When Biden Bits was posted for Wednesday, President Biden had tweeted 2 times. He added 8 tweets giving him a Wednesday Tweeting Total of 10 tweets and 0 retweets.
On the 19th of July the U.S., Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved Finland and Sweden’s accession to NATO. Reuters said the 22-member panel approved the expansion by voice-vote. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) asked for his vote to be recorded as “present.”
The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday backed Finland and Sweden’s accession to NATO, paving the way for the full Senate to vote on the most significant expansion of the 30-member alliance since the 1990s.
The 22-member panel approved the expansion by voice vote, with just one member – Republican Senator Rand Paul – asking to be recorded as “present.”
Reuters. 07/19/2022.
Reuters went on to say that the accession documents must be ratified by all 30 NATO members before Sweden and Finland can enjoy Article 5 protection. This process can take up to a year, but while that process is happening, Helsinki and Stockholm can “already participate in NATO meetings and have greater access to intelligence.”
Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) said in a statement:
Finland’s and Sweden’s accession to NATO is undoubtedly one of the most consequential foreign policy successes in recent years, and I’m incredibly proud to witness the Senate Foreign Relations Committee fulfill its responsibilities to help determine how, when, and with whom the United States brings to bear the power of our diplomatic and military alliance. Their membership will be a force multiplier for stability and democracy, and their willingness to contribute to ongoing NATO operations will boost NATO’s resources, reducing the resource burden on existing members. As U.S. foreign policy priorities evolve to account for a changing world, what is self-evident is the future of the transatlantic partnership will be even more intertwined and integrated thanks to Putin’s recklessness. Today’s vote is further proof that the answer to aggression is not isolation, but deeper engagement with likeminded democracies. As we look to expand NATO, the Senate also reaffirms its rock solid commitment to the Ukrainian people in their struggle for freedom from oppression. We must redouble our efforts to provide the Ukrainian people every weapon they need to fight this barbaric Russian war machine.
Foreign.Senate.gov. 07/19/2022.
Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Jim Risch (R-ID) said in a statement:
Putin’s brutal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine has strengthened the NATO alliance in ways we haven’t seen since World War II. Today’s bipartisan committee passage of the accession protocols for Finland and Sweden to join NATO is a testament to the importance of the alliance and U.S. support for its enlargement. Both Finland and Sweden have been longtime friends and partners to both the United States and to NATO, and their strong political traditions and military capabilities will provide an immediate benefit to the alliance. As such, I, along with Senator Menendez, led my colleagues in a resolution in support of their joining NATO earlier this year. Now, I hope the Senate will move swiftly to pass the resolution of ratification so the United States can do its part to ratify Finland’s and Sweden’s accession to NATO as soon as possible
Foreign.Senate.gov. 07/19/2022.
The 3-page PDF of the Resolution can be found here.
The YouTube is 19 minutes and 2 seconds long. His full remarks can be found here.
President Biden: So my message today is this: Since Congress is not acting as it should — and these guys here are, but we’re not getting many Republican votes — this is an emergency. An emergency. And I will — I will look at it that way.
President Biden: In the coming days, my administration will announce the executive actions we have developed to combat this emergency. We need to act.
President Biden: Folks, when I think about climate change — and I’ve been saying this for three years — I think jobs. Climate change, I think jobs. (Applause.) Almost 100 wind turbines going up off the coasts of Massachusetts and Rhode Island with ground broken and work underway. Jobs manufacturing 2,500-ton steel foundations that anchor these offshore wind farms to the sea’s floor. Jobs manufacturing a Jones Act vessel in Texas to service these offshore wind farms.
President Biden: One of the companies investing in the factory here joined me at the White House this month. Vineyard Winds, whose CEO told me about the ground-breaking project labor agreements they’ve negotiated, would create good-paying union jobs. (Applause.)
Today over 100 million Americans are suffering from extreme heat.
— President Biden (@POTUS) July 20, 2022
I announced that I'll make a historic investment in resilient infrastructure that will help communities across the U.S. prepare for disasters like the heat waves we are seeing today.
I'm investing in a program that allows states to help vulnerable households with cooling, and – through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law – I'm working to weatherize homes and make them more efficient, lowering energy costs for families.
— President Biden (@POTUS) July 20, 2022
And I'm not stopping there.
President Biden: But just take a look around: Right now, 100 million Americans are under heat alert — 100 million Americans. Ninety communities across America set records for high temperatures just this year, including here in New England as we speak.
President Biden: And this crisis impacts every aspect of our everyday life. That’s why today I’m making the largest investment ever — $2.3 billion — to help communities across the country build infrastructure that is designed to withstand the full range of disasters we’ve been seeing up to today -– extreme heat, drought, flooding, hurricanes, tornadoes.
President Biden: An Infrastructure Law that your members of Congress have delivered includes $3.1 billion to weatherize homes and make them more energy efficient, which will lower energy cost while keeping America cool in the summer and warm in the winter, and not using too much energy.
President Biden: This, again, sounds like hyperbole, but our children and grandchildren are counting on us. Not a joke. Not a joke. If we don’t keep it below 1.5 degrees Centigrade, we lose it all. We don’t get to turn it around. And the world is counting on us. And this is the United States of America. When we put our hearts and minds to it, there’s not a single thing beyond our capacity — I mean it — when we act together.
The above is taken from remarks he gave on July 11th 2022. His full remarks can be found here.
President Biden: Yes, there’s a right to bear arms, but we also have the right to live freely — (applause) — without fear for our lives in a grocery store, in a classroom, on a playground, at a house of worship, in a store, at a workplace, a nightclub, a festival, in our neighborhoods and our streets. (Applause.)
I’m gonna post today’s Public Schedule for July 21st 2022, but it’s been upended…
| 9:30 AM | The President receives the President’s Daily Brief The White HouseClosed Press |
| 11:30 AM | Out-of-Town Pool Call Time Joint Base AndrewsOut-of-Town Pool |
| 11:55 AM | In-Town Pool Call Time The White HouseIn-Town Pool |
| 12:35 PM | The President departs the White House en route Joint Base Andrews South LawnOpen Press |
| 12:55 PM | The President departs Joint Base Andrews en route Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Joint Base AndrewsOut-of-Town Pool |
| 12:55 PM | Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre will gaggle aboard Air Force One en route Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Joint Base AndrewsOut-of-Town Pool |
| 1:45 PM | The President arrives in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Wilkes-Barre Scranton International Airport, Avoca, PAOpen Press |
| 3:15 PM | The President delivers remarks building on the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act to further reduce gun crime and save lives Marts Center, Wilkes University, Wilkes-Barre, PAOut-of-Town Pool |
| 4:30 PM | The President departs Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania en route Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Wilkes-Barre Scranton International Airport, Avoca, PAOpen Press |
| 5:10 PM | The President arrives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia International AirportOpen Press |
| 6:40 PM | The President participates in a fundraising reception for the Democratic National Committee Philadelphia, PARestricted Out-of-Town Pool |
| 8:00 PM | The President departs Philadelphia, Pennsylvania en route Delaware Air National Guard Base Philadelphia International AirportOut-of-Town Pool |
| 8:20 PM | The President arrives in New Castle, Delaware New Castle National Guard BasePress Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre will gaggle aboard Air Force One en route Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania |
This morning the White House announced that President Biden has tested positive for the coronavirus.
This morning, President Biden tested positive for COVID-19. He is fully vaccinated and twice boosted and experiencing very mild symptoms. He has begun taking Paxlovid. Consistent with CDC guidelines, he will isolate at the White House and will continue to carry out all of his duties fully during that time. He has been in contact with members of the White House staff by phone this morning, and will participate in his planned meetings at the White House this morning via phone and Zoom from the residence.
Consistent with White House protocol for positive COVID cases, which goes above and beyond CDC guidance, he will continue to work in isolation until he tests negative. Once he tests negative, he will return to in-person work.
Out of an abundance of transparency, the White House will provide a daily update on the President’s status as he continues to carry out the full duties of the office while in isolation.
Per standard protocol for any positive case at the White House, the White House Medical Unit will inform all close contacts of the President during the day today, including any Members of Congress and any members of the press who interacted with the President during yesterday’s travel. The President’s last previous test for COVID was Tuesday, when he had a negative test result.
White House.gov. 07/21/2022.
The Physician to the President Dr. Kevin O’Connor released the following letter:
First Lady Dr., Jill Biden has tested negative:
CNN is reporting the staff number in the White House residence where President Biden will isolate for the time being is being reduced to the “bare minimum.”
Vice President Harris has tested negative according to her Press Secretary Kirsten Allen:
President Biden has tweeted…
So far there is one tweet:
President Biden: I come here today with a message: As President, I have a responsibility to act with urgency and resolve when our nation faces clear and present danger. And that’s what climate change is about. It is literally, not figuratively, a clear and present danger.
So far there is no briefing live feed.
This is an Open Thread.
1 Trackback / Pingback
Comments are closed.