April 26, 2024

April 26, 2024

On Saturday, April 27, the Vice President and Second Gentleman will attend the annual White House Correspondence Dinner at the Washington Hilton Hotel.

On Sunday, April 28, the Vice President will be in Washington, DC and has no public events scheduled.

April 26, 2024

Over 90 students, teachers, advocates, school administrators, facilities and grounds experts, and labor leaders will come together at the White House alongside the U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Department of Energy, and the Environmental Protection Agency to discuss deployment of the unprecedented levels of federal funding available for school infrastructure, clean energy, and healthy schools. The White House Summit will highlight stories from schools across America where communities are taking action to create more sustainable buildings and grounds that tackle the climate crisis, improve learning, and protect children's health. The Summit will also underscore the opportunities for good-paying, union jobs--including jobs that don't require a college degree--made available by the Biden-Harris Administration's historic clean energy agenda. Participants will also have the opportunity to join an in-person workshop on the new "direct pay" provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act, which are

helping schools to directly access the benefits of clean energy tax credits for the first time ever.

Promoting Efficient and Healthy Schools

Alongside the Summit, the Biden-Harris Administration is releasing the 2024 White House Toolkit for Sustainable and Healthy K-12 Schools . Designed for use by schools, the toolkit provides an overview of school infrastructure funding, programs, and technical assistance made available by the Biden-Harris Administration to support schools, teachers, and students in achieving energy efficiency, resilience to extreme weather, and cleaner air, water, and transportation. These include programs like the Department of Energy's Renew America's Schools Prize, which is providing $500 million to make energy efficiency, clean energy, and clean vehicles accessible for schools across the country--and is open for applications now . It also includes EPA's Clean School Bus Program, which is providing $5 billion through

the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to replace polluting diesel school buses with zero- and low-emissions models. The program has already funded over 5,000 clean school buses, providing cleaner air for communities and protecting children from asthma.

These programs also advance President Biden's Justice40 Initiative , which set a goal that 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain federal climate, clean energy, clean transit, and other investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.

Recognizing Climate Leaders in Schools Across America

Today the U.S. Department of Energy is also announcing honorees for its Efficient and Healthy Schools Program. This program recognizes and assists school districts seeking to implement high-impact indoor air quality and efficiency improvements--like Livonia Public Schools in Michigan, which was honored for optimizing their operations to improve building performance. Others, like Broward County Public Schools in Florida, received recognition for implementing efficient and effective HVAC retrofits and other energy-saving measures, while Canajoharie Central School District in New York was honored for developing a comprehensive energy plan. These improvements will reduce energy bills and improve student and teacher health in schools across the country.

To date, 202 school districts in 45 states have joined the program, representing over 5 million students in over 8,400 individual schools--70% of which qualify for Title 1 federal funding on the basis of serving a high percentage of low-income students. The full list of 2024 U.S. Department of Energy Efficient and Healthy Schools Honorees can be found here . Additionally, earlier today U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona announced the 2024 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools , District Sustainability Awardees, and Postsecondary Sustainability Awardees. 41 schools, 10 districts, three postsecondary institutions, and one early learning center from 24 states are being honored for their innovative efforts to reduce environmental impact and utility

costs, improve health and wellness, and offer effective sustainability education. Over the past decade, the award has recognized the work of over 750 schools, districts, and postsecondary institutions across 47 states. Learn more about the 2024 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools Honorees here .

Today's Summit and announcements build on the Biden-Harris Administration's actions to build healthier, more sustainable schools:

Direct Pay for Clean Energy. In March, the Treasury Department finalized rules for direct pay of certain tax credits. By authorizing direct pay, the Inflation Reduction Act for the first time makes tax-exempt entities, including schools, eligible to access clean energy tax credits and to fully participate in building and owning new clean energy projects. Schools can leverage these tax credits for clean energy investments such as solar, wind, geothermal, and storage, as well as for purchasing clean school buses and other clean vehicles. For example:

+ Manchester Public Schools anticipates receiving $2.5 million in tax credits from the IRS for installing ground source heat pumps and solar panels at Bowers Elementary School in 2023.

+ Seattle Public Schools anticipates receiving $7.5 million in tax credits from the IRS for installing ground source heat pumps and solar panels at 3 elementary schools in 2023.

+ Williamsfield Schools anticipates receiving $100,000 in tax credits from the IRS for 7 Electric School Buses funded through the EPA Clean School Bus rebates and 11 Electric Vehicle charging stations that were put into service in 2023.

Clean School Buses. In January, EPA preliminarily selected 67 applicants to receive nearly $1 billion in funding under the 2023 Clean School Bus Program Grants Competition. Selected applicants will purchase over 2,700 clean school buses in 280 school districts, serving over 7 million students across 37 states. To date, the EPA Clean School Bus Program has awarded nearly $2 billion and funded approximately 5,000 electric and low-emission school buses nationwide. EPA anticipates announcing the awards for the 2023 Clean School Bus Program Rebates Competition in May 2024.

Replacing Lead Pipes for Clean Drinking Water. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law invests $15 billion toward President Biden's commitment to replace every toxic lead pipe in the country within a decade, protecting children and schools from lead exposure that can cause irreversible harm to cognitive development and hamper children's learning. In February, Vice President Harris traveled to Pittsburgh to announce $5.8 billion for clean water projects nationwide, including lead pipe replacement. Earlier this year, EPA announced $58 million in 2024 grant funding to protect children from lead in drinking water at schools and childcare facilities.

Investing in Disadvantaged Communities and Environmental Justice. EPA is currently accepting applications for $2 billion in Community Change Grants that can be used by schools to reduce pollution, increase community climate resilience, and other environmental and climate justice activities that benefit disadvantaged communities, such as facility improvements that improve air quality. Dedicated technical assistance is available to eligible applicants for application support, project planning, and more.

Improving Indoor Air Quality. Later this year, EPA will also award $32 million in grant funding to up to 6 organizations that will help K-12 schools in low-income, disadvantaged, and Tribal communities across the country develop and implement comprehensive indoor air quality management plans that address air pollution and improve energy efficiency of school facilities.

Launching the 2024 Renew America's School Prize. In March, DOE's Office of State and Community Energy Programs launched its second round of funding under the 2024 Renew America's Schools Prize , a $180 million investment to support improvements like HVAC upgrades, renewable energy installations, lighting, alternative-fuel vehicle infrastructure, and more in K-12 public schools. In particular, the prize focuses on schools that serve disadvantaged communities. Submissions for the 2024 Renew America's Schools Prize are due by June 13 . This prize builds on the first round of funding, which awarded $178 million in 2023 to over 90 school facilities across the country, impacting approximately 74,000 students and 5,000 teachers.

Supporting America's School Infrastructure. In November, the Department of Education awarded over $40 million in funding to eight Supporting America's School Infrastructure state grantees to conduct school facility needs assessments in high-need school districts, hire new staff, and develop or improve public school infrastructure data systems, among other actions.

April 26, 2024

April 26, 2024

Private Residence

Irvington, New York

7:15 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Thanks. Don't leave yet.

Before I begin, I want a promise. When they say, "Joe Biden is in the outer room to see the President," you won't say, "Joe who?"

God love you. You're a good man.

MR. DOUGLAS: Thank you.

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you.

MR. DOUGLAS: Thank you. God bless you

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, thank you, thank you.

MR. DOUGLAS: Thank you so much.

THE PRESIDENT: Sit down, folks, please.

Dylan, thank you for that introduction. And -- and your sister, she is -- she could be president too, maybe, if she wants.

And -- and your dad, Michael, I -- Michael and I have something in common: We both married way above our station. Some things are just self-evident, in my opinion.

Catherine couldn't be here, but I'm grateful for her sharing her family tonight. And, by the way, she's in Dublin, holy God, you know. The place -- the only place I'm positive I could win. I could be elected Taoiseach in Dublin.

I went back to Mayo to my -- I -- because we were trying to get the Irish Accords through -- together. And I quote, as my -- no -- no family member has been in Ireland since 1848 or something like that. But I went to speak at a cathedral in Mayo that my great-great grandfather had made the bricks for. He was an -- and in Ireland, everything is about your lineage. They keep, you know, doing your background.

And so, I stood out along the river in Mayo with 32,000 people, pouring rain, and they stood there and listened. I decided I don't know why the hell my family ever moved.

But, anyway, she's in Dublin, and tell her I love her.

Look, and, of course, Michael was a great "American President." He -- -- he was single at the time. I wonder what the hell that would be like.

It was bad enough when I -- when I lost my first wife and my child, and I was a se- -- a new U.S. senator. I saw that I got put on the 10 most eligible bachelors list in America. And I swore, after a year, I've never going to go out with anybody again in my whole life.

It's an unusual situation. I don't know -- I don't know how you movie stars handle it.

You know, look, and it's great that he's one of our Founding Fathers now. I was the Ben Franklin Professor of Presidential History at the University of Pennsylvania for four years, teaching at Penn. And -- and Ben was right. If we can keep it -- that's what it was all about.

I now have a portrait in the Oval Office, when you come and see it, of Ben Franklin to remind everybody that, you know, I knew him really well. He was only a couple of years older than I was, but you know?

But, look, it's a reminder of the incredible history of our nation and the future that's within our reach.

You know -- you know, I also include Rodge and Barbara and all of the co-hosts of this event to thank them for their support. It really makes a big difference. You know, I know you have a lot more important things to do, a lot of things that you can be doing, and stepping up and doing what you're doing for me, it really makes a big difference, including the members of Congress who are here today.

Representative Bowman, thanks for the welcoming me into --into your district. I got a passport to come in.

And, Mondaire Jones, who needs to win in November -- Mondaire, you know -- --

One of my best friends in Congress for -- she's much, much younger than I am, but -- -- Nita Lowey. Nita, I love you.

As we head into the spring, we generally feel a bit of excitement building here, you know, in this campaign. So far, we have 1.5 million people who've contributed to our campaign -- 1.5 million; 550,000 new since 2020, and 97 percent are under $200 -- 97 percent.

We're almost -- we've raised almost a quarter of a billion dollars so far.

And so, look, we've ramped hea- -- 133 campaign headquarters and field offices, and we hired hundreds of staff all across the country before Trump and his MAGA Republican friends even have one single office open. So -- and it's good out there. It feels good out there.

I've been going -- I haven't had a chance to watch the court proceedings -- -- because I've been -- -- because I've been out campaigning in all the states.

And while the -- the press doesn't write about it, the momentum is clearly in our favor. Polls are moving towards us and away from Trump. The last 23 polls, we're ahead in 10 of them, and he's ahead in 8, and we're tied in 5.

And just two days ago, we got the best polls we've ever seen. NPR/Marist poll, which is considered one of the best in the country, we're ahead by five among all voters and six by -- by voters who are likely to vote. That's 50- -- 53 to 47. And it keeps moving. Every single week, things are getting better.

But what's more important is what actually -- people when they actually vote. Just two days ago, the Pennsylvania primary, we beat Trump's turnout by 150,000 more votes voted for me than voted for Trump.

Democrats are strongly behind us, and he's losing a lot of Republicans, still, to Nikki Haley in that primary.

We're also getting major endorsements. Yesterday, I received the endorsement of the North Am- -- North American Building Trades. Over 3,500 people showed up. It's the biggest na- -- in our nation and a strong key to battleground states like Wisconsin and M- -- and Michigan. They have a very strong presence there.

But, look, I know not everyone is feeling the enthusiasm. Just the other day, a defeated-looking guy came up to me and said, "Mr. President, I'm being crushed by debt. I'm completely wiped out." And I had to tell him, "Donald, I'm sorry. I can't help you." "I'm not -- I'm just not in the position to do it."

Trump is in trouble, unrelated to me and related to me, no matter -- and he knows it.

Earlier this week, I was in Florida, where they're about to implement one of the most extensive and extreme abortion bans in the country. There's only one reason and -- and one person responsible: It's Donald Trump.

He's worried voters are going to hold him accountable for overriding -- overturning Roe v. Wade and all the cruelty and chaos that's been created. But he said -- he asked voters to give him credit for it. He claimed that he was the reason why. He appointed those folks.

Look, we -- I have news for Trump: The voters are going to hold him accountable. Mark my words, it's going to move millions of voters of women and men at the polls -- to the polls this year.

And I've said many times, Trump and his MAGA crowd don't have a clue about the power of women. You know, when -- -- no, I really mean it.

You -- you may remember, in the Court's decision, it said, but women -- when they changed it, they said there's no constitutional right -- federal con- -- but it's up to the states. They said, "But women have a vote. Women have a vote. They -- they can do something about it," almost with tongue in cheep -- cheek.

Well, he re- -- we -- we reelected Kamala and me with a Democratic Congress -- if we do that, I promise you, Roe v. Wade will be the law of the land again. I guarantee it.

But, look, folks, chaos is nothing new to Trump. His presidency was chaos. Not a joke. Trump is trying to make the country forget just how dark and unsettling it was when he was President, but we'll never forget.

We'll never forget how -- him lying about COVID, telling the American people to inject bleach into their arms. He injected it into his hair. He got it wrong. He got -- he missed. But -- but all -- but all -- all kidding aside, that's what he said.

And, you know, he did that interview acknowledging that he knew it was a serious [DEL: proposition :DEL] [problem], but he didn't want anybody to know. He said it's going to go away by Thanks- -- remember all that?

Well, guess what? Over -- well over a million people died. They died.

We'll never forget the -- his love letters to Kim Jong Un of North Korea and his admiration for Putin. He talks about how smart Putin is and how if he wants to move into Ukraine or anywhere else, have at it if they're not doing enough for us.

We'll never forget him wanting teargas to be sprayed on peaceful protestors outside the White House, and then holding a Bible upside down. Now he's writing his own Bible, and he's trying -- -- and he's trying to sell it.

Look, and we'll certainly never forget the insurrection of June 6 th -- January 6 th, excuse me -- and those dark days of history. The idea that that wasn't an insurrection, I don't -- I don't understand it.

Off the Oval Office -- and I hope some of you come and visit. Off that Oval Office, there's a small dining room. He sat there for two hours watching on television -- watching the chaos, not doing a damn single thing. Policemen died. People were, in fact, badly hurt. I mean, it's never -- it's just -- it's nothing short of the Revolutionary -- of the -- excuse me, the Civil War -- hasn't been even close. It was one of the worst derelictions of duty of any president in American history.

And we want to go back to that -- any of that?

Look, look how far we've come. Since we've been in office, we've created 15 million brand-new jobs, more jobs in that short of time of any president in American history. More people have health insurance today than ever before in the history of this country, and it's working and it's increasing.

We took on Big Pharma. You know, I -- I can put you in Air Force One when we take off here. And you have a prescription from any drug company in America, and you can bring that with me -- with you. I can fly you to Toronto. I can fly you to London. I can fly you to Berlin, to any country, any capital in the world, and you can get that same prescription for 40 to 60 percent less than you get it here.

Well, we won. We lowered prescription drug costs, like 35 bucks for insulin instead of 400 bucks a month for all those people with diabetes.

We've made historic investments in rebuilding the country with these computer chips. I was just -- I was just -- had an -- did a major event up in Syracuse, where the landmark preliminary agreement between my administration and Micron, a microchip manufacturer. We came up with $6.1 billion in fund- -- funding this CHIPS program. We used to create 40 -- we used to make 40 percent of them. We're now down to zero -- zero number.

We paired that -- Micron -- Micron came along and said, "Okay, if you're going to come up with $6 billion, we're going to come up with $125 billion," to invest in New York state alone to build chip facilities right here in New York. The single-biggest investment ever made in the history of this state. Ever.

We've made the most significant investment on climate ever and the most significant gun safety law in 30 years. And we have much more to do. By the way, now they're trying to take down the -- the gun laws we passed.

We should -- I was part of one of two people who got -- when I was a senator, we -- we outlawed assault weapons. And guess what? They're back. They're back. There's no legitimate reason whatsoever for anybody to be able to own an assault weapon. I taught constitutional law -- -- you have the right to own a gun, but from the very beginning, it was not an absolute right. You weren't allowed to buy a cannon when you were in 1800. You -- no, I'm -- no, I'm serious.

You know, I love these guys who say that "the blood" -- the you know, "the blood of liberty is" -- he goes -- they're full of malarkey.

And, by the way, no one -- no one should own a weapon without a background check. Nobody.

And, folks, when I ran, I made a commitment. I said I want an administration that was going to look like America. I placed more Black women in the circuit courts of appeal than every other single president in the history of the United States.

I put the first Black woman on the Supreme Court.

I could go on, but the point is it's -- this is all at stake. Trump wants to get rid of everything we've done. He's been very clear about it.

Trump is determined to, quote -- he -- I love this phrase -- he's going to "terminate" the Affordable Care Act. Why? Because it was Obamacare, and now it's on steroids. And guess what? It's saving a lot of lives -- you know, the thousands of thousands, millions of people who have preexisting conditions who wouldn't be able to get insurance otherwise. He can't stand it being associated with Barack.

He's determined to get rid of the climate law. Why? Because he does not believe there's a climate crisis.

I have, since I've been President, flown over -- because of the crises we've had, flown over more forest fires and more flooding that has wiped out places than the entire state of Maryland -- the entire st- -- it would take up the entire state of Maryland.

Look, he's determined -- he's determined to cut taxes for a lot of you. Well, I l- -- I don't -- I don't think you should be paying more taxes, except for one thing: You know, there's a thousand billionaires in America. You know what their average tax rate is? 8.3 percent. Anybody want to trade? Raise your hand.

No, I'm serious. If they just had a 25 percent tax rate -- not even the highest tax rate -- we'd raise $400 billion over the next 10 years; be able to continue to do what I've already done, lower the deficit and not ex- -- not raise it; and be able to have childcare, be able to have eldercare, be able to do things that other countries are doing that make life easier for everybody and grow the economy.

And, by the way, he wants to not only raise -- have another major $2 trillion tax cut, he -- while he wants to cut Social Security and Medicare and do such other -- significant other damage.

But the biggest threat that Trump poses is to our democracy. I really believe that. Some of you may remember when I ran -- because you helped me the first time -- I indicated that -- I spoke -- made a speech at -- at -- when I was in Independence Hall in Philadelphia. And I said our democracy was at stake. And the press said, "What are you talking about democracy for?" Well, guess what? Even then, 60 percent of the people agreed with me. Our democracy literally is at stake.

Above all, what's at risk in 2024 is our freedom -- basic freedoms and democracy.

And, by the way, when you talk about taking away a woman's right to choose, we're well beyond that now. They want to take away the right for contraception, take away the right to marry, take away a whole range of things that Clarence Thomas talked about no longer being guaranteed in the federal Constitution.

Trump not only embraces the violence of January 6 th, he's running on it. I mean, he's running on it. He calls the insurrectionists who are in prison -- he calls them "patriots," and, if reelected, he says he's going to pardon them. He means it.

You know, now Trump says if he loses again, there will be a "bloodbath." My -- let me -- no president -- no president in modern -- in his- -- not in modern -- in history has said those kinds of things.

Folks, we have to say with one voice, as Americans -- as Democrats, as independents -- that there's no place ever in America for political violence. It's just never, never, never, never, never justified. Period.

Look, let me close with this. This election is about a competing vision of America. Trump's vision is one of anger, hate, revenge, retribution. That's what he talks about.

I have a very different view. I have a view of hope and optimism.

I've been doing this a long time. I know I only look like I'm 40, but I'm a little older.

But all kidding aside, I've never been more optimistic about America's prospects than I am today. We have the strongest economy in the world. The rest of the world looks to us.

Imagine had they fin- -- not finally passed the legislation for Israel and for -- and for Ukraine. We are, as Madeleine Albright said, the essential nation. That's a fact.

Who leads the world without us? No, I just -- I mean, I'm being literal. I'm not being figurative.

Look, I see an America defined by democracy, not diminished by it. I see an America where we protect our freedoms, not take them away. I see an America where the economy grows from the middle out and the bottom up, not the top down.

My dad, who was a hardworking guy -- a well-read man who never got to -- he got accepted to Johns Hopkins during the war for his -- as they say in Baltimore -- from Baltimore -- and -- but he never got to go. My dad used to say, "Joey, a job is about a lot more than a paycheck. It's about your dignity. It's about respect. It's about being able to look your kid in the eye and say, 'Honey, it's going to be okay,' and have a chance. Just an even chance."

Where working people finally get a fair shot, where healthcare is a right not a privilege -- a future where we save the planet from the climate crisis and our country from gun violence.

These aren't crazy ideas. These are basic ideas that the vast majority of American people agree with.

Folks, this election is about democracy. It's not hyperbole; it's about democracy. Freedom. America. This is why I need you.

I know we can do this together. As I said, I've never been more optimistic. Not a joke. And I've been doing this a long time. I was in the Senate for 36 years, Vice President for 8 years, and President going on 4. I may not be the smartest guy in the room, but I have more experience and wisdom on this stage than most anybody's ever held the office. And I'm telling you, we have to win this race. We have to win this race.

We just have to remember who we are. We're the United States of America. And there's nothing, nothing beyond our capacity -- nothing -- when we do it together.

So, God bless you all. And may God protect our troops.

Thank you.

7:33 P.M. EDT

April 26, 2024

April 25, 2024

The Vice President will record a radio interview with Rev. Al Sharpton for Keepin' it Real. She will also record a radio interview with Ryan Cameron for Uncensored.

Later in the day, she will receive briefings and conduct internal meetings with staff. These meetings will be closed press.

# # #

April 25, 2024

A proud son of New Jersey's biggest city, Newark, Don was active in the community since before he could even vote. He worked his way up from a job as a highway toll collector, becoming a city councilman and county freeholder. After losing his trailblazing father, New Jersey's first Black congressman Donald Payne Sr., to cancer in 2012, Don ran reluctantly in a special election to serve out his father's final term. He came to embrace that proud heritage, winning reelection five times.

Don and I worked together throughout his time in Congress, as he fought to expand access to health care, clean drinking water, and cancer screenings; to prevent gun violence, protect voting rights, and promote equal pay for women. He co-sponsored the 2013 law reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act that I first wrote years ago, transforming the way that domestic abuse is treated in America. And he was more recently key to passing our landmark Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, making sure to secure record funding for rail upgrades across the Northeast, including the train tunnel under the Hudson River between New Jersey and New York. They will be a piece of his legacy forever.

Don represented the best of Newark, a community of faith, grit, and hard work; and he believed deeply in its promise. He lived his whole life on the same street, committed to the city that so many in his family served. Throughout his courageous battle with diabetes, he never tired of bringing people together to get things done for others.

Jill and I send our thoughts to Don's family – especially his beloved wife, Beatrice, and their triplets, Donald III, Jack, and Yvonne – and with the people of Newark, who have been blessed to have the wisdom and heart of a Payne representing them in Congress for so long.

April 25, 2024

At 9:00 AM ET, the Second Gentleman will participate in a roundtable on the Biden-Harris Administration's efforts to ensure students have access to healthy and nutritious food. The Second Gentleman will highlight the Department of Agriculture's updated school nutrition standards, which will make school meals healthier by reducing sugar and sodium. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack will also attend. This roundtable at Lincoln Park Middle School in Lincoln Park, MI will be open to pre-credentialed media.

April 25, 2024

At 12:30 PM, as a part of the White House Initiative on Women's Health Research , the First Lady will deliver remarks at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation's Annual First Ladies Luncheon where she will spotlight how the Biden-Harris administration is fundamentally changing how our nation approaches and funds women's health research. This event is open to pre-credentialed media and registration is closed.

April 25, 2024

3:52 P.M. EDT

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Hello. That's me.

Good afternoon, everyone. Good afternoon, and welcome to the White House.

I want to thank Elliot for that introduction. I just love seeing all of our young leaders here today. And on behalf of our President, Joe Biden, and all of us at the White House, a warm, warm welcome to you.

And to all of the young leaders who are here today, part of why I wanted to come out and see you is to thank you for letting your parents and your godparents and your aunts and uncles and big sisters and brothers and your family members -- thank you for letting them work here. You guys, by giving them permission to work here, you are helping children around our country and around the world.

The work that your parents do is about making sure that our children are happy and they're doing well and they have clean air and clean water and that they are safe. And you guys letting your parents do this work is helping so many children that you may never meet.

So, I wanted -- on this day, when you're here with your parents while they're at work, I want to thank you for letting them do what they do. It means a whole lot to our entire country.

And with that, I will also say, when I was your age, I used to go to work with my mom. And it was really kind of neat to see what they do all day. Right? Wasn't it neat? Did you ask them lots of questions?

AUDIENCE: Yes!

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Yes, good. Did you get lots of good answers?

AUDIENCE: Yes!

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Are all of you skipping school today?

AUDIENCE: Yes!

THE VICE PRESIDENT: It's a good day. Okay.

Well, welcome, welcome, welcome, and happy day. And I'm so happy to see all of you.

And to all of the parents, the godparents, the grandparents, the aunts, the uncles, the big sisters, big brothers, thank you all for the work that you do every day. Thank you all very much.

END 3:55 P.M. EDT

# # #

April 25, 2024

Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science and Technology

Syracuse, New York

2:39 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Hello, hello, hello. It's good to be back in Syracuse. I fell in love with this place, but I fell in love with a girl before I did that.

Come -- please, all, have a seat.

Shannon, thanks for that introduction and thank you for your brothers and sisters in the -- in the building trades, what they're doing to help build a future here in Syracuse.

You know, before I start, I want to take a moment to honor

two officers who have already been mentioned -- two fallen heroes who were killed in the line of duty this month: Lieutenant Michael Hoosock and -- County Sheriff Department -- and Syracuse Police Officer Michael Jensen.

We pray for their loved ones, whose hearts have been broken. You know, every time a police officer puts on that shield every morning, their husband or wife, whatever it is, their child worries about will they get that phone call -- will they get that phone call.

I got one of those phone calls in a different circumstance -- find out you've lost part of your soul, lost part of your heart.

For -- the entire Syracuse community is grieving, and we're grieving with you.

You know, to the men and women in law enforcement here and across the country, you represent the best of us. You really do. It's one of the toughest jobs in America -- one of the toughest jobs. And to the families, who I hope to get to meet shortly, I say, "My heart goes out to you." Thank you. And God bless you all.

Folks, I want to thank Governor Hochul for having us here today and for her partnership. And thanks to Chuck Schumer, a relentless advocate for this project we -- we're here to talk about today.

County Executive McMahon, it's good to be back in a place that meant so much to me in my life.

I also want to thank Governor Little of Idaho and -- and Boise Mayor McLean for joining us.

Micron's CEO, Sanjay, thank you for your leadership and investment in America. We tried to entice you a little bit with a couple hundre- - you know, billions of dollars, but you came. It seemed to work.

And to all the union leaders here, including Randi Weingarten, the American Federation of Teachers, thank you for showing the world that we can do big things again in America.

And all -- folks, all over the years I've asked business leaders like Sanjay –- because the other team kept criticizing me for wanting to make these investments, you know, things like the -- the infrastructure bill, which was over a trillion dollars. And we're going to have in- -- we have an Infrastructure Decade coming. The last guy had Infrastructure Week and never showed up.

But -- but, you know, I asked him -- I was told that, you know, "This is a government intervention." I said, "Sure in the hell is."

I ask every business leader I know -- not a joke -- "When the federal government makes a multi-billion-dollar investment in something, does that encourage you or discourage you from getting engaged?" Well, guess what? Every single solitary leader said, overwhelmingly, yes, it encourages them to get engaged. And so, that's why we're here today.

You know, during the pandemic, folks, everyone learned about supply chains. You may remember we had a global shortage of semiconductors -- smaller than the tip of your finger, and now it's even smaller than that -- that would help power everything in our lives from smartphones to cars to dishwashers, satellites.

We invented those chips here in America. We invented them. We made them move. We modernized them. But over time, we stopped -- we used to have 40 percent of this market. And over time, we stopped making them.

So, when the pandemic shut down the chips factories overseas, prices of everything went up at -- here at home. That semiconductor shortage drove one third of the surge in inflation in 2021, caused long wait lines of all kinds of products.

Folks, I determined that I'm never going to let us be vulnerable to wait lines again. Wh- -- if it's essential, we're going to make it here in America.

And together -- -- and, by the way, that's not hyperbole; that's literal. Together with Schumer, Leader and I, we took action to make sure these chips are made in America again, creating tens of thousands -- and I mean tens of thousands -- of good-paying jobs, bringing prices down for everyone.

In 2022, together with Sch- -- Leader Schumer, we wrote the CHIPS and Science Act. We used to invest significant amounts of money in research and development. We stopped doing it, but I was determined we were going to do it again. It's one of the most significant science and technology investments in our history.

And two months later, I came to Syracuse to celebrate Micron's historic plan to build the biggest semiconductor manufacturing site in all of America, one of the biggest in the world.

As was mentioned, it's the size of -- going to be the size of 40 football fields -- 40 -- big enough to fit four Carrier Domes inside and still have space leftover.

Today, I'm pleased to announce we're building on that commitment with a landmark preliminary agreement between my administration and Micron, a major chip manufacturer, which is building these fabs here in Upstate New York: $6.1 billion in chips funding paired with $125 billion from Micron to build these facilities here in New York and near Micron headquarters in Idaho.

And I -- you know, by the way -- -- it's been mentioned before, it's the single-biggest private investment ever in the history of these two states -- Idaho and, you know, New York.

So far from -- not far from here, in Clay, New York, it's going to help build two to four manufacturing facilities planned by Micron's [DEL: mega-labs :DEL] [mega-fabs].

In Boise, [DEL: Ohio :DEL] [Idaho], it's going to help build new high-volume manufacturing fabs as well.

In all, it's going to create over 70,000 jobs across both states, at least 9,000 of which are construction jobs, 11,000 manufacturing jobs, tens of thousands more up and down the supply chain. And it includes 9,000 permanent Micron manufacturing jobs right here in Clay -- not here, but near, in Clay, just a -- just a little bit from here -- many of them paying -- catch this -- $100,000 a year. And it doesn't require a college degree.

These projects are governed by the largest Project Labor Agreement in the state's history. It makes one of the -- and it makes sure that work is done on time with the highest quality and most significant safety standards. And I'm pleased that Micron is planning to sit down with unions to discuss the labor piece.

Look -- -- that's not all. And, by the way, I know I get criticized for being the most pro-union president in American history, but guess what? The middle class built this country, and unions built the middle class.

These new -- brand new facilities are going to produce the most sophisticated, powerful, leading-edge memory chips in the entire world. Each one has -- has trillions -- not billions, not millions -- trillions of tiny features, each [DEL: 4,000 :DEL] [40,000] times thinner than a single hair on your head. And I've got some very thin hair on my head.

They require manufacturing precision down to the size of an atom. They posse- -- they process enormous amounts of information at lightning speed. And they're critical to the emerging technology that will power tomorrow's economy, like artificial intelligence and advanced communications. They'll make everyday things faster, lighter, smaller, and more reliable. And it's about time.

Even though America invented these advanced chips, we don't make any of them today -- zero, zero. All manufacturing of leading-edge chips moved to Asia years ago.

That's why, today, this is such a big deal. And it is a big deal.

We're bringing advanced chips manufacturing back to America after 40 years. And it's going to transform our semiconductor industry, a pillar of a modern economy. And it's going to create an entirely new ecosystem in research, design, manufacturing of advanced chips here in America.

Folks, where is it written -- when I said we were going to have the lo- -- become the manufacturing capital of the world again when I got elected, they looked at me, some of my friends, and said, "You're crazy." Well, where the he- -- where the heck is it written -- -- that American manufacturing can- -- will not be the capital of the world again? It's going to be.

We've already created 8- -- nearly 800,000 new manufacturing jobs since I took office. And, fol- -- we're just getting started. And that's a fact. We're just getting started.

It isn't just about investing in America. It's about investing in the American people as well. And that includes training folks for these high-paying jobs -- highly skilled new jobs that we're creating. To do that, we're bringing employers, unions, community colleges, high schools together and workforce hubs where folks can learn the skills hands-on.

My Jill wi- -- my wife, Jill, cares a lot about this as well. She's teaching at a community college right now. Last year, she announced our first five workforce hubs in -- in the na- -- in the United States in Pittsburgh; Phoenix; Baltimore; Columbus, Ohio; and Augusta, Georgia. Thousands of workers will be trained in these facilities.

And today, I'm pleased to announce four new hub programs. One hub in Detroit and Lansing, Michigan, folks will make electric cars. Another hub in Philadelphia, one in Milwaukee will train workers that'll replace every -- every poisonous lead pipe in America within the decade. And here in Syracuse -- the Syracuse region, a new hub is going to train semiconductor workers for the future.

And I know that Micron is also partnering with the American Federation of Teachers to develop a technology curriculum for high schools in New York state. Think about it, those of you who are as young as me, 40 -- in your 40 s or so. How many schools still have shop in them? How many folks have -- where you learn how to work with your hands?

A significant number of public schools did away with it. So many young people who are qualified and want to and are capable who are going to never know that they had that capacity.

Well, I want to thank Randi and Sanjay for their work and Micron's leadership in workforce development, because it's going to make a big difference.

In all -- -- so far, my Investing in America agenda has attracted more than $825 billion -- $825 billion in private-sector investment, not a penny of which existed before I got elected. I ignited a ma- -- it ignited a manufacturing boom, a clean-energy boom, a semiconductor boom nationwide. And it's clear we have the strongest economy in the world, and that's a fact.

Fifteen million new jobs created in three and half years. Unemployment did -- has -- hasn't been this low for this long for 50 years. Wages are rising. Instead of importing foreign products, we're exporting -- and exporting American jobs, we're exporting American products and creating American jobs -- -- here in America where they belong.

And, folks, my predecessor and his MAGA Republican friends have a very different view. They oppose the CHIPS and Science Act that's powering this growth today.

In fact, your congressman, Brandon Williams, called it "corporate welfare."

AUDIENCE MEMBER: Booo --

THE PRESIDENT: Bless me, Father.

And Elise Stefanik, a few counties over, called the CHIPS Act -- she said it was, "Washington at its worst," end of quote. I guess they're not going to be here today to celebrate.

But now -- now -- -- conversion is wonderful, isn't it?

Now they've seen the massive surge in investment and jobs that we've mobilized, and they're singing a different tune now. Now they say this is "critical." You got that? Stefanik said this is "critical."

Now they say what we're doing will, quote, "lead to a more prosperous, secure, and innovative America." Well, there's nothing, I said, like conversion. I agree. Welcome, welcome, welcome.

Folks, look, we got to stop this division. I promised to be a president for all of America, whether you voted for me or not. Today's investment helps Americans everywhere, in red states and blue states, and proof that we have -- we leave no one behind.

Of the infrastructure jobs and pr- -- and proposals, we have more of them in red states than in blue states. It's about America.

Let me close with this. The past few years, I've talked to folks all across America, in their communities and at their kitchen tables. They often tell me, back in 2020, they were down. They had lost their business.

How many -- did you know somebody who worked at Carrier or another facility and a whole generation that worked there? And you're sitting there as a parent and -- a mom -- and the kid that comes home, well-educated, says, "I can't live here anymore. There's no job for me. I got to move. I got to move." They lost faith.

Syracuse is a good example. For decades -- decades, it was a manufacturing boomtown full of good-paying jobs and a solid path to the middle class. I know; I lived here. I went to law school here. I married a wonderful woman from Lake Skaneateles who I came -- that's why I came to Syracuse Law School. I felt it.

But over the years, trickle-down economics swept it all away. Under my predecessor, manufacturers left. Factories like BCS Automotive over in Auburn, where her family lived, shut down. Twenty-two thousand local jobs disappeared in the Syracuse region.

That's a story seen in community after community nationwide: hollowed out, robbed of hope. But not on my watch, thanks to investing we're making in America and the partnerships we've formed.

American manufacturing is back. New factories are going up all across the country. And communities like Syracuse are writing a great American comeback story -- that's what it is: a comeback story -- creating new jobs, new businesses, new hope.

Today, folks, when folks see shovels in the ground on these projects, people going back to work, I hope they feel the pride that I feel -- pride in their hometown that's making a comeback, pride in America, pride in knowing we can get big things done when we work together.

That's why I've never been more optimistic about this nation's future. We just have to remember who we are, for God's sake. We're the United States of America. And there is nothing -- nothing, nothing -- beyond our capacity to get done when we work together.

God bless you all. And may God protect our troops.

This is a big deal day. Congratulations, Syracuse. Congratulations.

Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you.

2:55 P.M. EDT

April 25, 2024

2:56 P.M. EDT

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, good afternoon, everyone. I -- before the press came in, I -- I thanked the leaders who are at the table who will be sharing their stories with us this afternoon. And I mentioned to them that their stories are indicative of stories around our country of extraordinary people who have demonstrated the importance of us as a society understanding the power of redemption.

And so, we've asked these four extraordinary individuals to share their stories as a way to help people who are not in this room understand how we can do better, in terms of how we are thinking about the criminal justice system and who has been in it.

And so, I'll start by saying that I want to thank Kim for your advocacy and for using your platform in a way that has really lifted up the importance of talking about and being dedicated to second chances. And you are going to speak in a moment, but I really thank you for being here and Mayor Benjamin, of course, for moderating the conversation.

So I'm a big believer in the power of redemption. It's an age-old concept that transcends religions but is fundamentally about an understanding that everybody makes mistakes. And for some, that might rise to the level of being a crime. But is it not the sign of a civil society that we allow people a way to earn their way back and give them the support and the resources they need to do that?

And so, that's why we have convened today to talk about the power of individuals when supported by a community, by society -- the power that they have to do extraordinary things that benefit all kinds of people in terms of where they live and the people they meet, their family members, and others.

So, again, I welcome the four of you for being here. And -- and I'll tell you, I have worked on this issue my entire career, and I know it works. I know that it works to give people second chances.

Back when I was elected DA of San Francisco in -- I was elected in 2003, started in 2004, and I've created one of the first reentry initiatives in the country. In fact, back then, the United States Department of Justice designated my program, Back on Track, as being a model of innovation for law enforcement in the United States.

And I designed it focused on first-time drug sales offenders -- and most of them were in their 20 s -- and getting them into an initiative that was about job training -- the building trades and the unions were very helpful and a great partner around apprenticeship programs; parenting classes; helping folks with housing. All of the things that any person needs to actually be productive.

And we proved that it worked. It was one of the first in the country. We reduced recidivism by 80 percent with that program in San Francisco. Then, when I became Attorney General of California, running the California Department of Justice, I created the first division on recidivism reduction and reentry, highlighting how state attorneys general but state -- states as a whole and law enforcement, in particular, can and should be dedicated to this concept of what we can do around reentry and reduction of recidivism.

For a number of reasons, yes, it is about reduction but also is about public safety. Right? Reduction of recidivism is about reducing crime and doing it in a productive way, which realizes that sometimes we really ought to think more about what's the return on our investment, and we actually get a lot more out of our investment if we invest in the capacity of people instead of reacting after they've done things that might warrant a -- a prosecution.

And then, of course, now, as Vice President, we have continued this work. Our President, Joe Biden, has a longstanding commitment to the issue of reduction, of recidivism. And while we have been here, then, at the White House, we've done a number of things that have been about allowing people second chances through understanding the obstacles that also still exist within society that prevent people from taking advantage of a second chance.

For example, there have been longstanding restrictions on access to opportunities such as small-business loans. So, recently, we announced that we are changing the way that we think about who is eligible for small-business loans and have, for the first time, said that folks with a criminal conviction can qualify for small-business loans.

Understand that we issue about $40 billion in small-business loans every year. The average is about $500,000. So, making this now available -- and these are small business leaders, by the way -- making this available, reducing and eliminating that restriction is going to mean a lot in terms of second chances and the opportunity for people to excel.

We have expanded Pell Grants for people who are currently incarcerated, understanding that there are a lot of folks who are inside who do, while they are there, want to enhance their education so that when they come out, they can get a job that allows them a -- a quality of life and living that can allow them to take care of themselves and their families.

We have now expanded Pell Grants for the people who are currently incarcerated. And we have invested nearly a billion dollars to include cities and local governments and nonprofits in money for job training -- for increased job training and addiction recovery and reentry support.

And I will say this. Many Americans who have served their time still face obstacles to their success. And one way for us to remove some of those other obstacles is by issuing pardons and commutations. And so, that is the subject of our conversation today.

We have issued, as an administration, with President Biden's leadership, more pardons and commutations than any recent administration at this point in their term.

For example, on marijuana, we have pardoned all people for federal convictions for simple marijuana possession. Many of you have heard me say I just don't think people should have to go to jail for smoking weed. And these pardons have been issued as an extension of that approach.

We have also addressed unjust sentencing to the extent that we have issued pardons and commutations to address historic disparities in sentencing.

One of the examples that as well-known was the disparity -- longstanding disparity in sentencing of crack versus powder cocaine. It was 100-to-1 disparity, and we have been dealing with that.

In furtherance of this work, to- -- yesterday, the President issued a new round of pardons. And today, we are, then, here to honor some of the recipients of those pardons.

And -- and I will close my comments, as I turn it over to Kim, by saying that, again, I think we know that we can be smarter with how we seek to, one, achieve public safety but also be smarter in terms of how we invest in the people of our country, especially when we do receive and understand the importance of a concept like redemption.

And so, again, I thank everybody for being here today. And I will now turn it over to Kim Kardashian, who has been a wonderful advocate on this and so many other issues.

END 2:56 P.M. EDT

# # #

April 25, 2024

This event will be to open to pre-credentialed media. For interested media, please RSVP here by Friday, April 26^th at 12:00 PM.

April 25, 2024

These barriers matter to an enormous number of Americans: One in three U.S. adults has been arrested by age 23, and over 70 million Americans have a criminal history record. Forty percent of all children in the United States have at least one parent with a criminal record. Every year, more than 650,000 people are released from State and Federal prisons, many with limited resources to start their new lives. Elected officials of both parties, faith leaders, civil rights advocates, and law enforcement leaders agree that when the basic needs of those returning to communities are met, we do not just empower formerly incarcerated people -- we prevent crime and make our communities safer.

Each April, the Biden-Harris Administration celebrates Second Chance Month, recognizing the important role of individuals, communities, and agencies across the country in supporting the safe and successful reentry of people returning from jails and prisons each year. As the Biden-Harris Administration opens new doors, it also slows the revolving door, reducing the number of people returning to jail or prison once they leave.

The Biden-Harris Administration is announcing two actions this week:

Removing Barriers for Entrepreneurs. The Small Business Administration provided more than $50 billion in loans to small businesses across the country in Fiscal Year 2023. Today, the SBA finalized a rule that will eliminate the bar on accessing SBA funds for people on probation or parole. The rule also eliminates a deterrent to seeking loans by eliminating standard questions about one's criminal background from SBA loan forms. Expanding access to entrepreneurship facilitates successful reentry of formerly incarcerated individuals while also creating economic growth that benefits the whole nation. Under SBA programs, lenders will continue to conduct individualized reviews that address fraud risks and assess the creditworthiness of borrowers.

Remedying Unjust Sentences. Yesterday, President Biden again used his constitutional authority to uphold the values of redemption, rehabilitation, and fairness by issuing 11 pardons and 5 commutations for individuals convicted of non-violent drug offenses who have demonstrated a commitment to rehabilitation. The President has exercised his clemency power more than any recent predecessor at this point in their presidency with 122 commutations and 20 pardons to date. The Biden-Harris Administration will continue to review clemency petitions and deliver reforms that advance equal justice, address racial disparities, strengthen public safety, and enhance the wellbeing of all Americans.

These actions build on extensive actions from Day One through 2024, including:

Connecting Formerly Incarcerated Individuals to Good Jobs: As part of the Administration's Good Jobs Initiative, competitive grant programs providing hundreds of billions of dollars now offer competitive preferences for grantees to provide high-quality jobs for qualified workers who face systemic barriers to employment, including those with criminal history records. By July 2024, the Department of Labor will also award nearly $40 million in grants through its Growth Opportunities Program for paid work experiences, training, mentorship, and other services specifically for incarcerated young people transitioning into the workforce. That effort is in addition to DOL's recent announcement of $52 million for re-entry services for individuals leaving state or local prisons and jails.

Supporting Veterans. To help fulfill the country's sacred obligation to care for America's veterans, the Department of Veterans Affairs has strengthened its Homeless and Justice-Involved Veteran Outreach Program, helping to ensure that veterans who are or have been involved in the criminal justice system learn about the services and benefits available to them for successful reentry. VA also changed its policies to require quarterly outreach to veterans incarcerated in federal and state facilities. In fiscal year 2023, VA provided over 2,682 hours of outreach dedicated to veterans who may have been involved with the justice system. By mid-March of fiscal year 2024, the VA already completed over 1,060 hours of outreach dedicated to such veterans.

Expanding Access to Government-Issued Identification. Because people often leave jail or prison without the state-issued identification that is often needed to secure housing and employment, the Bureau of Prisons has successfully developed a new Release ID Card that provides U.S. citizens leaving BOP custody a temporary form of official identification. As of April 2024, 21 states allow U.S. citizens to use their Release ID Card to help obtain state identification.

Addressing a Failed Approach to Marijuana. Sending people to prison for marijuana possession has upended too many lives for conduct that is now legal in many states. Following his October 2022 pardon of prior federal and D.C. offenses of simple possession of marijuana, in December 2023, the President issued a Proclamation that pardoned additional offenses of simple possession and use of marijuana under federal and D.C. law, as well certain violations under the Code of Federal Regulations involving simple marijuana. These full, categorical pardons lift barriers to housing, employment, and educational opportunities for thousands of people.

Making Higher Education More Accessible and Affordable. The Second Chance Pell initiative provides need-based Pell Grants to people in federal and state prisons to obtain high-quality postsecondary education in prison and after release. As a result, in the past financial aid year, more than 17,443 students enrolled in a postsecondary degree or certification program through the initiative. The Department of Education continues to expand its Second Chance Pell Initiative with the Prison Education Program. Last year, 6,036 students obtained a postsecondary degree or certificate through the initiative, and ED predicts that number to grow in the coming years. The Prison Education Program has the potential to reach over 760,000 individuals who are incarcerated and eligible for a Pell

Grant. AmeriCorps has also made it easier for members and volunteers to use the education awards they earn during national service to pay for education and repay their student loans after being incarcerated. Earlier this month, the Department of Education announced a new path for student loan borrowers who are incarcerated to exit default through consolidation, providing them access to improve their credit and better repayment options than ever before. This provides incarcerated borrowers an additional pathway out of default and will provide options for such borrowers to lower their monthly payments and in some cases get loan forgiveness. For example, after consolidating their loans out of default, borrowers can access the newest repayment plan – the Saving on a Valuable Education Plan. The SAVE plan lowers monthly payments to as little as $0 a month based on a borrower's income and family size.

Expanding Access to Health Care. Last year, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced a new demonstration opportunity that allows Medicaid coverage for select services, including substance abuse disorder services, for certain incarcerated persons in the period shortly before release from jail or prison. For Medicare, in November 2022, CMS issued a final rule establishing a special enrollment period for formerly incarcerated individuals so they can enroll up to 12 months following their release from a correctional facility, enabling them to avoid potential gaps in coverage or late enrollment penalties. Earlier this month, the Department of Health and Human Services also

announced the availability of $51 million for the first-ever funding opportunity for health centers to implement innovative approaches to support transitions in care for people leaving incarceration. Health centers can provide health services to incarcerated individuals who are expected to be or are scheduled for release within 90 days to help ensure they continue to receive care as they move back to their communities.

Implementing the First Step Act of 2018. The First Step Act of 2018 was the culmination of a bipartisan effort to improve rehabilitation for people in federal custody, facilitate successful reentry, safely reduce the size of the federal prison population, and strengthen public safety and equal justice. Since 2021, BOP has finalized and implemented several changes to maximize the availability of good and earned time credits for eligible people in federal custody, to expedite the calculation and application of those credits, and to give people in custody the ability to track their time credits. Between January 2022 and April 1, 2024, a total of 31,925 individuals have been released from prison under the First Step Act due to credits earned for good behavior.

Reducing the Use of Criminal History in Federal Jobs and National Service. In August 2023, the Office of Personnel Management issued rules that prohibit federal agencies from requesting an applicant's criminal history information in most circumstances before the agency makes a conditional offer of employment; expanded the positions covered by this "ban the box" policy; and established a complaint process and accountability measures for hiring officials who are alleged to violate it. AmeriCorps has limited the use of criminal history checks to their intended purposes so that justice-involved individuals who do not pose a danger to vulnerable populations have an opportunity to give back to their communities through national service.

Addressing Harmful and Unlawful Fines and Fees. Last April, DOJ issued a Dear Colleague Letter for state and local courts and juvenile justice agencies on common court-imposed fines and fees practice. The letter cautions against those practices that may be unlawful, unfairly penalize individuals who are unable to pay, or otherwise have a discriminatory effect. Building on this letter, in November 2023, DOJ released a report that highlights the most common and innovative approaches taking place across the country to reduce reliance on criminal and civil fines and fees. DOJ also launched a new initiative that provides training and assistance to jurisdictions to address common barriers to creating a more equitable justice system by rethinking the use of fines and fees.

Reducing Recidivism Through Prison Programs. Since 2021, the BOP has added 19 new recidivism-reduction programs and expanded existing reentry and treatment programs related to adjustment, recidivism reduction, and psychological symptoms and distress for the BOP population. In March 2021, 26,251 of 124,509 incarcerated persons had participated in at least one such program. In March 2024, partly due to program expansions and partly due to the end of COVID-19 restrictions, 48,160 of 127,367 incarcerated persons had participated in at least one program.

April 25, 2024

AND NATIONAL SECURITY COMMUNICATIONS ADVISOR JOHN KIRBY

Aboard Air Force One

En Route Syracuse, New York

12:20 P.M. EDT

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: …a delayed start this morning. I apologize. Just going to talk a little bit about the trip and then I'll hand it over to the Admiral, who has some stuff on -- on the Middle East and some other stuff -- some other foreign policy stuff. So, we'll get going.

So, we're on our way to Syracuse, where President Biden will announce -- oh -- oh, it's very loud back there. Okay.

Q Hey, guys --

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Sorry, guys. Thank you. Appreciate you all.

We're on our way to Syracuse, where President Biden will announce that the Department of Commerce has reached a preliminary agreement with Micron to provide up to $6 billion in direct funding under the CHIPS and Science Act. This investment will support the construction of two fabs in Clay, New York, and one fab in Boise, Idaho, unleashing $50 billion in private investment by 2030.

For these projects, Micron established two project labor agreements at the New York and Idaho sites for construction of new fabrication facilities. These agreements will ensure that projects are completed efficiently and on time, while also supporting high-quality jobs.

Micron has affirmed it respects workers' rights to organize, to share feedback without fear of rep- -- reprisal, and to collectively bargain. Since President Biden took office through March -- through March 2024, companies have announced over $825 billion in private-sector investments, in manufacturing and clean energy, and over 50,000 infrastructure and clean energy projects are underway.

This announcement is part of the President's broader commitment to build an economy from the middle out and bottom up, not the top down, and invest in all of America.

With that, the Admiral is here.

MR. KIRBY: Hi. I just -- thank you.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: No problem.

MR. KIRBY: Just real quickly, on Haiti. We join the international community in commending all Haitian participants in their process to establish a transitional presidential council. We welcome the swearing in of those nine TPC members today. Our ambassador to Haiti was present for the ceremony.

In addition to that, today marks a critical step towards free and fair elections, and, of course, we were able to deliver the first shipment of U.S. government nonlethal equipment to the Haitian National Police to bolster their capabilities. Renewed access to the airport after a month of closure and steps made today toward inclusive governance should give us all hope for the future of Haiti.

As we've said numerous times, the United States remains committed to supporting Haitian-led efforts to restore security and the rule of law to pave the way to democratic governance.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: All right. Go ahead.

Q Any update --

Q Can you --

Q I'm sorry. Go ahead.

Q Thank you. Can you give us just any updates on the flow of aid into Ukraine? I know the President said within hours yesterday. What has been able to get in place?

MR. KIRBY: I'll refer you to the Pentagon for updates. I mean, there is -- there are some things on that list that can get there in very short order, in a matter of days. As you know, we have quite a bit of inventory there in Poland. Other things will take longer to get there, but, really, the Pentagon should speak to timing.

Q John, how can the U.S. ensure that that equipment gets to where it needs to go in Haiti, to the actual National Police, just given the situation in Port-au-Prince and also a history where, at times, U.S. weapons, U.S. equipment does get into the wrong hands?

MR. KIRBY: Yeah, I want to make clear a couple things. This is nonlethal stuff, like body armor and that kind of thing. And we're working with partners on the ground to make sure that it gets to the HNP and that they use it appropriately. We are not present there. We're not going to have an inspection regime there on the ground to do that. But we're comfortable that we can work through the embassy, through the ambassador, and partners on the ground.

Q Admiral, a question on Turkey. In two weeks' time, President Erdoğan is expected at the White House for a visit. Last Saturday, he hosted the Hamas leader. Will that be, you know, subject -- topic of conversation, or would that compromise the visit?

MR. KIRBY: There's nothing on the schedule to speak to in terms of a specific visit by President Erdoğan. So, I don't really have a comment on that.

Q And on him hosting the Hamas leader?

MR. KIRBY: Again, I'll let President Erdoğan speak to the meetings that he's having. We've been very clear about our position on Hamas and who they are and what they represent. I'll leave it at that.

Q U.S. officials, UK officials, Arab leaders are going to Saudi Arabia next week. Any idea -- can you give us some preview of what to expect from that?

MR. KIRBY: No, sorry. I don't have anything on that.

Q On U- -- on Ukraine, John, can you say: Is the U.S. considering sending another Patriot battery to Ukraine?

MR. KIRBY: When we send additional items and we can speak to it, we'll certainly let you know. You all saw what is in this first package. These are critical capabilities for them. But clearly, air defense is going to remain something that's a high priority for -- for the Ukrainians. And as we can contribute to that air defense across a range of different capabilities -- long, medium, and short range -- we'll do

that.

Q And on -- on the meeting in Saudi Arabia, can you say which U.S. officials will be attending that?

MR. KIRBY: I just don't want -- I'll tell you what I'm going to do. I'll take the question, though, and go back to the team and see if we have more detail on that.

Q Does the President have any comment today on the arguments before the Supreme Court questioning whether the President should have a --

Q Can we actually --

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Wait, wait. Hold on.

Q Can we get -- can we get one more with --

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I'll get to that in a second.

Q John, a top Han- -- Hamas political official told the AP that the -- the group is willing to agree to a truce of five years or more in exchange for a Palestinian state being established. Do you guys consider that particularly credible starting of a negotiat- -- negotiating point from Hamas?

MR. KIRBY: Absolutely not. There's not going to be a Palestinian state with Hamas in control. It's a terrorist organization.

We support a two-state solution. You've heard the President talk about that a lot. But it's got to be done through direct negotiations between the parties: Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

Now, look, it seems like Hamas just keeps wanting to move the goalposts. They could end the war now, and if they really believed in a state for the Palestinian people, they wouldn't have violated the -- the ceasefire that was in effect on the 6 th of October, they'd lay down their arms, they'd let the hostages go.

Q I know you've said that you're in a dialogue with Israeli officials over the reports of mass graves. Have you received any clarity on those reports or --

MR. KIRBY: I have nothing new on that today. I mean, obviously, we are talking to our Israeli counterparts. You heard Ja- -- Jake talk about this yesterday. We'd like to see this investigated. We'd like to get more information about it.

Q

Q He asked it already.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Thanks, Admiral.

Q Thanks, John.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Appreciate it.

Okay. I'll -- your question was about?

Q Does the President have any thoughts on the argument before the Supreme Court today made by the former President that presidents should face immunity from any actions taken in office?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Nothing to say about that.

Q Can I ask about campus protests? Speaker Johnson visited Columbia yesterday, I believe. He also talked about the possibility of bringing National Guard troops. One, is that a conversation he's had with the President? And, more broadly, does the President think that's necessary and something he could potentially support?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, on the National Guards, that is something that is under the governors, right? That is something for the governors to decide. As you know, Governor Hochul visited Columbia University recently. And so, she spoke to that. So, I would just refer you to her comments. That is something for governors to decide, so I -- I don't have anything beyond that.

But I want to be really clear here. The President put out a statement, as you know -- and I mentioned this -- I've mentioned this a couple times this week -- when he talked about Pa- -- Passover, as Jewish Americans were celebrating Passover. And he said that antisemitism basically is wrong and that we should call out -- call that out. And there is no place -- no place for -- for hate or hateful rhetoric or any type of violence, obviously.

And that's -- that is sometime -- something that we continue to condemn. And we've been very consistent about that throughout our term -- throughout his term.

And so, don't have anything else be- -- beyond that. But the National Guard, that is something for Governor Hochul.

Q And then --

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: And governors, in general, they are -- that is something for them to decide on.

Q Johnson seemed to suggest that he was going to have a conversation with the President about this issue. Has that conversation happened?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I don't have a conversation to read out. Yeah.

Q On the U.S. economy. The economy is slowing. The expectation was it was going to be 2.5 percent in the first quarter, and it was 1.6. And we saw your -- the statement from the President talking about how it's been 3 percent over the last year. But was 1.6 about what the White House had projected?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, look, what we -- and you saw this in the statement, so I'm not -- I'm just going to reiterate just a little bit here what the GDP report showed. We be- -- the economy remains strong. And we've been talking about the steady and stable growth, and that's what we see from that report today.

And as you know, the economy has grown more under President Biden than, at this point, in any presidential term in the last 25 years. And you mentioned the 3 percent growth over the last year. Consumer spending and business investment, the core of GDP growth, are strong.

But, look, we're always going to be very clear: There's more work to do. The President has said this -- at the center of his economic plan is going to be lowering costs for the American people, and we're going to continue to do that. Fighting inflation, we're going to continue to do that.

But we believe we're -- we're going toward that slow and steady growth. And I think that's what the GDP report --

Q So, can you say if the White House projected that 1.6 or --

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Look, I -- I --

Q Okay.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: You know, that's for the economic experts to -- to speak to. I don't have anything to -- to share about what was our expectations. But what we see from the report is actually what we believe is -- is the economy continuing to remain strong.

Q And it sounds like Kim Kardashian is at the White House today. Did the President speak with her?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Well, that's a good question. I -- as you can imagine, we're now on this trip. So, I don't have a -- I don't have a readout for you on a conversation with Kim Kardashian.

But, look, this is part of -- this is part of what we announced very recently --

Oh, okay.

-- the pardons yesterday.

Getting a look here.

So, as you know, this afternoon, the Vice President will convene par- -- pardon recipients and criminal justice reform advocate Kim Kardashian for a roundtable discussion to highlight the administration's Second Chance policies during Second Chance Month.

So, the four pardon recipients participating in the discussion are among the 16 individuals who received clemency from the President just yesterday. And to date, the President has commu- -- commuted the sentences of 122 individuals and granted pardons to 20 individuals who committed nonviolent drug offense.

And so, obviously the Vice President is going to speak to this. And so, I will let her remarks kind of lay out the -- the importance of today.

Q Does the White House have a reaction to Meadows, Giuliani, and others being charged in Arizona for the fake election scheme?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: No.

Q What about the Weinstein conviction getting overturned?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: No comment on that.

Q Can you say what the President is doing tomorrow in New York?

AIR FORCE ONE CREW MEMBER: So sorry. We're landing in four.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Go ahead.

Q Can you say what the President is doing tomorrow in New York?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: We'll have more to share later today.

All right. Thanks, everybody.

12:30 P.M. EDT

April 25, 2024

WASHINGTON – Vice President Kamala Harris announced today that she will embark on a nationwide Economic Opportunity Tour with a series of events focused on investing in communities, building wealth, and ensuring every American has the freedom to thrive. The Vice President's tour will take her back to several states across the country as she highlights how the Biden-Harris Administration has built economic opportunity and delivered for the American people. The Economic Opportunity Tour will kick off with a moderated conversation in Atlanta, GA on April 29 and an event in Detroit, MI during the following week. Additional dates and locations will be announced soon.

"President Biden and I are committed to creating an economy in which every person has the freedom to thrive. That is why we have taken historic steps to advance economic opportunity by increasing access to capital, investing in small businesses, addressing housing costs, forgiving student loans and medical debt, investing in infrastructure, and championing additional policies that put money in people's pockets and build wealth," said Vice President Harris. "Our economic approach has delivered great progress, and we will continue to invest in you, your family, and your future."

During the Vice President's Economic Opportunity Tour, she will highlight how the Biden-Harris Administration has delivered historic investments that have supported communities and helped people thrive. This includes making unprecedented investments in small businesses and achieving the fastest creation of Black-owned small businesses in more than 30 years, creating a record number of jobs, increasing access to capital for underserved communities, investing in infrastructure, cutting the price of insulin and expanding access to health care, erasing medical debt, forgiving more student loan debt than any administration in history and boosting investments in education, making housing more affordable, lowering child care costs, and increasing the wealth of American families. Vice President Harris will also outline additional steps that she and President Biden are taking to expand this work. She will be joined on the tour by Administration officials, members of Congress, local leaders, and

other special guests.

The Vice President's tour is a continuation of her nonstop travel to communities across the country. She has made more than 35 trips to 16 states since the beginning of 2024. This includes consistent travel to meet with small business owners and entrepreneurs in underserved communities to discuss challenges and opportunities they face. In March, she traveled to Black Wall Street in Durham, NC to announce $32 million in funds to support historically underserved entrepreneurs. She began the year in Las Vegas, NV where she announced an SBA rule that will ensure millions of Americans

who have served time are eligible for SBA loan programs that help individuals start and run small businesses.

The Vice President has long been focused on ensuring that minority, rural, and low-income communities have the capital and resources they need to thrive and support small businesses. Last year, she announced that Treasury's CDFI Fund has awarded over $1.73 billion in grants to 603 Community Development Financial Institutions across the country. In 2022, the Vice President also announced a first-of-its-kind public-private sector initiative -- the Economic Opportunity Coalition -- that is a historic

public-private partnership of more than 20 private sector organizations that will invest tens of billions of dollars to create opportunity and grow wealth in historically underserved communities. The EOC has already surpassed over $1 billion in increased member company deposits into community finance institutions. As a Senator, the Vice President partnered with key Congressional stakeholders to secure a transformative $12 billion investment for CDFIs and MDIs in December 2020. Since that time, she has worked to ensure these programs are as successful as possible.

Media interested in covering Monday's Economic Opportunity Tour kickoff event in Atlanta – the Vice President's third trip to the state this year and her 12^th since being sworn in – should RSVP HERE by 5:00 p.m. ET on Friday, April 26.

Media interested in covering the Vice President's arrival at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport should RSVP HERE by 5:00 p.m. ET on Friday, April 26.

Details for media to RSVP to additional stops on the tour will be available soon.

April 25, 2024

South Lawn

11:16 A.M. EDT

Q Mr. President, how was your meeting with Abigail? Can you talk about your meeting with Abigail a little bit?

We're told that you met with Abigail, the little -- the little girl that was held hostage.

THE PRESIDENT: I'm sorry, I can't hear you .

Q Abigail. You met with Abigail the other day.

THE PRESIDENT: Yes.

Q The little -- the little girl. How did that go?

THE PRESIDENT: That went really well. Her dad sent me -- her -- excuse me -- her family sent me a note saying she was riding home and she said, "You know, I love Joe Biden."

Q We're told that she did a lot of playing.

THE PRESIDENT: She did.

Q And had you seen -- can you discuss that a little bit. Was she outside, inside? She was playing a lot?

THE PRESIDENT: Oh, she was. We had her on the swings. She was pla- -- swinging around in the Oval Office. She was really good.

Q Have you seen the video of the hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin with the missing arm? Have you seen that video of that hostage? Any reaction?

THE PRESIDENT: I haven't, but I know about it. I haven't physically seen it.

11:17 A.M. EDT