Mediaboss Marketing

James S. Brady Press Briefing Room

2:51 P.M. EDT

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Good afternoon, everybody.

Q Good afternoon.

Q Good afternoon.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Okay, thank you. Thank you so much.

Okay. Today marks the 70th anniversary of the signing of an executive order that codified the Lavender Scare, a dark chapter in our nations history when thousands of LGBTQI+ federal employees were investigated, interrogated, and fired because of who they were and whom they loved.

In acknowledgement of this period, President Biden issued the first-ever presidential proclamation to remember the Americans affected by this discrimination, honor the courage of those who fought to end this injustice, and celebrate the many important contributions of our nations LGBTQI+ public servants, including members of our armed forces.

I have the great privilege of serving with some of these individuals every day who work here at the White House and across federal agencies on behalf of the American people.

Under President Biden, the LGBTQI+ leaders are serving at the highest levels of government. Weve got the first openly gay Senate-confirmed Cabinet, the first openly transgender Americans to be confirmed by the United States Senate, and the first open lesbian to serve at the ambassador level as well.

Today, this administration joins Americans across the country to honor the lives impacted by the Lavender Scare and renew our commitment to equal rights for all.

In this moment, when we are seeing attempts to erase LGBTQI+ history from classrooms, we are committed to telling it.

Now, today, the Biden-Harris administration announced that the administration will impose sanctions targeted at actors who are involved in hostage-taking or wrongful detentions in Russia and Iran and those that provide them with material support.

In doing so, the administration is for the first time deploying a new tool that was established under executive order by President Biden to impose severe economic costs on governments and groups that hold hostage or wrongfully detain Americans around the world.

Todays sanctions afford the administration additional leverage to support negotiations and impose additional costs on those who are responsible for unjustly holding Americans against their will.

This is just one of a series of actions, both public and private, the Biden-Harris administration has been taking to deter and disrupt hostage-taking and wrongful detentions and help bring Americans home.

And finally, I want to mark that its Arab American Heritage Month, a time when we joined together to celebrate the immeasurable contributions of Arab Americans to our nation.

President Biden signed the first-ever presidential proclamation for National Arab American Heritage Month on March 31st, 2023.

And earlier today, we had the opportunity to host a briefing for Arab American community leaders here at the White House to discuss our efforts to promote equity, protect the civil rights of Arab Americans and all communities across the country.

With that, Chris.

Q Hi. How are you doing?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Hey. How are you?

Q House Republicans passed legislation on the budget and debt limit. What is the White Houses response to this? And do you feel like the ball is in your court now to, you know, start negotiations with House Republicans as the next move?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, a couple of things I want to say about this. Lets lets just take a step back for a second. The United States have never has never in our history failed to pay our debts. That is something that we have never done ever, again, in our history of this country.

Were not a deadbeat nation. Avoiding default is Congresss responsibility. And they should act in on it without preconditions as they have done in Democratic and Republican administrations, and they should do that immediately.

House Republicans are holding our economy hostage and threatening default, crashing the economy, jeopardizing hardworking Americans retirement, and causing millions of Americans to lose their jobs.

As the President said yesterday, hes happy to meet with Speaker McCarthy but not on whether or not the debt limit gets extended. That is not negotiable, and we have been very clear about this for the past several months. We have not minced words here.

House Republicans are holding the economy hostage, threatening Americans jobs and retirement savings unless we and the Senate agree on an extreme MAGA wish list of slashing education, veterans healthcare, and Meals on Wheels; taking away healthcare for millions of Americans; and sending manufacturing jobs overseas.

Its increase itll increase cost of working families, as Ive talked about before from here at this podium. And what this bill will do itll kill jobs, and its all to pay for tax cuts for the super-rich and profitable companies.

Its not how we grow our economy. The President has been very clear how he sees our economy moving forward. He has actually put forth pieces of legislation and policy on how he sees this the economy moving forward. And its not trickle-down economics. It is building the economy from the bottom up, middle out, and making sure we leave no Americans behind we leave no one behind.

And what were seeing from what Republicans have put forward: It will leave people behind. It will hurt Americans, including veterans, including our seniors just Americans across the board.

So, again, we took a step back. We are not negotiating on this. We have been very clear it is their constitutional duty to take action.

Q So another question. On the issue of screening within the military for extremism and other issues: Is White House satisfied that the Pentagon is doing a good enough job screening for these kinds of issues given what were seeing come out of the classified leaker case?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: The President has confidence in the Department of Defense. So, yes.

Q Even that things are making it through the cracks?MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Look, as we know, there is a DOJ investigation thats looking into it as as youre speaking to leaks. So, certainly dont want to get ahead of that. Theyre going to do their investigation, and theyre going to do what is needed moving forward.

But, again, the President has confidence in the Department of Defense.

Q Last thing. The administration announced new centers to progress sorry process migrants in Colombia and Guatemala. Can the administration promise that these centers will uphold all humanitarian obligations and access to legal counsel for people who are seeking asylum in the United States?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, as you all know, the Department of State the State Department and also DH- DHS made an announcement, had a press conference earlier today. Its on YouTube. It was livescre- -streamed.

So, all if any of you have questions or want to hear exactly what the Secretary said both Secretaries said so, I would refer you to that.

More broadly on your question on processing centers, I would say the regional processing center at the State Department and the DHS that they announced today will reduce unlawful migrant and cut out the smugglers. That is our focus. That is what we want to see happen.

They reflect the Presidents approach on immigration, which is working closely with our partners to manage the challenge that were seeing at seeing together, not just us. Were seeing this in the Western Hemisphere, as we have talked about.

These centers will be opening up in several countries, including Colombia and Guatemala as you just mentioned, Chris. We expect to announce additional countries soon.

Its all part of our approach to direct people to legal pathways from where they are, rather than seeking generous [dangerous], disorderly pathways.

We have been very clear: We are going to put forth an immigration process that is humane, that is orderly. That is the goal that we have set forward. That is how we want to move forward in that process and do it very different differently than it was done in the last administration.

We

Q So, there will be access to legal counsel for people at these centers?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I I would refer you to DHS and the State Department on the specifics on that, because they will have all of the pieces to your question there.

But what I want to say is we want to make sure that it is done in a humane way. That is the Presidents that has been the Presidents, basically, sense of how immigration reform is going to move in an orderly fashion.

And thats what we have done. Thats what we have done from day one.

Go ahead.

Q Thanks, Karine. The nations biggest business lobbying group, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, is now directly calling on the administration to sit down and negotiate on the debt limit, saying the administration needs to sit with congressional leaders, not delay to find a path to raise the debt ceiling, and address runaway deficits.

Will the President sit down with Speaker McCarthy at least right now on the budget, as he said he would yesterday?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, been very clear. Weve been very, very clear on this. Again, not mincing words here. As we what we have seen they have put together is an agenda an extreme MAGA wish list that basically says theyre connecting the two, right? Theyre saying to the Senate, theyre saying to the to the President that we have to go with this agenda in its full form.

And the President has said really cle- really, really clearly: When it comes to the debt ceiling, they cannot allow this to happen this is the Republicans in the House. They cannot allow this to happen. It is their constitutional duty to do so.

Ive gotten this question that youve asked me many different ways. Ive answered it the same way. We dont I dont have anything new to say.

They should not allow any default. We they should not allow our economy to be held hostage here.

Q But Republicans in the House have now passed a bill that would prevent a default. So at what point

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Right.

Q does it have to that doesnt mean anything? It has to be a clean bill before the President will sit down at all and talk?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: We have said very clearly: They need to deal with whats at stake here, whats at hand, which is the our e- our economy, which is making sure that we do not default. We cannot be we have never been weve never been a deadbeat nation. And this is not the time to do that.

And this is their constitutional this is something that theyre supposed to be doing, that they have done I read through this with Democratic and Republican presidents. This is their con- basic, basic constitutional duty to do. And so weve been very clear on this.

Go ahead.

Q Just following up on the economy. First Republic is seemingly in trouble. Theyve theres growing concern that the bank isnt going to make it because their the cost of their lending is you know, is higher than the cost of what theyre taking in.

Can you give us an update on how you know, how the administration is thinking about this situation at this regional bank after bailing out SVB and Signature earlier and guaranteeing those deposits? Is that something that you feel is going to be necessary for First Republic? And what would be the argument against doing that?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, were continuing Andrea, were continuing to monitor the situation. A couple of things is that the Financial Stability Oversight Council including Secretary Yellen, Chair Powell, and all the bank regulators recently agreed and this is a quote the U.S. banking system remains sound and resilient.

So weve taken, as you know, over the over the past in the early, early 10 days or two weeks or so took decisive and forceful actions to give Americans confidence that their deposits are safe and to give banks access to liquidity.

Since our administration took those actions, we have seen deposits stabilize at regional banks. That is something that weve seen in the data. As the President and Secretary Yellen and Chair Powell have said, we have used important tools to quickly stabilize the banking system. We could use those tools again if needed.

Certainly, we are monitoring this situation. I just dont have anything to preview from here.

Q Let me just follow up on that. So you said the deposits have stabilized, but the deposits have not stabilized at First Republic. Theyve seen a massive outflow of funding. I mean, walk me through your argument or your you know, what differentiates SVB from First Republic?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So

Q Why help one set of depositors but not another set?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah, so, more broadly, across the regional banks, we have seen a stabilization. So just want to be really clear. In the deposits, that is something, again, that came from Secretary Yellen, Chair Powell. Those are statements that they made the Financial Stability Oversight Council. Right? So just want to be very clear more broadly.

As it relates to this particular First Republic, we are monitoring the situation. We just I just laid out the actions that we have taken in the past, especially those really critical first couple of days in the last situation.

And so, we know what we can do. We know whats in our tool in the toolbelt what we the tools that we have in front of us to use. Were going to monitor the situation. And well take I will leave it to the experts to decide on when to take action.

But, again, we have proven how we have moved really quickly in a decisive and for- taking decisive and forceful actions in the past. And I could assure you that youll see that again from this administration.

Q And just one on Sudan. Do you have any update for us on evacuations and any efforts to extend the ceasefire there? Thank you.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So a couple of things of that I have on that, so please bear with me. But we wanted to make sure thats out there to all of you.

So, following intense negotiation, the Sudanese Armed Forces, SAF, and Rapid Support Forces, RSF, agreed to implement, as you all know, a 70 a 72-hour nationwide ceasefire ceasefire starting at midnight on April 24th, which was about two days ago.

While there was an initial reduction in reports of violence, we are deeply concerned by the increase in ceasefire violations yesterdays.

We we urge the SAF and the RSF to fully uphold and extend the ceasefire.

As you heard from the National Security Advisor on Monday, Jake Sullivan, when he was here at this podium, the President has directed his team to help as many Americans as possible. We are working continuously to create options for American citizens to leave Sudan promptly because the situation could deteriorate at any moment. And we are communicating with citizens who have requested information about those options.

And again, as at the Presidents direction, we are actively facilitating the departure of American citizens who want to leave Sudan by both air and land. This was something that you heard from the National Security Advisor as well.

We have deployed U.S. intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance assets to support air and land evacuation routes, which Americans are using. And we are moving naval assets within the region to be pre-positioned to provide any necessary support along the coast.

U.S. Africa Command has established a deconfliction cell to facilitate coordination with our allies and partners in this effort. We are also supporting our allies and partners who are include- who are including Americans in their evacuation efforts.

We are helping facilitate onward travel for American citizens who arrive in Port Sudan, including with our consular teams afloat in Jeddah, Su- Saudi Arabia.

The State Department has deployed additional consular staff to the region to assist with this effort. The State Department has a consular team in direct communication with U.S. citizens in Sudan that is working around the clock to advise them of their options to leave Sudan and provide information on the security environment.

One last point to make here is that this is a dynamic environment, and any option entails a degree of risk. But because the situation is unlikely to improve, we encourage Americans who want to leave to take advantage of the options that are available to them in the next 24 to 48 hours.

Go ahead.

Q Given the Presidents direction and what youre saying right now, a number of other countries have evacuated citizens over the course of the last several days and taken advantage of the ceasefire the U.S. helped put into place. The U.S. still has not. What is different about your risk assessment right now or security assessment than what other countries are looking at as theyve gone in and gotten their people out?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So I want to be as you know, when it comes to risk assessments and intelligence, were very careful to not speak to that. But weve been pretty clear in laying out and communicating with the American people. Youve heard us here, from the National Security Advisor. You heard it from the State Department, from Secretary Blinken directly.

And we have been clear on what the President laying out, which is what I did laying out, at the Presidents direction, what we have done, how we move forward, how we worked with allies and partners to get Americans out.

And weve been pretty clear about this for the past several months, for the past year, what the situation in Sudan. And so, were going to continue to have those conversations.

As I just mentioned, there are consular services, a consular team thats there, thats trying to help Americans who want to leave in any way that we can.

And so, again, were going to continue to have those communication. But Im certainly not going to get into any any intelligence or how thats come about or how we come to certain certain kind of intelligence, surveillance, or reconnaissance.

Q Yeah, I understand on that front.

I think my question one, the security alerts from the State Department over the course of the last year never told people to leave. They told people never to travel there. For people that that live there

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah, thats true.

Q that are now trying to get out

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Right.

Q what Im trying to understand is the difference between what the U.S. sees, why they will not send in assets to evacuate, versus other countries that have over the course of the last several days.

More:
Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre - The White House