we launched that about two weeks ago, three weeks ago -- I can't remember the exact time -- the third round of making tests available."
50
Ashish Jha
Slightly Positive
00:10:32-00:10:42 (11 sec)
"We actually saw quite a robust demand for that. I think we've had maybe 17, 18 million households order just in the last couple of weeks, so that --"
51
Question
Neutral
00:10:42-00:10:44 (1 sec)
"On the third round?"
52
Ashish Jha
Neutral
00:10:44-00:10:45 (1 sec)
"On the -- on round three."
53
Ashish Jha
Very Positive
00:10:45-00:10:55 (11 sec)
"That's a lot. And it's great. And it means that there are -- people are still using these tests. If you've followed me the last two years, you know I'm a huge believer in making widespread testing widely available."
54
Ashish Jha
Very Positive
00:10:55-00:11:14 (18 sec)
"I think getting people tests at home is a really important part of that. We feel that when you have cases rising, Americans want tests, we want to make those tests available. We also obviously want to make sure that as we have future -- if and or when we have future surges of infections, we will have other tests available for Americans."
55
Question
Neutral
00:11:14-00:11:27 (13 sec)
"Can you also talk about -- the President was very big at the beginning of that program on equity and that these tests were going to be distributed to populations that were underserved, in addition to populations that might be more well-connected."
56
Ashish Jha
Very Positive
00:11:27-00:11:32 (5 sec)
"Yeah. So we've thought a lot about equity in this case -- in other areas, too, but certainly on tests."
57
Question
Neutral
00:11:32-00:11:32 ( sec)
"[Inaudible]"
58
Ashish Jha
Very Positive
00:11:32-00:11:57 (25 sec)
"Yeah. And so, the way we've done this is -- I mean, obviously the website, but we can -- you can make phone calls, which for some people is easier. We've distributed tests to food banks. We've distributed tests to Federally Qualified Health Centers. We have a whole series of efforts that we have had to make sure that the testing is getting out through a variety of different channels so that people who may not normally be able to access it in other contexts can get access to tests."
59
Question
Neutral
00:11:57-00:12:01 (4 sec)
"I didn't hear you -- sorry, one last thing -- I didn't hear you say about tests that are expiring."
60
Ashish Jha
Neutral
00:12:01-00:12:02 (1 sec)
"Oh."
61
Question
Neutral
00:12:02-00:12:03 (2 sec)
"I know they must have shelf life."
62
Ashish Jha
Positive
00:12:03-00:12:14 (11 sec)
"Yeah, so, with all these tests we're -- again, this is a standard issue. Anytime you have new products, they have a -- initially they have a specific shelf life, and then as you do more testing, you can extend that shelf life."
63
Ashish Jha
Somewhat Positive
00:12:14-00:12:25 (11 sec)
"So, these companies are working with FDA to look at long shelf life. But obviously, we're always thinking about that, and making sure that they have -- there's plenty of shelf life for these products, as they said, in our stockpiles."
64
Question
Somewhat Positive
00:12:25-00:12:25 ( sec)
"Thank you."
65
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:12:25-00:12:26 (1 sec)
"Go ahead, Karen."
66
Question
Somewhat Positive
00:12:26-00:12:27 (1 sec)
"Thank you, Karine. Are there --"
67
Question
Neutral
00:12:27-00:12:28 (2 sec)
"Dr. Jha, what was the impact of the --"
68
Question
Neutral
00:12:28-00:12:29 ( sec)
"-- any conversations about --"
69
Question
Leans Positive
00:12:29-00:12:30 (1 sec)
"-- Department of Defense --"
70
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:12:30-00:12:31 (1 sec)
"Go ahead, Karen."
71
Question
Neutral
00:12:31-00:12:38 (8 sec)
"Can you talk about second booster shots for under age 50? Are discussions right now about allowing those second booster shots? Are those conversations taking place?"
72
Ashish Jha
Positive
00:12:38-00:12:52 (14 sec)
"You know, so that's a decision of the FDA and CDC. They're always guided by evidence and data on that. All the data that I have seen -- or most of the data I have seen is in people over 50 -- really, in people over 60. That's where the strongest data are."
73
Ashish Jha
Neutral
00:12:52-00:13:00 (8 sec)
"So I think those conversations are always ongoing. But I think the issue of looking at evidence and making a decision, that's really something that the FDA is going to have to think about it."
74
Question
Neutral
00:13:00-00:13:06 (6 sec)
"Do you think where cases are right now, that second booster shot should be authorized for people under age 50?"
75
Ashish Jha
Leans Negative
00:13:06-00:13:15 (9 sec)
"You know, that -- I really do leave that up to FDA to decide based on, kind of, looking at the evidence. So, I -- and I think they should be making that decision."
76
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:13:15-00:13:17 (2 sec)
"All right, last question, Tyler."
77
Question
Very Positive
00:13:17-00:13:29 (12 sec)
"Thank you. Do you feel confident that the U.S. has enough supplies for a potential summer surge? And at this point, what are your current predictions about what might happen in the South in the coming weeks and months?"
78
Ashish Jha
Neutral
00:13:29-00:13:29 (1 sec)
"Supply of?"
79
Question
Positive
00:13:29-00:13:36 (7 sec)
"Vaccines, antiviral treatments, all -- all the various things that are needed to treat COVID."
80
Ashish Jha
Very Positive
00:13:36-00:13:54 (18 sec)
"Yeah, so, because -- because of prior funding, we purchased a decent amount of both vaccines and therapeutics. And so, I am very confident that whatever happens this summer, we will have enough tools, tests, treatments, vaccines to get us through the summer."
81
Ashish Jha
Neutral
00:13:54-00:14:05 (12 sec)
"The challenge is -- and, again, we are in the -- I'm less in the prediction business, more in the planning business. As we plan the fall and winter, and look at a variety of different scenarios, that's where I started getting very, very concerned."
82
Ashish Jha
Slightly Positive
00:14:05-00:14:21 (15 sec)
"And if you want to ask what keeps me awake at night, it is that we are going to run out of vaccines. We're not going to be able to have enough of the next generation of vaccines. We're going to run out of treatments. And we're going to run out of diagnostic tests, probably in the late fall into winter, if we end up having a significant surge of infections."
83
Ashish Jha
Neutral
00:14:21-00:14:26 (5 sec)
"We don't have the resources to buy those things. And those purchases need to be made now. They cannot be made in the fall."
84
Ashish Jha
Negative
00:14:26-00:14:36 (9 sec)
"So if you're wondering what is it that that really worries me -- I think we have the tools for the summer. We will not have the tools for the fall and winter, unless Congress steps up and funds us."
85
Question
Slightly Positive
00:14:36-00:14:49 (14 sec)
"And based on your modeling that you do in the government and with partners outside of it, what is your sense of what this potential surge might look like, both this summer and then when you warn that supplies might now -- in the fall and into the winter?"
86
Ashish Jha
Slightly Positive
00:14:49-00:14:59 (10 sec)
"Yeah, so, there are -- as you know, there are a lot of different models; they all come up with a variety of different answers. And we really look across all of them. And we try to plan across all the ones that we think are reasonable."
87
Ashish Jha
Somewhat Positive
00:14:59-00:15:18 (18 sec)
"There certainly are models out there that suggest that we could have a sizable wave of infections in the fall and winter, especially if we don't have a vaccination campaign in the fall and winter. If we run out of treatments, if we don't have enough diagnostic tests, we could be looking at a more complicated situation."
88
Ashish Jha
Leans Positive
00:15:18-00:15:29 (12 sec)
"So we -- those are -- those are models that we look at. We plan for them. Again, as I said, I generally try not to worry too much about predicting what's going to happen, and really focusing on planning for a variety of scenarios."
89
Ashish Jha
Neutral
00:15:29-00:15:36 (7 sec)
"And given what we have in terms of treatments and vaccines and diagnostics, we do not have enough to get us through the fall and winter."
90
Question
Positive
00:15:36-00:15:54 (18 sec)
"And just one last one on the vaccination campaign you mentioned. Are you preparing that most Americans who are not yet eligible for that third vaccine, you will -- they will be encouraged to get a fourth one in the fall? And with that, will there be a new vaccine or a formula to adapt toward the newer variants that have emerged in recent months?"
91
Ashish Jha
Neutral
00:15:54-00:15:59 (5 sec)
"So there were about three or four questions in there -- embedded in there, all of which are FDA questions. Right?"
92
Ashish Jha
Neutral
00:15:59-00:16:10 (10 sec)
"So let's just -- FDA is going to have to make decisions about: Do we formulate a new vaccine? There's a VRBPAC meeting that's going to happen in late June, I think, to look at exactly that question."
93
Ashish Jha
Positive
00:16:10-00:16:16 (7 sec)
"Based on the data, they're going to make determinations. CDC is going to decide who should get it, who should not. I mean, you guys know the process of how that's going to play out."
94
Question
Somewhat Positive
00:16:16-00:16:21 (5 sec)
"Sure. I'm just wondering, from your vantage point at the White House as the coordinator of all these different agencies, what your expectation would be."
95
Ashish Jha
Somewhat Positive
00:16:21-00:16:41 (20 sec)
"My -- I am planning for all of those scenarios. I am pla- -- we need to -- because, again, we don't get into the -- we don't decide what FDA will decide. We don't decide what CDC will decide. They make those decisions. We need to plan for a variety of different scenarios, including planning for a next generation of vaccines for the fall and winter, which we want to make sure we have plenty of for every American."
96
Ashish Jha
Neutral
00:16:41-00:16:46 (5 sec)
"We will not have enough for every American without additional funding from Congress, but we are planning for those scenarios."
97
Question
Neutral
00:16:46-00:16:51 (4 sec)
"Doctor, do you believe all schools will and must be open this coming fall?"
98
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:16:51-00:16:52 (1 sec)
"We got to go."
99
Ashish Jha
Slightly Positive
00:16:52-00:16:53 (1 sec)
"Yeah, I unfor- --"
100
Question
Neutral
00:16:53-00:16:55 (2 sec)
"Parents want to know that."
101
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:16:55-00:16:56 (1 sec)
"He has to go."
102
Ashish Jha
Neutral
00:16:56-00:16:57 (1 sec)
"I'm sorry."
103
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:16:57-00:16:58 (1 sec)
"We're over time. We're over time."
104
Ashish Jha
Somewhat Positive
00:16:58-00:16:58 ( sec)
"Thank you."
105
Ashish Jha
Neutral
00:16:58-00:16:58 ( sec)
"Sorry."
106
Karine Jean-Pierre
Somewhat Positive
00:16:58-00:16:59 (1 sec)
"Thank you."
107
Question
Positive
00:16:59-00:17:01 (2 sec)
"Doctor Jha, why are more boosted Americans having breakthrough cases than non-boosted?"
108
Karine Jean-Pierre
Slightly Positive
00:17:01-00:17:05 (4 sec)
"All right, guys. I have a few things for you at the top."
109
Karine Jean-Pierre
Leans Positive
00:17:05-00:17:17 (12 sec)
"Okay. So, today, President Biden and Vice President Harris announced the launch of the White House Internship Program and that, for the first time in recent history, we'll pay our interns."
110
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:17:17-00:17:40 (22 sec)
"Since the beginning of his administration, President Biden has committed to advancing equity and opening doors by waiting to launch the White House Internship Program until receiving the statutory authority from Congress to pay interns. President Biden was proud to sign bipartisan legislation earlier this year that provides this authority and funding."
111
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:17:40-00:18:04 (24 sec)
"President Biden and Vice President Harris know that for too long and too often, unpaid federal internships have been a barrier to hardworking and talented students and professionals, preventing many of them from contributing their talents and skills to the country. Paying White House interns will help ensure that those who receive internships at the White House reflect the diversity of America."
112
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:18:04-00:18:26 (22 sec)
"Starting today, prosp- -- prospective candidates, as well as college and university administrators and faculty interested in the program can visit WhiteHouse.gov/intern to learn more about the program and apply for the fall 2022 session starting on Monday."
113
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:18:26-00:18:48 (22 sec)
"As the President conveyed earlier, we welcome the announcement today of a continuation of the truce in the Yemen conflict. The last two months in Yemen, thanks to the truce brokered in April, have been among the most peaceful periods since this terrible war began seven years ago. Thousands of lives have been saved as fighting receded."
114
Karine Jean-Pierre
Slightly Positive
00:18:48-00:19:15 (27 sec)
"For the first time in seven years, Yemenis are able to fly from Sana'a to destinations outside of Yemen. We have also seen additional fuel ships moving through the Port of Hudaydah, helping ease Yemen's fuel crisis. The parties to the conflict have now extended this truce for another two months, and it's important that work -- that we work from here to make it permanent."
115
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:19:15-00:19:49 (34 sec)
"This truce would not happen -- has -- if it was not -- it would not be possible without cooperation -- the cooperative diplomacy from across the region. We specifically recognize the leadership of King Salman and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia in helping to consolidate the truce. The Omani Sultan also played a central role in hosting and facilitating dialogue. Egypt and Jordan opened their airports to flights from Yemen over the past month, thereby enabling a key component of the truce process."
116
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:19:49-00:20:20 (31 sec)
"The United States will remain engaged in this process over the coming weeks and months. Ending the war in Yemen has been a priority of this administration, and we urge all parties to move expeditiously towards a comprehensive and inclusive peace process. Our diplomacy will not rest until a permanent settlement is in place, and we will continue to support regional diplomacy to de-escalation tensions -- to de-escalate tensions and deter threats to our friends and partners in the Middle East region."
117
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:20:20-00:20:43 (23 sec)
"As the President continues to prioritize reducing costs for families, making historic investments in our infrastructure is a critical component to strengthening our supply chains, moving people and goods more effectively, and ultimately lowering costs of everyday items. This is part of transitioning to stable and steady economic growth for the years ahead."
118
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:20:43-00:21:04 (21 sec)
"Today, the Biden administration announced over $368 million in grants to modernize and improve rail infrastructure across the country, and Secretary Buttigieg is in Michigan and Mitch Landrieu is in North Carolina to highlight the impact these investments will have on local economies and regional supply chains."
119
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:21:04-00:21:31 (27 sec)
"Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we will see funding triple for the critical rail infrastructure program to $1 billion a year for the next five years, which will help strengthen critical links in the -- in our supply chains that were weakened by the pandemic. This investment will allow -- will allow trains to get goods to market faster and cheaper and make it easier for Americans to travel where they need to go."
120
Karine Jean-Pierre
Slightly Positive
00:21:31-00:21:35 (4 sec)
"Two final important announcements that I wanted to make here."
121
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:21:35-00:21:47 (12 sec)
"As you may know, our dear Amanda Finney is leaving us. Though her official title is "Chief of Staff," Jen long ago gave her the honor -- the title of "Mayor of the West Wing." [Laughter]"
122
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:21:47-00:22:01 (14 sec)
"If you know her, and I know many of you do and adore her as we do, you know that Amanda shines thanks to her charisma, her humor, and ability to simply get things done."
123
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:22:01-00:22:09 (8 sec)
"Whether it's leading our team of wranglers or hiring the best of the best to join our team, I don't know where we would be without Mayor Finney."
124
Karine Jean-Pierre
Slightly Positive
00:22:09-00:22:16 (8 sec)
"She is leaving us to serve as Deputy Director of Public Affairs at the Energy Department, and they're so, so lucky to have her."
125
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:22:16-00:22:27 (11 sec)
"Amanda has been the heart and soul of this team, and she will be truly missed. We love you, Finney. And we wish you the absolute best. And, "what a time," as you would say."
126
Amanda Finney
Neutral
00:22:27-00:22:29 (1 sec)
"What a time."
127
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:22:29-00:22:29 (1 sec)
"What a time."
128
Amanda Finney
Neutral
00:22:29-00:22:30 (1 sec)
"What a time."
129
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:22:30-00:22:35 (5 sec)
"What a time. Amazing. [Laughter]"
130
Question
Neutral
00:22:35-00:22:35 ( sec)
"[Inaudible]"
131
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:22:35-00:22:40 (5 sec)
"We get that a lot. Amanda-isms."
132
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:22:40-00:23:03 (23 sec)
"Okay. One last announcement I want to make. Brittany came into our team very recently -- actually, six months. It feels recently, but it's been six months. We will be bidding her farewell. Our dear Brittany Caplin, who is returning back to the Department of Commerce after completing her rotation as Assistant Press Secretary here in our office."
133
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:23:03-00:23:16 (13 sec)
"Brittany's kindness, professionalism, and know- -- know-how have been apparent from day one. She is one of the nicest people that I know, and she has become an integral -- integral part of the -- of this team since then."
134
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:23:16-00:23:34 (18 sec)
"Stepping into the White House -- White -- the West Wing Press Office and taking on tough topics like the 5G -- you guys remember that -- and corporate mergers is no small challenge, as she knows. But Brittany has done so, so much, earning praise and respect from across the White House."
135
Karine Jean-Pierre
Somewhat Positive
00:23:34-00:23:52 (18 sec)
"Brittany will be returning to Commerce, as I just mentioned, at the -- at the repeated insistence of Secretary Gina Raimondo. I have a story I'll tell you maybe at drinks. I've told Brittany this story about how I was told by Gina to make sure to return Brittany to her many times."
136
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:23:52-00:24:08 (16 sec)
"Anyway. And why -- and it's abundantly clear to anyone who has worked with you, Brittany, how amazing and how much of a star you are. And it's -- it's been exciting to see your accomplishments. And thank you so much for spending six months with us."
137
Karine Jean-Pierre
Somewhat Positive
00:24:08-00:24:16 (8 sec)
"I know. Every day -- every day, I'm going to be give -- doing these little goodbyes, but I promise we will have a press shop. [Laughter] Not everyone is leaving."
138
Karine Jean-Pierre
Positive
00:24:16-00:24:22 (6 sec)
"Let me make sure I went through everything. And that is it. You want to take -- you want to kick us off?"
139
Question
Positive
00:24:22-00:24:33 (11 sec)
"Terrific. I have -- I have two questions. On the speech tonight, I'm wondering why there's reason to believe that things will be different in Congress, given that we haven't seen action repeatedly?"
140
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Negative
00:24:33-00:25:00 (27 sec)
"So, let me just say, as you guys know, the President is going to give a speech this evening at 7:30. He's going to renew his call for action to stop the epidemic of gun violence that we've seen in Uvalde and in Tulsa and in Bu- -- and Buffalo in just a few short weeks. And in too many communities across the country, we see gun violence tearing up our communities, tearing up families."
141
Karine Jean-Pierre
Slightly Negative
00:25:00-00:25:13 (12 sec)
"And so, reducing gun violence has been a top priority of this president since his first day of office and throughout his career as a senator, as a vice president and, clearly, as a president."
142
Karine Jean-Pierre
Somewhat Positive
00:25:13-00:25:34 (22 sec)
"He has been crystal clear that Congress needs to act. The President has done more through executive action, as you've heard us say, than any other president in th- -- in his first year -- in their first year in history. And the President has directed his staff to continue to explore additional actions we can take. But we can't do this alone, and it's time for Congress to act."
143
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:25:34-00:25:36 (2 sec)
"Your second question?"
144
Question
Leans Positive
00:25:36-00:25:46 (10 sec)
"Okay. On vaccines for -- for those under five, can you tell us: Is the President satisfied with the -- the pace of the FDA review process? You know, we've already had questions about the frustration among parents."
145
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:25:46-00:26:08 (22 sec)
"Yeah, I mean, Dr. Jha talked about this and the frustration of parents. And we know parents are incredibly eager to get this done. And, you know, FDA is working rigorously through this process. And it's an independent scie- -- scientific process, so we do leave it to them. And it is the FDA authorization to get this done."
146
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:26:08-00:26:27 (19 sec)
"But we know many parents are eager to vaccinate their youngest kids. It's important to do this right, to do this in a safe way, as Dr. Jha was talking about. And so -- but the most important thing that we want to make sure we come across, which is why we had Dr. Jha here, is that the administration is preparing, we are prepared."
147
Karine Jean-Pierre
Somewhat Positive
00:26:27-00:26:40 (12 sec)
"We're working with states, local health departments, pediatricians, family doctors, other health providers, and pharmacies to get ready, as we did with kids that -- between 5 -- 5 and 11."
148
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:26:40-00:26:47 (8 sec)
"So we want to make sure that we get this done swiftly, but also safely and, you know, so -- you know, follow CDC recommendation."
149
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:26:47-00:26:49 (2 sec)
"Go ahead, Mary."
150
Question
Very Positive
00:26:49-00:27:04 (15 sec)
"Yesterday, you noted that the President, given his history in the Senate, knows well how negotiations over gun reform work. And that -- you know, that giving talks a little bit of space, you think, is sometimes, you know, a good strategy, that that can help members come to common ground and work through some of these issues."
151
Question
Positive
00:27:04-00:27:17 (13 sec)
"But that hasn't worked in the past, not on this issue -- right? -- given what we've seen in the past. So why pursue that same strategy now if it hasn't worked? Why not have the President play a more direct role in these negotiations now?"
152
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Negative
00:27:17-00:27:55 (38 sec)
"So, I mean, look, the President has been very involved and very direct. And he has done it multiple times throughout the -- this past year and a half, year and six months now. And he's done it at his first joint address; he made sure that he talked about gun violence and made that a priority in that speech. He did it in the Rose Garden, when he announced some executive actions on a comprehensive plan from here, from the federal government, from the White House on how to deal with gun violence and do what we can. He did that in the State of the Union and made sure that was -- gun violence was a priority."
153
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:27:55-00:28:03 (8 sec)
"So he's been involved. He's been engaged. As you just stated, he's been doing this all -- for a good -- you know, a good part of his career."
154
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Negative
00:28:03-00:28:20 (17 sec)
"And I stated this yesterday, but our legislative team has been in close contact with the Hill since the tragedies in Uvalde and Buffalo, including through dozens of phone calls with leadership committees, with jurisdiction, and with the members who are involved directly in negotiations."
155
Karine Jean-Pierre
Positive
00:28:20-00:28:37 (17 sec)
"Look, he's encouraged. He's encouraged by what we're seeing on the Hill. You know, this is the first time in a very long time that we have seen this type of bipartisanship. And -- and he's done this before, as I mentioned. You know, he has beat the gun lobby before."
156
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:28:37-00:28:57 (20 sec)
"And so, tonight, you'll hear from him. It'll be basically making sure that he's still -- his voice is out there and calling to action and making sure that, you know, the American people know that he is -- he is still continuing to speak on their behalf and making sure that, you know, we get some action taken."
157
Question
Slightly Positive
00:28:57-00:29:04 (7 sec)
"You note the legislative team is making the calls, is, you know, obviously playing a central role in these negotiations. But why isn't the President picking up the phone and making those calls?"
158
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:29:04-00:29:20 (16 sec)
"Like I said, he wants to give it some space. And he's had conversations in the past with groups. He's had conversations with congressional members in the past -- in this past a year and a half on -- on making -- on -- being very clear on Congress acting."
159
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:29:20-00:29:27 (7 sec)
"He's going to take this opportunity today at 7:30 this evening, as I just said, so that the American public could hear him directly."
160
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Negative
00:29:27-00:29:47 (19 sec)
"But we have to remember: The things that we are calling for -- when you think about -- you know, when you think about background checks, expanding that; when you think about, you know, banning assault weapons -- these are items that are incredibly popular with the very constituencies that these congressional members represent."
161
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:29:47-00:30:01 (15 sec)
"When you look at -- when you look at even NRA members, when you look at Republican voters out there, Americans out there, these are -- these are issues and items that we're talking about that should be easy. It should not be difficult to do."
162
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:30:01-00:30:14 (13 sec)
"We're trying to save our kids. We're trying to save families. We're trying to make it safe for people to go to grocery stores, so our kids could go to elementary school or to school. And so this is what the President is calling for."
163
Question
Neutral
00:30:14-00:30:25 (11 sec)
"And just one more on this. You've said you're looking into possible additional executive actions that the President might take. Do you have a sense of how long that process may take, when we might learn what options are on the table?"
164
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:30:25-00:30:38 (12 sec)
"So, the President said this -- and not just myself, but he said this -- that we can take -- we're going to take executive action where we can, and we're continuing to explore new -- new steps, we can build on what we've already done."
165
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Negative
00:30:38-00:31:13 (35 sec)
"I just want to make sure people also know what we've done, which is stemming the flow of ghost guns, which are the weapon of choice of many terrorists and criminals, and which are increasingly being found at crime scenes; cracking down on gun trafficking, including through a zero-tolerance policy for gun dealers willfully selling firearms illegally; as well as DOJ's gun trafficking strike forces around the country; and giving cities and states historic funding to keep cops on the beat and fund -- and fund gun violence prevention programs. We announced $10 billion so far with more money on the way."
166
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Negative
00:31:13-00:31:26 (13 sec)
"Look, we have a team of 13 policy staff working on gun violence at the White House. In addition, numerous staff across agencies. And we're constantly -- constantly looking for -- for what else we can do."
167
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:31:26-00:31:33 (7 sec)
"But again, tonight's speech is going to focus on what Congress needs to do and Congress action because the President cannot do this alone."
168
Question
Very Positive
00:31:33-00:31:41 (8 sec)
"Is he going to outline specific actions that he'd like to see, Karine, like you mentioned the background checks? What's he going to say in terms of specifics?"
169
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:31:41-00:31:53 (12 sec)
"I don't want to get ahead of the President. But he's going to make sure that he continues his call to action when it comes to Congress. And I don't want to get ahead of the President. But he'll be very clear, and you'll hear from him directly."
170
Question
Very Positive
00:31:53-00:31:58 (5 sec)
"What role did the U.S. play in persuading both OPEC-Plus to increase capacity?"
171
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:31:58-00:32:14 (16 sec)
"That is a decision that O- -- OPEC-Plus makes on their own. That is not something that we decide on or that we are involved in. As you know, you've heard us say this before, but we welcome -- we do welcome the announcement today."
172
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:32:14-00:32:32 (17 sec)
"And, you know, we welcome the important decision that OPEC-Plus made to increase supply by more than 200,000 barrels per day in July and August, based on -- on new market conditions. That's the analysis that they make. Right? That's not -- that's for them, again, to decide."
173
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:32:32-00:32:44 (13 sec)
"This announcement brings forward the monthly production increase that was previously planned to take place in September. You know, the United States will continue to use all tools at our disposal to address energy -- energy prices measures."
174
Question
Positive
00:32:44-00:32:52 (8 sec)
"Secondly, does this development, coupled with the extension of the Yemen ceasefire, increase the chances that the President will visit Saudi Arabia?"
175
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:32:52-00:33:14 (22 sec)
"I don't have anything for you. We don't have anything for you on any -- any trip or plan for the President, or any trip to announce today. But I can assure you that what the President is focused on, first and foremost, is how his engagements with foreign leaders advance American interests. That is -- that's as true with Saudi Arabia as anywhere else."
176
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:33:14-00:33:30 (17 sec)
"Just as he has engaged recently with leaders of ASEAN in Asia and this week with the Summit of the Americas as it's coming up next week in Los Angeles, the President will look for opportunities to engage with leaders from the Middle East region. And I just have nothing to announce for you today."
177
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:33:30-00:33:31 (1 sec)
"Go ahead."
178
Question
Slightly Positive
00:33:31-00:33:40 (9 sec)
"Thanks, Karine, I have a question on formula, but just to follow up -- so, can you say whether or not the President will call for anything new tonight when it comes to guns and what he wants to see Congress do?"
179
Karine Jean-Pierre
Slightly Positive
00:33:40-00:33:54 (13 sec)
"I mean, his focus is going to be on -- on making sure and calling -- calling to -- asking Congress to take action because he cannot do this alone. I do not want to get ahead of the President's speech. Everyone will hear from him at 7:30."
180
Question
Neutral
00:33:54-00:33:58 (4 sec)
"But he won't talk about any specific action that he wants to see Congress take besides --"
181
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:33:58-00:33:58 (1 sec)
"I'm not going --"
182
Question
Neutral
00:33:58-00:34:00 (1 sec)
"-- generally passing something?"
183
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Negative
00:34:00-00:34:26 (26 sec)
"Well, we've talked about that. We've talked about the actions that he wants to see taken. I've just spoke about them, which is a expand -- expanding background checks. He's talked about that. We talked about red flags laws as well. We have talked about banning assault weapons. These are items that the President has been very clear on; has talked about; and also -- also, when you think about this -- the banning assault weapons -- has led on, especially when he was a senator."
184
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Negative
00:34:26-00:34:34 (8 sec)
"So that's -- that is not new. We have made that very clear in all of the remarks and speeches that he has done on gun violence in the past year and a half."
185
Question
Neutral
00:34:34-00:34:35 (1 sec)
"Just this time around, I meant, specifically."
186
Question
Neutral
00:34:35-00:34:42 (7 sec)
"But on the executive actions, you said, you were exploring what he can still do, what still is left. Have you identified anything specific that he can still do?"
187
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:34:42-00:34:51 (9 sec)
"I don't have anything to announce. And -- but the President has said himself, we're going to explore where we can to see what else we can do on executive actions."
188
Question
Neutral
00:34:51-00:34:52 ( sec)
"But nothing imminent?"
189
Karine Jean-Pierre
Slightly Positive
00:34:52-00:34:53 (2 sec)
"Yeah, I don't have anything imminent to announce."
190
Question
Slightly Negative
00:34:53-00:35:04 (10 sec)
"And on formula: Did the President have any conversations with any Cabinet Secretaries or the FDA commissioner once he was confirmed in February about the formula shortage before April?"
191
Karine Jean-Pierre
Negative
00:35:04-00:35:30 (26 sec)
"I don't have any meetings to read out specifically on that for you. Look, you know, as -- as more -- as you all know, the President spoke to -- to this yesterday: As more abnormalities were seen in supply and sales started to decrease in April -- you know, because people have asked about this -- senior White House staff made -- made the President aware of the problem, and this was in April. I don't have any calls to read out for you."
192
Question
Neutral
00:35:30-00:35:32 (2 sec)
"Which senior White House staff made the President aware?"
193
Karine Jean-Pierre
Slightly Negative
00:35:32-00:36:00 (27 sec)
"I -- so, as you know, the President deals with issues on a regular basis and that -- that boils up to him. And it's just an -- there's no specific person that I can call out to you. But it's the regular way that we -- we move forward through the regular channels. I don't have a specific person. But that's -- that's kind of how it goes on any issue, not just this one. It goes through regular channels, and senior -- senior White House staff usually brief him on different issues."
194
Question
Slightly Positive
00:36:00-00:36:02 (2 sec)
"Okay."
195
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:36:02-00:36:02 ( sec)
"Go ahead."
196
Question
Very Positive
00:36:02-00:36:16 (14 sec)
"Yeah, thanks. The speech tonight wasn't on the schedule originally when the day began. Was there something specific that prompted the President to want to speak tonight? Was it the shooting yesterday in Tulsa, or was he trying to say remarks before he went out of town for a couple of days?"
197
Karine Jean-Pierre
Slightly Negative
00:36:16-00:36:45 (29 sec)
"No, the President has been wanting to have an opportunity to speak to the American people about this epidemic that we're seeing with gun violence. He wanted to make sure that, again, there was space -- there was space for negotiations, giving space in Congress to the folks who are leading that conversation. And he just felt tonight was the right time to do that. But he has -- he had been wanting to -- to make these co- -- to have this -- this speech."
198
Question
Neutral
00:36:45-00:36:55 (10 sec)
"Just to clarify, I know you haven't disclosed exactly what he's going to say tonight that he wants out of legislation from Congress. But is he going to specify exactly what he wants?"
199
Karine Jean-Pierre
Leans Negative
00:36:55-00:36:57 (2 sec)
"No, but he has. I mean --"
200
Question
Positive
00:36:57-00:36:59 (1 sec)
"Well, okay. So that's what he wants, though?"
201
Karine Jean-Pierre
Slightly Positive
00:36:59-00:36:59 (1 sec)
"Yeah, I mean --"
202
Question
Neutral
00:36:59-00:37:01 (1 sec)
"So that will be what he talks about tonight?"
203
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Negative
00:37:01-00:37:29 (29 sec)
"Well, I'm just saying that he has laid out what he wants from Congress. He's been very clear. He did that at the State of the Union, most recently. He did that during the -- the -- his comments when we talked about the executive actions for gun violence to -- to reform -- to comprehensive gun violence recently during the Rose Garden; his first joint Congress -- address to Congress. So he's done it many times, calling for Congress to act. And he's listed it out."
204
Question
Neutral
00:37:29-00:37:31 (1 sec)
"So why would he give another speech?"
205
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:37:31-00:37:39 (9 sec)
"Because he wants to make sure that the American -- that his voice is still out there, and that the American people know that he's fighting for them and speaking for them."
206
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:37:39-00:37:48 (9 sec)
"So this isn't -- this is, as we have said many times, this is a priority for the President. And so, this is what we're going to see this evening. That's why we're doing it at this time."
207
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:37:48-00:37:49 (1 sec)
"Go ahead."
208
Question
Neutral
00:37:49-00:37:52 (3 sec)
"Karine, so on -- continuing on that topic."
209
Karine Jean-Pierre
Slightly Positive
00:37:52-00:37:52 ( sec)
"Yeah."
210
Question
Very Negative
00:37:52-00:38:04 (12 sec)
"I'm still a little confused. So, on the one hand, you've said that he is -- he supports and wants an assault weapons ban, universal background checks, and red-flag laws."
211
Question
Very Negative
00:38:04-00:38:24 (20 sec)
"That's not the conversation that's largely going on up on the Hill. The Hill -- to the extent that there are discussions, you know, members on both sides have said they are not engaged in active negotiations over an assault weapons ban or universal background checks. They're -- it is much more modest than that."
212
Question
Very Negative
00:38:24-00:38:51 (27 sec)
"So, I guess the question that -- that we're all asking is: Is he going to -- and I think you've used the word "renew" at the beginning -- is he going to repeat his demand that Congress pass an ab- -- a, you know, universal background check bill, a ban on assault weapons, and red-flag laws? Or is he going to lend his voice to the more modest gun control efforts that are actually underway on Capitol Hill?"
213
Question
Neutral
00:38:51-00:38:56 (6 sec)
"Those are two different things, and I don't know that you can -- you can do both at the same time."
214
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:38:56-00:38:57 ( sec)
"I --"
215
Question
Slightly Negative
00:38:57-00:39:02 (5 sec)
"Or maybe -- or maybe you can just do one and say, "But if that doesn't happen, I'm happy with the other one," maybe?"
216
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Negative
00:39:02-00:39:33 (31 sec)
"I -- I guess -- I -- we think we can do both at the same time. Right? The President has been very clear in laying out his key priorities. He has done that for a year and a half: expand background checks to keep guns out of the hands of criminals; renew our ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazine; pass a red-flag law, which, by the way, is being talked about -- right? -- in Congress; confirm Steve Dettel- -- Dettelbach to lead ATF -- that is something that we have talked about, and Congress is dealing with that. And we are very optimistic that he will be confirmed."
217
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:39:33-00:39:37 (4 sec)
"So those are -- just listed out a couple of things that are very much a reality."
218
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:39:37-00:39:50 (13 sec)
"Look, the President has been very clear: Congress needs to act. They should pass legislation so the President can sign it into law. We are seeing something right now that is encouraging. The process is still happening. Negotiation is still happening."
219
Karine Jean-Pierre
Leans Positive
00:39:50-00:40:01 (11 sec)
"We do not know what it's ultimately going to look like, but that doesn't mean that the President can't call out his key priorities. That doesn't mean that the President can't list out what he thinks is needed to -- that needs to happen so that we can actually deal with this epidemic."
220
Question
Leans Negative
00:40:01-00:40:04 (3 sec)
"But so we should expect him to repeat that demand for those --"
221
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:40:04-00:40:05 (1 sec)
"I -- he's repeated it many times. I think -- I think --"
222
Question
Neutral
00:40:05-00:40:07 (1 sec)
"I -- I know he's repeated it in the past."
223
Karine Jean-Pierre
Slightly Positive
00:40:07-00:40:09 (2 sec)
"Well, what I'm saying is I don't want to --"
224
Question
Neutral
00:40:09-00:40:10 (2 sec)
"I'm asking about tonight for the --"
225
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:40:10-00:40:12 (2 sec)
"-- I don't want to get ahead of what the President --"
226
Question
Neutral
00:40:12-00:40:13 (1 sec)
"But you just have gotten ahead of him. You --"
227
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Negative
00:40:13-00:40:24 (11 sec)
"No, but -- no. I -- I haven't. I said he's going to call Congress into action. He has talked about these things over and over and over again. The President is going to speak for himself. That is all."
228
Karine Jean-Pierre
Somewhat Positive
00:40:24-00:40:36 (12 sec)
"We've said this before. When you guys have asked us, "Can you please give us a preview on the speech?" Many times, we say, "Let -- we want the President to speak for himself." That is not new. That is not new here. That is exactly what I'm saying."
229
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:40:36-00:40:39 (2 sec)
"But you know his key priorities; he's been talking about them."
230
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:40:39-00:40:39 ( sec)
"Go ahead."
231
Question
Very Positive
00:40:39-00:40:55 (16 sec)
"I just had a question we are -- more here on strategy. You said the past couple of days that the President wanted to give space for Congress to work through the negotiations on their own and that he would only get involved when he felt he would be helpful. Tonight, he's giving a speech in primetime."
232
Karine Jean-Pierre
Slightly Positive
00:40:55-00:40:56 (1 sec)
"Yeah."
233
Question
Negative
00:40:56-00:41:11 (16 sec)
"Does he think it's now time for him to be helpful in these negotiations? Or is there a risk that his insertion into this moment could be potentially counterproductive and hurt the ongoing negotiation that doesn't --"
234
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:41:11-00:41:11 ( sec)
"I mean --"
235
Question
Neutral
00:41:11-00:41:12 (1 sec)
"-- seem to be finalized yet?"
236
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:41:12-00:41:35 (22 sec)
"Look, it's a good question. We have -- our Office of Leg Affairs has been in close consultation with the negotiators on the Hill. So they are -- they were aware that we are -- that the President is going to give these remarks. We -- they -- we talked to them. We had consultation with them. We consulted with them about giving these remarks. So that is not an issue. That is not a problem."
237
Karine Jean-Pierre
Somewhat Positive
00:41:35-00:41:43 (9 sec)
"The President wanted to make sure that the American people heard from him directly. This is a speech that he has been wanting to make, and that's what he's going to do this evening."
238
Question
Slightly Positive
00:41:43-00:41:49 (6 sec)
"And so, there is careful consideration here about what he might say to not interfere with an ongoing negotiation?"
239
Karine Jean-Pierre
Slightly Negative
00:41:49-00:41:58 (9 sec)
"No, I'm not saying that. I'm not -- that's not what I'm saying. I'm saying that the President is going to use this opportunity to speak directly to the American people. That's what he's going to do tonight."
240
Question
Positive
00:41:58-00:42:10 (12 sec)
"And just one more on baby formula. I know you got a lot of questions about this yesterday. I'm wondering if you had an opportunity to speak with the President since his comments yesterday, when he said he was not informed about the situation until May."
241
Question
Very Negative
00:42:10-00:42:35 (25 sec)
"Is there -- is he -- has he expressed any disappointment in his staff for not bringing the issue to him earlier? Are there any concerns about the information flow in the White House that -- given the manufacturers told him very directly they knew this would be a problem in February and he didn't know about it until months later, has he expressed concern about that gap and how that squares with the whole-of-government approach you outlined yesterday?"
242
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:42:35-00:42:48 (13 sec)
"So, just so that we take a little bit of a step back -- you know, Abbott is a major manufacturer and has been clear to the American people that they had shortcomings. They -- they made that clear very, very recently."
243
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:42:48-00:42:57 (9 sec)
"The FDA administrator has spoken to this as well. He said the FDA moved too slow, and it has asked Steve Solomon to lead a review into what happened."
244
Karine Jean-Pierre
Somewhat Positive
00:42:57-00:43:06 (9 sec)
"The White House took urgent actions as it became clear a shortage emerged and existing actions were not so sufficing."
245
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:43:06-00:43:25 (19 sec)
"It's hard to understand the scales of actions: DPA, at a historical pace; Operation Fly Formula, expe- -- expediting timelines for millions of bottles from three to four weeks, to 72 hours -- these are incredibly important of what we were able to do; and 80 million safe bottles being imported and counting."
246
Karine Jean-Pierre
Somewhat Positive
00:43:25-00:43:39 (14 sec)
"We understand that there's more work to be done. We understand what families are feeling. But this is -- we have to remember how this started. We have to also remember what the FDA Administrator said as well. He has spoken to this."
247
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:43:39-00:43:44 (4 sec)
"And so, this is -- you know, this is something that we're going to continue to work on."
248
Question
Negative
00:43:44-00:43:52 (8 sec)
"Right. But that doesn't answer the question about when the President was informed and whether or not he is satisfied with his staff not telling him about what has become a major problem --"
249
Karine Jean-Pierre
Slightly Positive
00:43:52-00:43:52 (1 sec)
"Well, he spoke --"
250
Question
Neutral
00:43:52-00:43:53 (1 sec)
"-- for two months."
251
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:43:53-00:43:58 (5 sec)
"He spoke to when he was informed -- that's his -- he spoke to that yesterday -- which was in April."
252
Karine Jean-Pierre
Negative
00:43:58-00:44:14 (16 sec)
"And you're asking me about the process and is he disappointed? Look, again, I'm telling you, the Administrator of FDA spoke to this. They moved too slowly. He -- and said that Steve Solomon is going to lead an after-action review on what happened."
253
Karine Jean-Pierre
Leans Negative
00:44:14-00:44:29 (15 sec)
"And when the shortages emerged and actions by the FDA and USDA did not suffice to prevent any consumer impact, the White House led urgent -- an urgent, emergency, administrative-wide action with FDA -- Fly Formula, as I just mentioned."
254
Question
Neutral
00:44:29-00:44:32 (3 sec)
"But that's the FDA Administrator; that's not the President. Those are two different individuals."
255
Karine Jean-Pierre
Positive
00:44:32-00:44:49 (18 sec)
"No, but I'm telling you the process. I'm telling you what happened. I'm telling you that the FDA moved too slowly. I'm telling you that this happened on the side of Abbott. And this -- what FDA tried to do at first was they -- they -- they called out Abbott for safety concerns. Right?"
256
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:44:49-00:44:59 (10 sec)
"The most important thing here is that we have -- we have -- we have to make sure that babies have fa- -- safe formula. We have to make sure that American families feel comfortable."
257
Karine Jean-Pierre
Leans Positive
00:44:59-00:45:04 (5 sec)
"So, FDA did their part here. But he also admitted that they moved too slowly."
258
Karine Jean-Pierre
Slightly Positive
00:45:04-00:45:11 (8 sec)
"And once we saw that the supplies were not meeting the demand, we acted. We took urgent action."
259
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:45:11-00:45:18 (6 sec)
"So that is the -- that is the way that it happened. That is the way the timeline was laid out."
260
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:45:18-00:45:25 (7 sec)
"And so that is -- I'm -- you may not like my answer, but that is the way that we see it -- in answering your question there."
261
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:45:25-00:45:25 (1 sec)
"Go ahead."
262
Question
Neutral
00:45:25-00:45:42 (17 sec)
"Is the President expecting his audience tonight should include those negotiators who are working on -- members of Congress who are working on this? Is he directly trying to speak to them? Or are you saying his audience is the broader public?"
263
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:45:42-00:45:58 (16 sec)
"I think -- look, I -- I think the -- the speech that he's making -- yes, it's to the American public; why we're -- we're having -- making sure that we're having it this evening so they can hear directly to the -- to the American people. But it's also a call to action for Con- -- to Congress as well."
264
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:45:58-00:46:20 (22 sec)
"You know, but, again, we have been in constant communication -- dozens of calls have been made -- with members in Congress, including negotiators from the Office of Leg Affairs, and that has been happening for the past couple of weeks. So we have been communicating with them and making sure that we -- you know, we get a sense of what's happening and how we can be helpful."
265
Question
Neutral
00:46:20-00:46:25 (4 sec)
"And have you read the remarks yet? Have you seen the President's text?"
266
Karine Jean-Pierre
Slightly Positive
00:46:25-00:46:38 (13 sec)
"I've seen -- I've seen a draft of the remarks. But, again, this is for the President to speak to. He is -- I do not want to get ahead of what he is going to share with the American public and what message he wants to send."
267
Question
Very Positive
00:46:38-00:46:57 (20 sec)
"I think part -- following up on what Michael said is, I'm trying to get a sense of if the President is trying to help close a deal and get something accomplished with Congress or if he is going to restate what he could say on any day -- a position he's held for decades -- or if he is trying to get this moment to produce a legislative result?"
268
Question
Very Negative
00:46:57-00:47:07 (10 sec)
"Because, really, nobody is talking about banning assault weapons on Capitol Hill at the moment. So, is he going to speak more to the specific elements that they are currently negotiating?"
269
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Negative
00:47:07-00:47:26 (19 sec)
"So, when it comes to right now, as you all are asking me, look, the President has defeated the gun lobby before. He is the one who was able to pass an assault weapons ban and who was able to help shepherd the legislation that put in place the federal system of background checks. So, he understands how this process works."
270
Karine Jean-Pierre
Leans Positive
00:47:26-00:47:36 (10 sec)
"The President is continuing to press Congress to act and he's giving them the room they need to find common ground, but he can still speak to this and speak to the American people."
271
Karine Jean-Pierre
Leans Negative
00:47:36-00:47:57 (21 sec)
"But as -- as we have said, the President is going to continue to stay closely engaged on this to speak out. And he's going to use his bully pulpit, which is what he's doing this evening, to press for action, just as he's done throughout his presidency -- just as we've done at the State of the Union earlier this year, just as he's done when he did his first joint address to Congress, and he's done this many times."
272
Karine Jean-Pierre
Leans Positive
00:47:57-00:48:08 (10 sec)
"And so, this is just another opportunity to use the bully pulpit to talk about the actions that he wants to see and also just talk directly to the American people. He thinks this is an important moment to do that."
273
Question
Neutral
00:48:08-00:48:27 (19 sec)
"And can we ask you to go back on the issue of who briefed the President on baby formula? To say there was no specific person is not a satisfactory answer. When you have senior assistants to the President, there's a paper trail, I'm sure, about briefings to the President. There's a Domestic Policy Council. There's a Chief of Staff."
274
Question
Neutral
00:48:27-00:48:31 (5 sec)
"At some point, we need to know who would have been the most likely person to talk to him about that."
275
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:48:31-00:48:36 (5 sec)
"I think what I'm trying to say is there's so many issues that come up that is presented to the President --"
276
Question
Somewhat Positive
00:48:36-00:48:37 ( sec)
"Certainly."
277
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:48:37-00:48:38 (1 sec)
"-- as you know."
278
Question
Neutral
00:48:38-00:48:38 (1 sec)
"We do know that."
279
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:48:38-00:48:45 (6 sec)
"You've covered -- you've covered many administrations. And there are just regular channels that that happen that go to the President."
280
Question
Somewhat Positive
00:48:45-00:48:56 (11 sec)
"It looks like it's evasive to not have the most senior people in the White House willing to say, "I had a conversation with the President about it" or "I had... " or "We talked about it in this context or that context.""
281
Question
Slightly Positive
00:48:56-00:49:10 (14 sec)
"And we're also all reporting on the consumer side of it -- of what you're doing, putting out and trying to get information. But we're also trying to understand the information flow in this White House, and it's important for us to get that answer, which is why we're going to keep asking it until we get that answer."
282
Karine Jean-Pierre
Slightly Negative
00:49:10-00:49:12 (3 sec)
"No, you have every right to keep asking. That's why I'm here."
283
Karine Jean-Pierre
Positive
00:49:12-00:49:27 (15 sec)
"Look, really, Kelly O., he's briefed on countless priorities. He is the President of the United States. There are regular channels. He is briefed by his senior White House staff. And that is just the process that we have."
284
Question
Neutral
00:49:27-00:49:28 (1 sec)
"So, should we assume it's the Chief of Staff then?"
285
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:49:28-00:49:43 (15 sec)
"I'm -- I'm not going to confirm who it was; I'm just letting you know that there are regular channels that we use, and, you know, it's senior -- again, senior White House staff that elevate issues to him when the time comes. And they're just regular channels."
286
Karine Jean-Pierre
Slightly Positive
00:49:43-00:49:46 (3 sec)
"And that's -- that's what I have for you to share there."
287
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:49:46-00:49:46 ( sec)
"Go ahead."
288
Question
Positive
00:49:46-00:49:47 (1 sec)
"Thanks, Karine."
289
Karine Jean-Pierre
Slightly Positive
00:49:47-00:49:47 ( sec)
"Yeah."
290
Question
Very Negative
00:49:47-00:49:56 (9 sec)
"Thanks, Karine. If the President thinks that Congress must act immediately to end this epidemic of gun violence, is he going to bring any of the key players from Capitol Hill to the beach with him tonight?"
291
Karine Jean-Pierre
Slightly Positive
00:49:56-00:50:01 (4 sec)
"Oh, okay. So, I don't have any --"
292
Question
Neutral
00:50:01-00:50:08 (7 sec)
"But wasn't a big part of candidate Biden's whole thing that he "knows how to get things done with Congress"?"
293
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Negative
00:50:08-00:50:10 (2 sec)
"He does. He does. I mean, he's beaten the gun lobby before. He has. But --"
294
Question
Neutral
00:50:10-00:50:13 (3 sec)
"Then why not invite these lawmakers who maybe haven't beat the gun law --"
295
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:50:13-00:50:14 ( sec)
"But -- but it's not --"
296
Question
Neutral
00:50:14-00:50:15 (1 sec)
"-- and say, "This is how it's done"?"
297
Karine Jean-Pierre
Somewhat Negative
00:50:15-00:50:23 (8 sec)
"But it's not "his thing"; it's actually fact. We saw he did that in the Senate during his Congress days -- that he beat the gun lobby. Look, I --"
298
Question
Somewhat Positive
00:50:23-00:50:31 (8 sec)
"I'm agreeing with you that he has a lot of legislative experience. I'm asking why it is that you can say he wants to give these negotiations some space --"
299
Karine Jean-Pierre
Leans Positive
00:50:31-00:50:35 (4 sec)
"Do you want to go to the beach with the President tonight? Is that what you're trying to tell me? [Laughs]"
300
Question
Very Positive
00:50:35-00:50:36 (1 sec)
"I would love to. The weather is not great."
301
Karine Jean-Pierre
Leans Positive
00:50:36-00:50:41 (6 sec)
"I will -- touché on that one. [Laughter] The weather -- it is pouring outside like cats and dogs. It is not great."
302
Karine Jean-Pierre
Slightly Negative
00:50:41-00:50:42 ( sec)
"Look -- no --"
303
Question
Neutral
00:50:42-00:50:44 (2 sec)
"But if people are dying every day --"
304
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:50:44-00:50:44 (1 sec)
"Absolutely."
305
Question
Neutral
00:50:44-00:50:48 (4 sec)
"-- why would this President then say he wants to "give it some space" and let somebody else up the street --"
306
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:50:48-00:50:57 (9 sec)
"But you're also going to hear -- you're going to hear from the President tonight. And it's not that he -- it's not that he hasn't been involved, he has been involved."
307
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:50:57-00:51:04 (7 sec)
"I just listed out all of the conversations -- not conversations but speeches that he's made. I just listed out the executive actions that he's taken."
308
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:51:04-00:51:17 (12 sec)
"But I want to make sure that, you know, that it is very clear that the President has indeed taken action. He cannot do it alone, so he's asking for Congress to act. The American public is going to hear from him tonight."
309
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:51:17-00:51:28 (11 sec)
"I don't have any -- I don't have any meetings to preview or to lay out for -- I'm not telling you it's not going to happen; I'm just saying I don't have anything to preview for you today."
310
Question
Neutral
00:51:28-00:51:31 (3 sec)
"And I get not -- you don't want to preview anything that's in the text tonight."
311
Karine Jean-Pierre
Slightly Positive
00:51:31-00:51:32 (1 sec)
"Yeah."
312
Question
Leans Negative
00:51:32-00:51:40 (8 sec)
"But what law could anybody -- the President or anybody else -- propose that would guarantee that somebody who really wants to get their hands on a gun can't?"
313
Karine Jean-Pierre
Slightly Positive
00:51:40-00:51:44 (4 sec)
"Well, they're having negotiations right now to talk through what the options are."
314
Karine Jean-Pierre
Positive
00:51:44-00:51:54 (11 sec)
"Look, I mentioned the red flags, right? Red-flag laws. If enacted -- if enacted, that actually we have seen, across the country in different states, where it has been helpful."
315
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:51:54-00:52:00 (6 sec)
"But look, we are -- we are -- we're going give them some space to see what they come up with."
316
Karine Jean-Pierre
Slightly Positive
00:52:00-00:52:07 (6 sec)
"The President -- the most important thing here is the President wants Congress to take action and to act."
317
Question
Very Negative
00:52:07-00:52:21 (15 sec)
"But -- okay, you got Chicago, for example. They already have plenty of very strict gun laws -- some of the strictest in the country. Forty-seven people shot there over the Memorial Day weekend. Nine of them died. So, which law would have prevented any of that?"
318
Karine Jean-Pierre
Slightly Positive
00:52:21-00:52:23 (1 sec)
"All right. Well --"
319
Question
Leans Positive
00:52:23-00:52:28 (6 sec)
"Do we think that all these people in Chicago who are shooting each other are legally buying their guns?"
320
Karine Jean-Pierre
Negative
00:52:28-00:52:39 (11 sec)
"So, here's -- here's a couple of examples for you. I was just talking about the red-flags law. There are some examples here of how they've prevented tragedies."
321
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:52:39-00:52:48 (9 sec)
"In California, a study showed that a California red-flag law has assisted in the prevention of 21 mass shootings between 2016 and 2018."
322
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Negative
00:52:48-00:53:00 (12 sec)
"Florida, since passing a red-flag law in 2018, there have been notable cases of few -- of the law intervening in multiple cases of potential violence -- of potential violence."
323
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Negative
00:53:00-00:53:10 (10 sec)
"In Connecticut and Indiana, for every 10 to 20 preventions under the red-flag laws, there was one fewer death than would otherwise have been expected."
324
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:53:10-00:53:28 (18 sec)
"So, when enacted, it does help. There are things that we can do. And one of the things that the President talks about with expanding -- expanding the background checks, if we're able to do that, we are going to take more guns out of the hands of criminals. And that is incredibly important."
325
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:53:28-00:53:37 (9 sec)
"So, there are things here that can be worked out, that can be done that is not going to prevent every tragedy but will take us to a better place where we can protect our families."
326
Question
Neutral
00:53:37-00:53:52 (15 sec)
"Okay. And my last one will be: You guys at the White House had some very hard headlines this week about inflation and about baby formula. If there's nothing new that you can point to in the speech tonight, did you just schedule it to get people talking about something else?"
327
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Negative
00:53:52-00:54:08 (16 sec)
"People have died. People have died in the past couple of weeks, in particular. We had 19 kids die in Uvalde just recently of -- a mass shooter came into their classroom and killed them, plus their two teachers."
328
Karine Jean-Pierre
Negative
00:54:08-00:54:18 (10 sec)
"We had -- we had people doing everyday things on a Saturday, like some of us do, go to the grocery store, and 10 of them were murdered."
329
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Negative
00:54:18-00:54:25 (7 sec)
"Just last night, in Tulsa, we're learning of people who were, again, killed."
330
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Negative
00:54:25-00:54:41 (17 sec)
"So, this is not about politics. This is not about partisan politics here. This is something that he has worked on since he was a senator. This is very important and real for the President and for the grieving families that he has met with, sadly, in the last two weeks."
331
Karine Jean-Pierre
Positive
00:54:41-00:54:47 (6 sec)
"So, this is an opportunity, again, to call for action, to get Congress to move."
332
Karine Jean-Pierre
Negative
00:54:47-00:55:02 (15 sec)
"And, you know, it is -- it is disheartening to hear that this could potentially or -- if I'm hearing this right, could be used as a political tool. And that's not what this is. This is not about partisan. This is about people's lives."
333
Question
Very Negative
00:55:02-00:55:08 (5 sec)
"Hey, Karine. What's the President's message to people living in violent neighborhoods who can't escape --"
334
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:55:08-00:55:08 (1 sec)
"Go ahead, Ed."
335
Question
Neutral
00:55:08-00:55:10 (2 sec)
"-- and can't wait for laws to --"
336
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:55:10-00:55:11 (1 sec)
"Go ahead, Ed."
337
Question
Somewhat Positive
00:55:11-00:55:19 (8 sec)
"To follow up on what Kelly was asking about regarding the baby formula shortage: You were asked earlier by a few people -- I want to just ask this again, with all due respect."
338
Karine Jean-Pierre
Slightly Positive
00:55:19-00:55:19 ( sec)
"Yeah."
339
Question
Neutral
00:55:19-00:55:24 (5 sec)
"Were you able to speak with the President about when he was informed in April?"
340
Karine Jean-Pierre
Leans Negative
00:55:24-00:55:37 (14 sec)
"I -- here -- he talked about it himself. He said he was informed in April. So I don't -- I don't think I need to -- the President mentioned that. He said that. So I don't need to clear that up. You heard directly from the President on that."
341
Question
Neutral
00:55:37-00:55:50 (13 sec)
"Part of the reason we -- I ask it, at least, is you talked yesterday about February 17th and February 18th. And what we were trying to figure out is when exactly in April was he told. Was it April 1? Was it April 30th? Was in April 15? Somewhere else in there?"
342
Karine Jean-Pierre
Somewhat Positive
00:55:50-00:55:58 (8 sec)
"I -- I don't have a date to share with you. What I can tell you is he spoke to this yesterday. And he said it was in April, so that -- that matters too."
343
Question
Neutral
00:55:58-00:56:00 (3 sec)
"Take it down -- take it down a level from him --"
344
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:56:00-00:56:01 (1 sec)
"Okay. Yeah, yeah."
345
Question
Neutral
00:56:01-00:56:14 (13 sec)
"-- into the staff of the White House. And part of the reason there's so much curiosity about this across town is because, as you know, there have been stories written over the last several days and weeks about how things are going here in the West Wing, how things are operating."
346
Question
Neutral
00:56:14-00:56:29 (14 sec)
"And so, when we ask, "Who was told, either by the FDA or the Department of Health and Human Services or the USDA, here in the West Wing -- who was told first? How did that get from that person, eventually, to the President?" --"
347
Question
Neutral
00:56:29-00:56:34 (5 sec)
"It's completely understandable. There are thousands of things going on across the federal government today --"
348
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:56:34-00:56:34 (1 sec)
"There are thousands of things --"
349
Question
Neutral
00:56:34-00:56:35 ( sec)
"But here's the issue --"
350
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Negative
00:56:35-00:56:37 (2 sec)
"-- we were just talking about gun violence."
351
Question
Leans Positive
00:56:37-00:56:55 (19 sec)
"-- something else could crop up suddenly as an unforeseen crisis, like this one. And so we're trying to get a sense of how do things operate here inside the West Wing and how they eventually rise to the level of presidential involvement that then lead to things like invoking the Defense Production Act five -- four or five months after the initial flags were raised."
352
Karine Jean-Pierre
Positive
00:56:55-00:57:24 (28 sec)
"So, Ed, the President was briefed through his regular channels, as he is briefed on countless priorities that the President of the United States has to deal with. There are countless issues, countless priorities that I talk about here all the time, every day, about different priorities that we have to deal with, whether it's the economy, whether it's COVID, whether it's climate change, whether it's foreign policy issues that we have to deal with and assess."
353
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:57:24-00:57:29 (5 sec)
"That is how we run the White House; it's how any White House is run."
354
Question
Neutral
00:57:29-00:57:29 ( sec)
"Right --"
355
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:57:29-00:57:43 (14 sec)
"So there are regular channels of White House senior staff, and that's how it gets elevated. You're asking me for a specific name. I'm telling you how the process works, and I'm telling you how it goes from White House staff to regular channels to the President."
356
Question
Positive
00:57:43-00:58:05 (22 sec)
"Part of why this is intriguing is because we know, from what you've said, from what your colleagues have told us and what we've learned in our reporting over the last year and a half, is that he's a voracious consumer of information from across the federal government. And whenever he gets briefed on something like this, he asks a lot of questions. And he usually puts it to the staff to come back with him with some solutions or some answers to these questions."
357
Question
Slightly Positive
00:58:05-00:58:29 (24 sec)
"So the idea that he was told about this in April and then it didn't get elevated until mid-May when Congress and when the press started raising bigger questions about this begs the question of, "Well, then what happened in April, when this very curious, very detail-oriented President, in briefings, would have been told about it and when steps were taken that are now underway?""
358
Question
Very Positive
00:58:29-00:58:43 (13 sec)
"That's part of what is so intriguing and curious about this situation, and why we're so desperate for information. Because normally in these situations, we're told, "Oh, well, here's what he wanted to know. And here's who he tasked with doing it." But we're not getting it this time."
359
Karine Jean-Pierre
Slightly Negative
00:58:43-00:58:46 (4 sec)
"No, I -- look, we've laid out timelines over and over again."
360
Question
Slightly Negative
00:58:46-00:58:51 (5 sec)
"No, you gave us two dates and then tell us, "Generally, in April he was told about this.""
361
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
00:58:51-00:59:05 (14 sec)
"Okay, so, by late -- let me try again. Let's try this again. By late -- by late in April, sales -- sales were going down and shortages were appearing. So that is what we -- we learned in late April."
362
Karine Jean-Pierre
Positive
00:59:05-00:59:38 (33 sec)
"And since then, through May, across the administration, we've aggressively invoked the DPA and used it three times, as you just mentioned, and that's because of the President's leadership; launched Operation Fly Formula, again, because of the President's leadership; secured 80 million safe infant formula bottles from other countries; and cut red tape and issued WIC waivers in all 50 states, because that's what happened in April that triggered our involvement in the way that we did throughout May in doing these four very specific things."
363
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
00:59:38-01:00:02 (24 sec)
"Look, USDA -- you know, they took immediate action. But USDA and FDA cut red tape and increased supply. A reminder: There was more supply on the market after the recall than prior. That did not happen by -- that didn't happen by accident. So these actions were designed to bridge demand while Abbott worked through its safe- -- safely opening to -- safely open and manufacture a product that met FDA's gold standard."
364
Karine Jean-Pierre
Leans Negative
01:00:02-01:00:15 (12 sec)
"So they were acting at USDA, FDA were acting from the moment that the recall happened. But again, the sales were going down and shortages were appearing in late April. And that's when --"
365
Question
Neutral
01:00:15-01:00:17 (2 sec)
"So that's when he was told?"
366
Karine Jean-Pierre
Slightly Positive
01:00:17-01:00:20 (3 sec)
"Well, he said -- in late April -- right? -- and this --"
367
Question
Neutral
01:00:20-01:00:20 (1 sec)
"You said in early April."
368
Karine Jean-Pierre
Leans Positive
01:00:20-01:00:26 (6 sec)
"In -- in April. I'm sorry. In April. Okay. He said in April -- in early April."
369
Karine Jean-Pierre
Positive
01:00:26-01:00:50 (24 sec)
"The point that I'm making is: What we started to see in April were sales were going down and shortages were appearing. And when that happened, we triggered -- we -- the President made sure that the DPA happened, the Operation Fly Formula happened. And that was what -- that was our focus there. And we wanted to make sure we got as much supply out as possible because, again, we saw the sales were going down."
370
Question
Leans Positive
01:00:50-01:00:56 (6 sec)
"Real quick on Summit of the Americas: I know you said the invite list is coming. There's still some time left."
371
Question
Neutral
01:00:56-01:01:08 (12 sec)
"Countries that have been invited -- whoever they are; we'll find out about that later -- have they been told what's on the agenda for that summit next week? Do they know why they should come to Los Angeles?"
372
Karine Jean-Pierre
Positive
01:01:08-01:01:21 (13 sec)
"So we're still giving our partners time to decide, so -- to answer that question. But, you know, as you see from press reports, there have been quite a few heads of states who have confirmed via their own announcement."
373
Karine Jean-Pierre
Negative
01:01:21-01:01:39 (18 sec)
"But again, you know, I always bring this back, because what's really important is -- about next week is that the people from around the region are gathering together to address the core challenges facing the people of the hemisphere -- right? -- including economic prosperity, climate change, migration crisis, and the COVID-19 pandemic."
374
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
01:01:39-01:01:58 (19 sec)
"So there is an array of issues for the region that we -- that we are going to discuss. These are priorities. These are incredibly important. And that's what you're going to see for next week. And others will confirm if they're attending. We're not going to do that until we have a final list and give our -- our partners opportunities to decide."
375
Question
Neutral
01:01:58-01:02:00 (3 sec)
"You're at your time that you said you were going to wrap."
376
Karine Jean-Pierre
Slightly Positive
01:02:00-01:02:03 (3 sec)
"Oh, my gosh. Okay, go ahead. Go ahead. Go ahead."
377
Question
Neutral
01:02:03-01:02:24 (21 sec)
"Karine, the jobs report is going to come out tomorrow morning. The ADP report that came out was -- it came in much lower than what economists had projected. Are you guys expecting a less than optimal jobs report tomorrow? And usually the President speaks on the economy on jobs day. Is he going to do that, even though he's going to be in Delaware?"
378
Karine Jean-Pierre
Neutral
01:02:24-01:02:34 (10 sec)
"So I don't have anything -- we don't have anything to preview for you for tomorrow. Our day ahead, our daily guidance is going to be coming out in a couple of hours."
379
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
01:02:34-01:02:50 (16 sec)
"I don't have -- also don't have an estimate for you and haven't seen the numbers, clearly. But what we can say is that as we transition to this new period of stable, steady growth, we aren't looking to see blockbuster job reports month after month, like we have over the last year."
380
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
01:02:50-01:03:02 (11 sec)
"But that's a good thing. That's the sign of a healthy economy with steady job growth, rising wages for working Americans, everyday costs easing up, and a shrinking deficit."
381
Karine Jean-Pierre
Leans Positive
01:03:02-01:03:22 (20 sec)
"That stability will put us in a strong position to tackle inflation. And in the short time since President Biden came into office, we have had record job numbers, record job creation, I should -- I should say; the unemployment rate is near historic lows; and the number of Americans on unemployment benefits is down from record highs to this historic lows."
382
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
01:03:22-01:03:31 (10 sec)
"And that's -- that's something that's really important that we want to make sure that the American people know what we've been doing."
383
Karine Jean-Pierre
Very Positive
01:03:31-01:03:36 (5 sec)
"Okay, we're going to go. It's four o'clock. Thanks, guys."
384