Biden Bits: Meet the Newest Biden…

Biden Tweets Christmas Logo. Image by Lenny Ghoul.

It’s Tuesday.

For Tuesday, December 21st, 2021, President Biden has received his daily brief. This afternoon President Biden will deliver remarks on the fight against coronavirus.

The White House released the following fact-sheet; President Biden Announces New Actions to Protect Americans and Help Communities and Hospitals Battle Omicron

Today, President Biden will announce new actions to protect Americans and help communities and hospitals battle Omicron, building on the robust plan he announced earlier this month to get people maximum protection ahead of the winter and prepare for rising cases driven by the new variant.

We know how to protect people from severe illness, we have the tools needed to do it, and thanks to the President’s Winter Plan, we are ready: 73% of adult Americans are fully vaccinated—up from less than 1 percent before the President took office—and we are getting about 1 million booster shots in arms each day. Vaccines are free and readily available at 90,000 convenient locations. There is clear guidance on masking and other measures that help slow the spread of COVID-19. And, federal emergency medical teams are ready to respond to surges nationwide.

Our vaccines are the most powerful tools we have—they work to protect people from serious illness and death, and boosters provide people optimal protection. While cases among vaccinated individuals will likely increase due to the more transmissible Omicron, evidence to date is that their cases will most likely be mild. In contrast, unvaccinated individuals are at high risk of getting COVID-19, getting severely ill, and even dying. Today’s actions will mitigate the impact unvaccinated individuals have on our health care system, while increasing access to free testing and getting more shots in arms to keep people safe and our schools and economy open.

Today, President Biden will announce the following actions:

White House.gov. 12/21/2021.

Increased Support for Hospitals: The President will take several steps to ensure states and health systems across the country have the personnel, beds, and supplies they need as they battle rising Omicron hospitalizations, mostly among the unvaccinated. Today’s steps build on the President’s Winter Plan, which made over 60 Winter COVID-19 emergency response team deployments available to states, and the COVID-19 Surge Response Teams the Administration mobilized over the summer and fall to fight the Delta surge.

Deploying Additional Medical Personnel

  • Mobilizing an Additional 1,000 Troops to Deploy to COVID-Burdened Hospitals: The President is directing Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to ready an additional 1,000 service members—military doctors, nurses, paramedics, and other medical personnel—to deploy to hospitals during January and February, as needed.
  • Deploying Federal Medical Personnel Available to States Immediately: The President is announcing that six emergency response teams—with more than 100 clinical personnel and paramedics—are deploying to six states now: Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, Arizona, New Hampshire and Vermont. This is on top of the 300 federal medical personnel that we have deployed since we learned about Omicron.

Expanding Hospital Capacity

  • Activating FEMA Response Teams to Help States and Hospitals Add Capacity Now: The President is directing the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to activate additional staffing and capacity for the National Response Coordination Center (NRCC) and FEMA regions, and to mobilize planning teams to work with every state and territory to assess hospital needs ahead of winter surges, and to start expanding hospital bed capacity now—with the federal government paying for all of it. The Administration is also pre-positioning the federal government’s own supplies and resources to help make more beds available.
  • Providing Ongoing Support to States to Help Hospitals Create and License More Beds: FEMA has already provided states hundreds of millions of dollars to expand hospital capacity. This includes two new medical surge facilities in Shreveport, Louisiana, added beds for COVID-19 patients in Baltimore, Maryland, and expanded intensive care units and emergency departments in Fresno, California.
  • Deploying Hundreds of Ambulances and Emergency Medical Teams to Transport Patients to Open Beds: To get ahead of surges, FEMA is ready to deploy hundreds of ambulances and emergency medical teams so that if one hospital fills up, they can transport patients to open beds in other facilities. Just this week, 30 paramedics are heading to New Hampshire, 30 to Vermont, and 20 to Arizona, and 30 ambulances are headed to New York and 8 to Maine. The Administration is also continuing to provide 100 percent federal reimbursement to states for all COVID-19 emergency response costs.

Providing Critical Supplies

  • Pre-Positioning Critical Supplies from the Strategic National Stockpile: Thanks to the President’s leadership, the U.S. government has hundreds of millions of N-95 masks, billions of gloves, tens of millions of gowns, and over 100,000 ventilators in the Strategic National Stockpile—all ready to ship out if and when states need them. The Administration has pre-positioned these supplies in strategic locations across the United States so that we can send them to states that need them immediately.
  • Deploying Ventilators to States: HHS continues to expedite the deployment of ventilators to states. Just last week, the Administration sent 330 ventilators to states like Indiana, Michigan, Maine, and New Hampshire, with more planned deliveries on the way to states that are facing strains and need them.

Robust Access to Free Testing: The President will announce new actions to ensure Americans have access to free testing, including convenient, at-home tests. Since January 2021, the Administration has already taken significant actions to increase testing. As a result, there are now 20,000 free testing sites across the U.S., four times as many at-home tests available to Americans than were available this summer, and at-home tests being made available at key community sites, such as community health centers and rural clinics. Today’s steps build on this progress and further increase the availability of free and convenient testing options.

  • Standing up New Federal Testing Sites: Today, the President is announcing that new federal testing sites will be stood up around the country, helping states that need additional testing capacity. The first will be stood up in New York City this week.
  • Distributing Free, Rapid Tests to Americans: Today, the President is announcing his Administration will purchase a half-billion at-home, rapid tests this winter to be distributed for free to Americans who want them, with the initial delivery starting in January 2022. The Administration will stand up a website where Americans can go to get at-home tests delivered to their home—for free.
  • Utilizing the Defense Production Act to Further Accelerate Production: The President is pledging to continue using the Defense Production Act (DPA) and other authorities to make sure the U.S. is producing as many tests as quickly as possible. Through the President’s aggressive actions this summer, including use of the DPA, the Administration has already quadrupled the monthly supply of at-home, rapid tests in the U.S. The Administration will continue to use the DPA to accelerate production; just in the last week, the Administration used DPA to ensure that two testing manufacturers have the raw materials and equipment they need to produce as many tests as they can—enabling one company to double its production of lab-based tests, and another to rapidly to scale up production of new over-the-counter and point-of-care tests.

Expanding Capacity to Get Shots in Arms: President Biden will announce additional steps to ensure people can get vaccinated and boosted and get their kids vaccinated easily this winter. Over the fall, the Administration has added 10,000 more vaccination sites across the country where Americans can get their shots. There are now 90,000 convenient locations nationwide, with many sites offering walk-in appointments and vaccinations for the whole family.

  • Standing Up New Pop-Up Vaccination Clinics: The President will announce that FEMA is standing up new pop-up vaccination clinics across the country. This includes a new mobile unit in Washington, and four new mobile units across New Mexico that are opening today. FEMA will help stand up additional sites in areas of high demand over the coming weeks.
  • Deploying Additional Vaccinators: To further increase capacity, the Biden Administration is deploying hundreds of federal vaccinators across 12 states, Tribes and territories. Together, these vaccinators will help enable thousands of additional appointments over the next few weeks.
  • Allowing Flexibility to Surge Pharmacy Teams: In response to strong demand for vaccinations in communities across the country, the Administration will cut red tape to help surge pharmacy teams to places where there is higher demand. To do so, HHS will issue an amendment to the PREP Act Declaration allowing flexibility for pharmacists and pharmacy interns to administer a wider set of vaccinations across state lines.
  • Continuing to Scale Pharmacy Capacity: Nationwide, pharmacies are adding appointments and capacity across their network. Pharmacy partners have taken steps to surge capacity, including by hiring tens of additional clinical and operational staff nationwide. And, pharmacies are opening up hundreds of new vaccination sites for kids in January.

The White House added this morning the background press call previewing the afternoon Presidential speech.

President Biden has tweeted 2 times so far for Tuesday…

The video snip is 49 seconds long and features different Union’s leadership talking about how the infrastructure bill will help the union workers.

When Biden Bits was posted for Monday, President Biden had not tweeted. He made up for it, by giving himself a Monday Tweeting Total of 12 tweets and 0 retweets.

Well, as we know from yesterday and Sunday, the Build Back Better Act is now on pause at least until the first of the year after they lost the vote of Democratic Senator Joe Manchin (WV). On Monday he reportedly said on statewide WV, that the real reason he decided to vote no was “staff driven.”

White House staff had given Manchin a heads-up on Thursday that the president was soon to put out a statement accepting a delay in the Build Back Better Act and that it was going to mention the West Virginia senator by name. Manchin objected, asking that either his name be left out or that he not be alone because his family had already been the target of abuse and he didn’t want to be singled out.

But the statement went out anyway, and contained only Manchin’s name. The senator then snapped at White House aides and told them that he was done negotiating. The West Wing interpreted that as meaning that current talks were done but could pick up again next year.

But Manchin meant that he was totally walking away — which he said publicly a few days later on Fox News Sunday, in a move that blindsided and outraged the White House.

Politico. 12/2021.

The statement in question was issued on Thursday December 16th, 2021.

I had a productive call with Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Schumer earlier today. I briefed them on the most recent discussions that my staff and I have held with Senator Manchin about Build Back Better. In these discussions, Senator Manchin has reiterated his support for Build Back Better funding at the level of the framework plan I announced in September. I believe that we will bridge our differences and advance the Build Back Better plan, even in the face of fierce Republican opposition.

My team and I are having ongoing discussions with Senator Manchin; that work will continue next week. It takes time to finalize these agreements, prepare the legislative changes, and finish all the parliamentary and procedural steps needed to enable a Senate vote. We will advance this work together over the days and weeks ahead; Leader Schumer and I are determined to see the bill successfully on the floor as early as possible.

Build Back Better is urgently needed to lower the cost of prescription drugs, health care, child care, and elder care. Notwithstanding the unrelenting Republican obstruction – not a single Republican is willing to move forward on the bill – I am determined to see this bill enacted into law, to give America’s families the breathing room they deserve. We also need urgent action on climate change and other priorities in the Build Back Better plan. 

We will – we must – get Build Back Better passed, even in the face of Republican opposition. 

At the same time, we must also press forward on voting rights legislation, and make progress on this as quickly as possible. I had a productive conversation today with several Senators about how we can get this vital legislation passed. Our democracy is at stake.

White House. 12/16/2021.

In Monday’s press briefing a reporter asked White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki the following question:

Q: Okay. And then on Build Back Better: Did you see the Steve Clemons article today blaming the White House for “incivility” toward Senator Manchin — and specifically, the statement that was released on Thursday — I think, Thursday evening — in which this — the read or the assessment was that the senator thought that that statement blamed him in a — in a way that wasn’t in keeping with the approach that he and the President had been dealing?

I found the article, and apparently the statement from President Biden announcing the pause on BBB lacked civility…

Joe and Joe were pulling in the same direction. There would be no BBB gifts under the Christmas tree — but no one would get coal in their stockings, either. Both sides were congenial, and both agreed not to trash each other, not to throw around White House chief of staff Ron Klain’s name, or the president’s or presidential counselor Steve Ricchetti’s — and the White House would refrain from finger-pointing as a way to keep the process constructive. 

My sources on this come from both Manchin’s people and the White House.

But then – bang! – the White House released a statement blaming Manchin for the delay. It tried to strike a positive tone about the future, but it targeted Manchin specifically and alone.

The Hill. 12/20/2021.

Clemons goes on to say that given the protests at Manchin’s home and the harassment of Manchin and his family that he knew “this presidential statement was personalizing the game. It put his family at risk, in my view. Everyone knows Manchin and Sinema are the two Democrats the White House must negotiate with because it has given up on Republicans — but to specify Manchin in a presidential statement meant the terms of the dealmaking had changed.”

Psaki responds to the reporters question saying: I have not yet read his article. It’s been a busy day. But I will tell you that our intention — I think, if you look back to last Thursday — was to provide an update on the future of Build Back Better. And I think it is not a secret where there was opposition to Build Back Better moving forward and where there is support, which is the vast majority of the Democratic Caucus. That was not intended to be directive or hurtful, but to state — be a statement of fact.

Earlier in the briefing Psaki when asked to “talk a little about” where the gap is between President Biden and Manchin is she replied:

Well, I would say I think the lengthy statement that I issued yesterday outlined pretty specifically the events of the last few weeks. And it was important to the President and to all of us to make that clear to the American people — the status and the steps that had been taken.

But I’m not going to relitigate the tick-tock of yesterday from here today. I will say that, from the President’s viewpoint — and I saw him this morning — he’s worked with Senator Manchin over the course of decades. They share fundamental values, they’re longtime friends — that has not changed.

And what’s most on the President’s mind is the risk of inaction. And if we do not act to get this legislation done and the components in it, not only will costs and prices go up for the American people, but also we will see a trajectory in economic growth that is not where we want it to be. And we’ve seen projections from Goldman Sachs and others today on that front.

So, he’s no stranger to legislative challenges, and we are going to continue to take steps — work like hell to get it done.

White House.gov. 12/20/2021.

At some point on Monday the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) International President Cecil Roberts issued a statement encouraging Manchin to support BBB:

The United Mine Workers and Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) have a long and friendly relationship. We remain grateful for his hard work to preserve the pensions and health care of our retirees across the nation, including thousands in West Virginia. He has been at our side as we have worked to preserve coal miners’ jobs in a changing energy marketplace, and we appreciate that very much.

The Build Back Better (BBB) legislation includes several items that we believe are important for our members and their communities – some of which are part of the UMWA’s Principles for Energy Transition we laid out last spring.

The bill includes language that would extend the current fee paid by coal companies to fund benefits received by victims of coal workers’ pneumoconiosis, or Black Lung. But now that fee will be cut in half, further shifting the burden of paying these benefits away from the coal companies and on to taxpayers.

The bill includes language that will provide tax incentives to encourage manufacturers to build facilities in the coalfields that would employ thousands of coal miners who have lost their jobs. We support that and are ready to help supply those plants with a trained, professional workforce. But now the potential for those jobs is significantly threatened.

The bill includes language that would, for the first time, financially penalize outlaw employers that deny workers their rights to form a union on the job. This language is critical to any long-term ability to restore the right to organize in America in the face of ramped-up union-busting by employers. But now there is no path forward for millions of workers to exercise their rights at work.

For those and other reasons, we are disappointed that the bill will not pass. We urge Senator Manchin to revisit his opposition to this legislation and work with his colleagues to pass something that will help keep coal miners working, and have a meaningful impact on our members, their families, and their communities.

I also want to reiterate our support for the passage of voting rights legislation as soon as possible, and strongly encourage Senator Manchin and every other Senator to be prepared to do whatever it takes to accomplish that. Anti-democracy legislators and their allies are working every day to roll back the right to vote in America. Failure by the Senate to stand up to that is unacceptable and a dereliction of their duty to the Constitution.

UMWA.org. 12/20/2021.

On December 16th, 2021, President Biden offered remarks at the Presentation of the Medal of Honor. The below YouTube is 28 minutes and 30 seconds long.

President Biden: It’s an appropriate backdrop for this ceremony, we believe, because our hearts are overflowing with gratitude today as we honor the unparalleled courage and commitment to duty and the indispensable, indisputable gallantry and intrep- — you know, it’s just hard to explain where your soldiers got the courage they got: the late Sergeant First Class Alwyn Cashe, the late Sergeant First Class Christopher Celiz, and Master Sergeant Earl Plumlee — Plumlee.  You know, our nation’s newest recipients of our highest military award: the Medal of Honor.

President Biden: While today we honor three outstanding soldiers whose actions embodied the highest ideals of selfless service, we also remember the high price our military members and their families
are willing to pay on behalf of our nation. We remember the strength and the sacrifices of these military families, caregivers, and survivors. And we remember and renew our sacred obligation to those who serve this nation in uniform.  As a nation, we have many obligations to our children, the elderly, those in need, but we have only one truly sacred obligation — sacred obligation — and that’s to properly prepare and equip those troops we send into harm’s way, to care for them and their families both while they’re deployed and when they return.  That commitment never expires.  And as Commander-in-Chief, I promise it’s a commitment that we will keep. 

President Biden: And now it’s my great honor to ask for the citations to be read and award the Medal of Honor to Sergeant First Class Alwyn Chase [Cashe], Sergeant First Class Christopher Celiz, and Master Sergeant Earl Plumlee.

President Biden: So, God bless you all.  And may God protect the troops who are out there right now.

To read the bios of those honored with the Medal of Honor, you can do so here.

According to CNN, Consumer Reports.org., & Forbes all agree the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act allocates $65 billion in broadband infrastructure.

In other First Pet’s News:

Michael LaRosa First Lady Dr. Jill Biden’s press secretary told CNN; that Major will continue to live away from the White House. “After consulting with dog trainers, animal behaviorists, and veterinarians, the first family has decided to follow the experts’ collective recommendation that it would be safest for Major to live in a quieter environment with family friends,” LaRosa said, noting the decision to move Major was not a reaction to a specific incident, but comes on the heels of “several months of deliberation” by the Biden family and “discussions with experts.””

He also retweeted this…

Just so I feel better about this…

Lot’s of folks are going to go with “Major out” and “Commander in” type click bait “outrage” pieces, but as a pet owner. I can say that the Biden’s and staff made the right decision for Major.

Here’s how come, so far, Major’s incidents have been low key, but if one incident is not low key and a person gets hurt by the dog. The only choice they are left with is putting the animal down. So, to allow Major the ability to thrive they’ve decided to place Major in an environment more suited to his needs.

I say this as a dog owner who has a grand-baby that we have to watch both of them super close, the dog snips at her. So, to prevent any injury’s to her or the dog we separate them as much as possible. It’s better for her the almost 3-year-old, better for the dog who is almost the same age as the toddler, and let me tell you what, it’s super better for me, cause the stress of paying 100 percent attention to both dog and toddler was hard.

That’s just my two-cents worth…

I shared the announced plans to combat the new wave of the coronavirus cases above.

On Monday the White House released the following statement:

As we stated last summer, we believe it is in the public’s interest to know if any of the four principals (President, Vice President, First Lady, and Second Gentleman) are considered to have been in close contact with a White House official who subsequently tests positive for COVID-19 shortly after that contact. The criteria for what is considered a “close contact” with the principals is determined by the White House Medical Unit, in line with CDC guidance.

On Monday morning, a mid-level staff member, who does not regularly have contact with the President, received a positive result for a COVID-19 test.  Three days earlier, on Friday, that staff member had spent approximately 30 minutes in proximity to the President on Air Force One, on the way from Orangeburg, South Carolina to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This staff member is fully vaccinated and boosted, and tested negative prior to boarding Air Force One, as is required for everyone traveling with the President. This staff member did not begin to experience symptoms until Sunday, and was tested on Monday.  

Others on Air Force One who were in close contact with this staff member are being contacted and will be advised to get tested per CDC guidance.

The President is tested on a regular basis.  As part of that regular testing, the President received an antigen test Sunday, and tested negative.

This morning, after being notified of the staffer’s positive test, the President received a PCR test and tested negative. He will be tested again on Wednesday.  

As CDC guidance does not require fully vaccinated people to quarantine after an exposure, the President will continue with his daily schedule.

White House.gov. 12/20/2021.

The daily press briefing is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. D.C., time.

President Biden’s remarks are scheduled for 2:30 p.m. D.C., time.

This is an Open Thread.

About the opinions in this article…

Any opinions expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this website or of the other authors/contributors who write for it.

About Tiff 2521 Articles
Member of the Free Press who is politically homeless and a political junkie.