It’s Friday…
When Biden Bits was posted for Thursday, President Biden had tweeted 2 times. He added 5 tweets giving him a Thursday Tweeting Total of 7 tweets and 0 retweets.
Yesterday I said:
I have waited and waited for him to tweet one more time regarding the unemployment numbers released today. Since he’s already released a statement.
His full statement.
H.R. 7691 Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2022’s summary:
This bill provides $40.1 billion in FY2022 emergency supplemental appropriations for activities to respond to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The bill provides appropriations to several federal departments and agencies, including
Congress.gov.
- the Department of Justice,
- the Department of Defense,
- the Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
- the Department of Health and Human Services,
- the Department of State,
- the U.S. Agency for International Development,
- the Department of Agriculture, and
- the Department of the Treasury.
Among other things, the bill provides appropriations for defense equipment, migration and refugee assistance, regulatory and technical support regarding nuclear power issues, emergency food assistance, economic assistance, and seizures of property related to the invasion.
Congress.gov.
It passed the House on May 10th, 2022; Yeas 368, Nays 57, and 5 people did not vote.
The Senate roll call vote can be found here.
The video clip is 1 minute and 32 seconds long.
President Biden: In May, we celebrate the heritage of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders across the entire country. The diversity of culture and the breadth of achievements make our nation stronger and more vibrant. And we see it from government to medicine and to academia and to the sciences, arts, film. From starting businesses to being caregivers to serving in our military and on the front lines during the pandemic.
President Biden con’t: Yet we know that of all out progress, racism, harassment and violence against Asian Americans continues. Let me be clear. Hate can have no safe harbor in America. Every person, every person deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.
President Biden con’t: And this month, we pay specific tribute to a dear friend who embodied that truth and a legacy of strength and resilience. The late Norman Mineta he was a good friend–a ground breaking mayor, a congressman, and the first Asian-American to serve in the Cabinet. Norm broke many barriers in his remarkable life of service to the nation. Let us honor his memory and follow the power of his example.
President Biden con’t: I wish everyone, everyone, a happy Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. It’s important. It’s important.
The CDC press release:
Following today’s meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ (ACIP), CDC is expanding eligibility of COVID-19 vaccine booster doses to everyone 5 years of age and older. CDC now recommends that children ages 5 through 11 years should receive a booster shot 5 months after their initial Pfizer-BioNTech vaccination series. Since the pandemic began, more than 4.8 million children ages 5 through 11 have been diagnosed with COVID-19, 15,000 have been hospitalized and, tragically, over 180 have died. As cases increase across the country, a booster dose will safely help restore and enhance protection against severe disease.
In addition, today CDC is strengthening its recommendation that those 12 and older who are immunocompromised and those 50 and older should receive a second booster dose at least 4 months after their first. Over the past month we have seen steady increases in cases, with a steep and substantial increase in hospitalizations for older Americans. While older Americans have the highest coverage of any age group of first booster doses, most older Americans received their last dose (either their primary series or their first booster dose) many months ago, leaving many who are vulnerable without the protection they may need to prevent severe disease, hospitalization, and death.
Whether it is your first booster, or your second, if you haven’t had a vaccine dose since the beginning of December 2021 and you are eligible, now is the time to get one.
The following is attributable to CDC Director, Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky
“Today, I endorsed ACIP’s vote to expand eligibility for COVID-19 vaccine booster doses. Children 5 through 11 should receive a booster dose at least 5 months after their primary series. Vaccination with a primary series among this age group has lagged behind other age groups leaving them vulnerable to serious illness. With over 18 million doses administered in this age group, we know that these vaccines are safe, and we must continue to increase the number of children who are protected. I encourage parents to keep their children up to date with CDC’s COVID-19 vaccine recommendations.
With cases increasing, it is important that all people have the protection they need, which is why, today, CDC has also strengthened another booster recommendation. Those 50 and older and those who are 12 and older and immunocompromised should get a second booster dose.”
CDC.gov 05/19/2022.
Because time zones are real, and the President is traveling overseas everything will be off kilter…
His schedule for Friday, May 20th, 2022:
The White House posted the following fact-sheet: In First Stop on Asia Travel, President Biden Tours Model for Samsung’s New Texas Semiconductor Facility
New Plant in Texas will Create 3,000 New Good-Paying Jobs; Biden to Call on Congress to Pass Bipartisan Innovation Act to Supercharge New Investments in Innovation
Today, President Biden and the President of the Republic of Korea (ROK) Yoon Suk Yeol will tour the Samsung Electronics Pyeongtaek Campus – a model for the new Samsung plant being built in Taylor, Texas. The stop will demonstrate how our alliances deliver for the American middle class, investing in manufacturing in the United States, creating good paying jobs and strengthening our supply chains. The United States and the ROK are among each other’s largest trading and investment partners, with more than $62 billion of foreign direct investment by Korean firms in the United States as of 2020 – supporting over 94,000 American and bringing our governments, businesses, and people closer together.
At the plant, President Biden will also make the case for quickly passing the Bipartisan Innovation Act which will deliver historic federal investments in U.S. research and development, supply chains, and domestic manufacturing – including funding for the CHIPS Act to provide $52 billion to catalyze more private-sector investments and advance American technological leadership. As the President has said, tackling inflation is his top economic priority, and making these investments will help lower costs by making our supply chains more resilient in the long term, protecting us against costly disruptions and higher prices for consumers.
The Biden-Harris Administration has been working around the clock with Congress, our allies and partners, and the private sector to generate additional semiconductor manufacturing capacity with strong labor protections, address key bottlenecks and lower costs for families, and cement American leadership in the industries of the future. In President Biden’s first year in office, the U.S. economy created a historic 6.6 million new jobs. The economy has added 545,000 manufacturing jobs since President Biden took office – more manufacturing jobs on average per month than any other President in the last 50 years and 2021 seeing the highest increase in U.S. manufacturing jobs in nearly 30 years.
As a result of sustained engagement with Samsung and the Republic of Korea, Samsung is investing $17 billion to build a new semiconductor facility, adding to the 20,000 jobs Samsung already supports in the United States. Under President Biden, semiconductor manufacturing is coming back to America:
White House.gov. 05/20/2022.
- Since the beginning of 2021, the semiconductor industry has announced nearly $80 billion in new investments in the United States through 2025, according to the Semiconductor Industry Association.Thisincludes Intel’s $20 billion fab outside Columbus, Ohio; Texas Instruments investing up to $30 billion in Texas; Wolfspeed’s $1 billion expansion in North Carolina; and expansions by Global Foundries and SK Group.
- In June, the Commerce Department issued a set of recommendations on how to secure the U.S. semiconductor supply chain. Since that time, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, and National Economic Council Director Brian Deese have held regular follow-up engagements with industry leaders and diplomatic partners and allies to advance practical solutions to strengthen the global semiconductor supply chain.
- The U.S. Department of Defense has used Defense Production Act authorities to strengthen supply chains for key defense-related semiconductors.
- In October of last year, President Biden hosted a global summit on supply chains with the heads of state from 14 countries and the European Union on the margins of the G20 in Italy to discuss supply chain disruptions, with a focus on semiconductors. This year, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and Secretary of State Antony Blinken will hold a follow-on ministerial-level convening of international partners, members of the private sector, and other stakeholders to discuss next steps in securing global supply chain resilience including for semiconductors.
- The President also focused on semiconductor supply chain resilience in his bilateral meetings with foreign leaders and directed the Administration to cooperate with Europe on strengthening global supply chains through the U.S.-E.U. Trade and Technology Council (TTC) and through the Quad’s focus on critical technologies. At the TTC last week, the U.S. and EU announced an early warning system to better predict and address potential semiconductor supply chain disruptions as well as establish a Transatlantic approach to semiconductor investment aimed at ensuring security of supply and avoiding subsidy races.
President Biden hosted a virtual summit with leading firms that produce chips and those that use chips to identify practical ways to discuss actions they could to address the disruptions resulting from the global chip shortage. By the end of the year, the participants had announced new partnerships between semiconductor companies and U.S. automakers to strengthen the resiliency of the automotive chip supply chain.
White House.gov. 05/20/2022.
President Biden has tweeted…
He’s tweeted 3 times so far…
The YouTube is 15 minutes and 59 seconds long. His full remarks can be found here.
President Biden: President Yoon, I’m honor- — I’m honored by the welcome you’ve given me to your beautiful country, and congratulations again on your election — congratulations — and recent inauguration. (Applause.) I and my country look forward to a very productive few days together where we can get to know one another better and explore ways to take the alliance between the Republic of Korea and the United States to an even greater heights than it already exists.
On November 24th, 2021 (Korea time), Samsung announced; Samsung Electronics, a world leader in advanced semiconductor technology, today announced that it would build a new semiconductor manufacturing facility in Taylor, Texas. The estimated $17 billion investment in the United States will help boost production of advanced logic semiconductor solutions that power next-generation innovations and technologies.
They said at the time that groundbreaking; will be in the first half of 2022 with the target of having the facility operational in the second half of 2024. The Taylor site will span more than 5 million square meters and is expected to serve as a key location for Samsung’s global semiconductor manufacturing capacity along with its latest new production line in Pyeongtaek, South Korea.
The White House issued a statement at the time by; NEC Director Brian Deese and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Samsung Announcement of New Semiconductor Facility in Texas
Securing America’s supply chains is a top priority for President Biden and his Administration. We welcome Samsung’s announcement today that it will build a new semiconductor facility in Texas, helping protect our supply chains, revitalizing our manufacturing base, and creating good jobs right here at home. The Biden-Harris Administration has been working around the clock with Congress, our allies and partners, and the private sector to generate additional semiconductor manufacturing capacity and make sure we never again face shortages. Today’s announcement is the result of sustained work by the administration, including engagement with Samsung and the President’s meeting with President Moon of the Republic of Korea in May where the two leaders announced they would facilitate mutual and complementary investments in semiconductors. More work remains to be done to ensure America remains the most innovative and productive nation on Earth. We will continue to use every tool and pursue every avenue to invest in our sources of strength like manufacturing and technology so we can grow our economy, bolster the middle class, and strengthen our long-term competitiveness.
White House.gov. 11/23/2021.
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