This is an Open Thread
Hello!
Woot! It’s Friday!
We left off Thursday’s Biden Bits with only one tweet by post time before Biden took off to Ohio. He went back to DC and got chatty with 6 more:
Other clean up from Thursday post- post time include 3 readouts from Whitehouse.gov Statements and Releases archives.
President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves Kansas Disaster Declaration
FEBRUARY 17, 2022
Today, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. declared that a major disaster exists in the State of Kansas and ordered Federal assistance to supplement state, tribal, and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe storms and straight-line winds on December 15, 2021.
whitehouse.gov
Federal funding is available to state, tribal, and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe storms and straight-line winds in the counties of Barton, Brown, Clay, Cloud, Doniphan, Edwards, Ellis, Ellsworth, Ford, Geary, Gove, Graham, Grant, Gray, Greeley, Hamilton, Haskell, Hodgeman, Jewell, Kearny, Lane, Lincoln, Logan, Marshall, Meade, Mitchell, Morris, Morton, Nemaha, Ness, Osborne, Ottawa, Pawnee, Republic, Rice, Riley, Rooks, Rush, Russell, Saline, Scott, Sheridan, Smith, Stafford, Stanton, Stevens, Sumner, Trego, Wabaunsee, Wallace, Washington, Wichita, and Wyandotte.
Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.
Deanne Criswell, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, named DuWayne Tewes as the Federal Coordinating Officer for Federal recovery operations in the affected areas.
Additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the state and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION MEDIA SHOULD CONTACT THE FEMA NEWS DESK AT (202) 646-3272 OR FEMA-NEWS-DESK@FEMA.DHS.GOV.
Readout of President Biden’s Call with Prime Minister Draghi of Italy
FEBRUARY 17, 2022
President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. spoke today with Prime Minister Mario Draghi of Italy. The leaders reviewed ongoing diplomatic and deterrence efforts in response to Russia’s continued military build-up on Ukraine’s borders. They reaffirmed their commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and their readiness to impose severe economic costs on Russia if it further invades Ukraine.
whitehouse.gov
Statement by NSC Spokesperson Emily Horne on Middle East and North Africa Coordinator McGurk’s Travel to Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates
FEBRUARY 17, 2022
Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa Brett McGurk traveled this week to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to ensure the United States is doing everything possible to support the territorial defense of both countries against Iranian-enabled missile and UAV attacks. Mr. McGurk reaffirmed the President’s commitment to supporting the defense of U.S. partners, reviewed ongoing efforts with our diplomatic and military teams in both capitals, and discussed the need to combine pressure on the Houthis in Yemen with a concerted UN-led effort to end the war there. In Saudi Arabia, State Department Special Envoy for Energy Affairs Amos Hochstein joined Mr. McGurk to discuss a collaborative approach to managing potential market pressures stemming from a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine.
whitehouse.gov
That raps up filling in where we left off on Thursday.
Biden’s Friday, February 18, 2022 public schedule:
For Friday’s Biden tweets, there has been two posted so far in the runup to today’s post time. After seeing that light schedule, I think it is safe to assume he is done for the time being.
I also think it is safe to assume we don’t have to worry he will pull a Trump and threaten to blowup Greenland. I could be wrong about that so, just in case, refresh periodically for any updates. 😂
On a side note, in other Biden Administration news, VP Harris goes to Germany for a meetup…
Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jen Psaki
Scheduled for Feb 18, 2022, 1:30 PM
That concludes this edition of Biden Bits. Be sure to tune in to Coffee Talk with Tiff this weekend.
Later, Gators!
See you in the comments!
This is an Open Thread