President Biden’s public schedule for Tuesday, 1/24/2023:
| 10:00 AM | In-Town Pool Call Time In-Town Pool |
| 10:15 AM | The President receives the Presidential Daily Briefing; The Vice President attends Oval OfficeClosed Press |
| 1:30 PM | Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre James S. Brady Press Briefing Room |
| 3:00 PM | The President hosts Democratic Congressional leaders; The Vice President attends Roosevelt Room In-House Pool Spray |
| 5:20 PM | The President hosts a reception for new members of Congress; The Vice President and The Second Gentleman attend East Room Closed Press |
White House press briefing:
President Biden has tweeted…
He’s posted 3 tweets so far for Tuesday.
These are the kind of tweets I hate. “New Report” could mean anything or nothing. Could be a left-leaning think tank, a government agency, a private medical insurance company. Googling it; I found no new report. I found things that say similar to what he is saying.
For example; CNN published on 1/9/2023:
The $35 cap on insulin is expected to translate into big savings for some senior citizens. Some 3.3 million Medicare Part D enrollees used insulin in 2020, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Part D insulin users paid $54 per prescription, on average, across all insulin products in 2020, according to a study by the Kaiser Family Foundation. That’s 39% more than they did in 2007. (The analysis did not include those who receive low-income subsidies.)
In total, enrollees shelled out just over $1 billion on insulin in 2020, more than quadruple the amount they spent in 2007.
CNN. 01/09/2023.
Eventually, I will likely track down the “new report”…
But…
Is it impossible to link to things? Seriously, how hard is it for the Leader of the Free World’s intern to publish the link to the report!
When the post was posted for Monday, President Biden had not tweeted. He ended up with a Monday Tweeting Total of 7 tweets and 0 retweets.
He’s talking about the Inflation Reduction Act.
From the White House fact-sheet By the Numbers:
Lowering Health Care Costs
- 13 million Americans will continue to save an average of $800 per year on health insurance premiums
- 3 million more Americans will have health insurance than without the law.
- The uninsured rate is at an all-time low of 8%, which the historic law will build on.
The photo was captured during remarks President Biden gave on the economy and the Admin’s efforts to tackle inflation. The remarks were given on 01/12/2023; the YouTube is 10 minutes and 59 seconds long his full remarks can be found here.
“October 2021” appears one-time in his remarks:
President Biden: But good morning. Today, we’ve got some good news — good news about the economy. For the sixth month in a row, inflation has come down. Measured over the last 12 months, it has fallen 6.5 — to 6.5 percent. That’s down from 7.1 percent the month before. It’s down from 9.1 percent this summer. Inflation is now at its lowest level since October of 2021.
Gas Buddy Guy said today:
He’s referring to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act.
I have to say for a long time I was a person who thought going to the library/fast food place to access Wi-Fi to complete homework assignments was not that much of a hardship. And in fairness it is doable…
However…
I spent 12 days unable to watch clips of things; never mind watching a YouTube video, I mean just clips. The hotspot worked but it only worked to a point. If not for Halodoc filling in for me, my work would have subpar to verging on bad.
In short; I’ve discovered a new understanding for what it must be like to be a kid attempting to load a PDF for homework and that PDF only loading half-way–if it decides to load at all. It was super frustrating and yeah, we did attempt the let’s go somewhere and use the free Wi-Fi; it was about the same as using my hotspot only more frustrating cause we were in public.
From White House.gov/Clean Energy:
This one you gotta click a new link; Learn how to make energy efficiency improvements to your home
From there we find;
Electric Ready Incentives
Electric utilities in some parts of the country are offering incentives to help cover the costs of electrical upgrades. Check with your local provider. There are also incentives at the federal level, including a $600 federal tax credit that will be available starting in 2023.
The video shared by Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is 10 seconds long and just a panoramic view of the Golden Gate Bridge.
From Transportation.gov posted on 1/4/2023:
- The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District in California will receive $400 million to replace, retrofit and install critical structural elements on the Golden Gate Bridge to increase resiliency against earthquakes. The Golden Gate Bridge is vital to an estimated 37 million vehicles crossing the bridge per year, including 555,000 freight trucks, as well as waterborne commerce through the Golden Gate Strait connected to the Port of Oakland. The improvements will ensure the structural integrity of a vital transportation link between San Francisco and Marin County. This bridge allows for the movement of people and freight along the California Coast and is a critical link for bicyclist and pedestrian traffic in the region.
On January 9th 2023, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rogers (R-WA) introduced H.R.21 – Strategic Production Response Act.
Summary:
This bill limits the drawdown of petroleum in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve until the Department of Energy develops a plan to increase the percentage of federal lands leased for oil and gas production.
In yesterday’s White House press briefing Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm explained:
Great. Thank you so much, Karine. Appreciate it.
Hello, everybody. I’m honored to be here again. As Karine said, you know, President Biden really has been singularly focused on reducing costs for American families, especially energy costs, especially both transportation as well as at home, whether it’s, you know, increasing the biofuel blends of gasoline to offering additional funds through weatherization for lowering costs for low- and moderate-income households.
But particularly, he has acted to shore up additional oil supply following the market disruptions that were the result of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Coordinating with allies and with partners through the International Energy Agency, he secured globally a collective release of 240 million barrels of oil from strategic petroleum reserves worldwide.
As Karine said, the average price of a gallon of gas is now down about $1.60 from last summer’s peak, about a 30 percent decline. And, in fact, prices are lower today — gas prices are — than what they were at the start of Russia’s invasion.
Analysts who have looked at this have credited the releases from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve for filling the supply gaps that were resulting from the invasion and the lessening of Russian oil on a global market, and have credited the SPR with lowering prices.
Earlier in January, for example, the Global Head of Energy Analysis for the Oil Price Information Service said, and I’m quoting him — his name is Tom Kloza — “There is no question that SPR sales mitigated the price impact of crude last year.”
Yet, as Karine said, House Republicans are now pursuing this extreme agenda that risks worse- — worsening supply shortages in times of crisis, and risks raising prices — gas prices for American families.
When you consider H.R. 21, which is a bill that they’ve introduced, it needlessly aims to weaken the Strategic Petroleum Reserve’s usefulness as a tool to ensure energy security in America. The SPR — the Strategic Petroleum Reserve — gives us the means to increase supply when the market need it — needs it most, and it gives us the tool to increase it quickly — “quickly” being the operative word. Speed is key.
But H.R. 21 would impose unnecessary, unhelpful restrictions on when the SPR can be used to help provide supply. It would require these arbitrary reports regarding energy production on federal lands before waiving any new restrictions. It would not offer any tangible benefits to the American people. Instead, it would interfere with our ability to be responsive to release oil de- — during an international emergency, helping Putin’s war aims. It would potentially delay allowing oil to be released for domestic emergencies following a natural disaster or a pipeline outage at home, leaving, again, prices at risk of rising during — in the wake of a market shock because of emergencies due to extreme weather events.
As I noted in the letter I sent to the Hill last week, be clear: There is nothing standing in the way of domestic oil and gas production. In fact, production is on track for a new record in 2023.
From the beginning, the President set out to use SPR as a bridge, boosting oil supply while the production ramped up. So, production was down globally because of Russia’s invasion and the pulling of Russian barrels off the market. He wanted to increase the Strategic Petroleum Reserve amounts to make a bridge while calling upon domestic oil and gas industry to increase production. And that is exactly what has happened.
Today, the SPR remains the largest strategic petroleum reserve in the world. And with our plans to refill it at the lowest — you know, at lower prices than what we sold at, the use of the SPR not only saved Americans money, but these releases will end up delivering a return for taxpayers.
And so, it’s not a tool that we should be taking off the table. We are willing to work with Republicans and with Democrats alike to make our system — actually do it — more reliable and more resilient, and our country more energy independent, and costs more affordable.
The Inflation Reduction Act is already reducing costs, and it’s made the United States the most attractive country in the world to invest in clean energy production. We believe there’s room for bipartisanship to advance a managed transition. We believe that there is room for bipartisanship to expand our ability to create more affordable, reliable energy in America.
But proposals like H.R. 21, which risks raising these gas prices and making it offer to — harder to offer Americans relief in the future are simply nonstarters.
So I’ll be very clear: If Congress were to pass H.R. 21, the President would veto it. He will not allow the American people to suffer because of the backwards agenda that House Republicans are advancing.
White House.gov. 01/23/2023.
Reuters was first to see the letter.
I found this yesterday evening @ WhiteHouse.gov:
On-the-Record Press Call by White House Spokesperson Ian Sams; it was posted yesterday but the call was conducted on 1/17/2023:
White House Spokesperson Ian Sams:
Hey, guys. And thanks for getting on a call. I hope everybody had an okay long weekend and got a little downtime.
I’m just going to make a few points up top, and then we’ll be happy to take your questions.
So, first, as you heard the President say last week, he takes classified information seriously.
That’s why, as soon as the initial documents were discovered, he directed his team to ensure that any materials were properly returned to the government.
At his direction, his personal lawyers and the White House have fully cooperated both with the National Archives and with the Justice Department. And throughout this process, his personal legal team has coordinated its activities with DOJ.
Now that a Special Counsel has been appointed to review the matter, they’ll continue to cooperate in this next phase.
It’s important to kind of take a step back and understand why the President and his team have committed to cooperate fully with the investigation.
Going all the way back to the campaign, President Biden talked about the importance of restoring the strength and independence of the Justice Department.
He has made clear that the Justice Department must make its decisions in cases like this independently and free from undue interference.
The President takes this seriously, and he believes in handling it the right way. And that’s because he believes deeply in the rule of law.
We’re also providing the public with information about this matter as it’s appropriate. But we’re, of course, limited in what we’re going to be able to say given the ongoing DOJ review.
Second, at the same time that the President and his team have been fully cooperating, acting responsibly, and ensuring that this is handled properly, you’ve seen something far different emerging among elected Republicans.
What are they doing? They’ve decided that it’s time for more political stunts and theater. They’re faking outrage, even though they defended the former President’s actions.
Just look at the Chairman of the House Oversight Committee. Yesterday, he actually told Fox News that he believed President Biden, quote, “probably had no knowledge of it.”
And then, on Sunday, he told CNN, quote, “At the end of the day, my biggest concern isn’t the classified documents, to be honest with you.”
Think about that for a second. He’s on TV openly admitting that he doesn’t care about the underlying issue and doesn’t even think that President Biden has knowledge about it.
And in case there is any doubt that these House Republicans and their outrage is all pure theater, just look at how he responded to the former President’s handling of classified information.
He said last year — and this is a direct quote — it, quote, “didn’t amount to a hill of beans,” and that, quote, it “will not be a priority” in terms of an investigation.
So it’s important to really understand the distinction here:
President Biden is committed to doing the responsible thing and handling this appropriately.
His team acted promptly to disclose information to the proper authorities and is cooperating fully.
And while we’re limited in what we can say during an ongoing DOJ inquiry, we are providing as much information publicly as is appropriate, given that investigation.
When it comes to Congress, we intend to review and respond to oversight inquiries in good faith, but we also expect members of Congress to show the same good faith.
House Republicans lose credibility when they engage in fake outrage about an issue that they’re clearly pursuing only for partisan gain.
Finally — and I’ll make this point and then we’ll take your questions — I know you guys have a lot of questions about the details of this matter.
The President’s personal attorneys put out a long statement on Saturday. And as they said in it, quote, they “have attempted to balance the importance of public transparency where appropriate with the established norms and limitations necessary to protect the investigation’s integrity.” They also said, quote, “These considerations require avoiding the public release of detail relevant to the investigation while it is ongoing.”
So, with the appointment of a Special Counsel, we will continue to be limited in what we can share publicly. We’re going to have to refer you to DOJ for questions about the Special Counsel’s work, but many of the answers from here may need to wait until the conclusion of the Special Counsel’s review.
But in the meantime, we do intend to cooperate with that review so that it can proceed swiftly and thoroughly, as both the Attorney General and Special Counsel have said.
And the President and his team, we’re going to focus on delivering for the American people — taking on the big, important issues facing American families. We invite Republicans in Congress to join us in those efforts on behalf of the American people. That’s what the public expects of us.
So, with that important caveat, I am happy to take your questions, and we’ll do our best to work through them.
White House.gov. 01/23/2023; teleconference 01/17/2023.
They also posted this; which appears to have been conducted on 1/23/2023; On-the-Record Press Call by White House Spokesperson Ian Sams
White House Spokesperson Ian Sams:
Thanks, guys. And, Sharon, thank you all for getting on the call today. Really appreciate it.
I hope you guys also had a good weekend and that you’re starting your week off strong.
I have brief updates at the top here, and then we can jump in to questions and spend some time on Q&A.
So, first, this morning, the White House Counsel sent a letter to the Chairman of the House Oversight Committee in response to inquiries that he has made about documents and requesting documents and material on this issue. We can provide that letter if you would like to receive it. Please just email Sharon.
In it, the White House Counsel congratulated Chairman Comer on his new position leading the committee, explained that the White House does not have possession of the documents that the Archives and DOJ have taken into their possession, and stressed the importance of protecting the integrity and independence of law enforcement investigations.
But we did respond to the Chairman. That’s consistent with our position. As the President has said, that he is prepared to work in good faith with Congress. And we’re going to engage in conversations with the committee to determine next steps.
Second, as you all saw this weekend, the President’s personal lawyer released a statement transparently disclosing a voluntary DOJ search of the President’s residence in Wilmington on Friday. As he said, the search lasted about 13 hours. They had access to every room of his house. And as we said in our statement from the White House Counsel’s Office, this action was consistent with the President’s commitment to cooperate with DOJ throughout this process.
This was an unprecedented offer for DOJ to thoroughly search the personal family home of the President of the United States to ensure that any documents that should be in the possession of the government were in the possession of the government. And it reveals how seriously the President is taking this issue and how actively he is cooperating with the ongoing investigation.
I also want to be sure that you all saw, in response to this search, that the Department of Justice responded on the record, saying it was, quote, “a planned consensual search.”
So, I know there’s been a lot of confusion about that, so let me be very clear: The President offered DOJ access to his home. It was voluntary. They had unprecedented ability to access decades’ worth of old, personally handwritten notes; files; papers; to-do lists; memorabilia; and other materials in his home.
They identified some additional material and took possession of it. DOJ had asked the President’s personal lawyer not to disclose the search until it had concluded, and, of course, we agreed, given our full cooperation.
But we promptly made it known to you all, consistent with what we’ve told you about keeping you updated as we have information to share, while obviously also carefully protecting the integrity of the investigation.
White House.gov. 01/23/2023.
He did take questions from reporters. I omitted those from the copying and pasting to save space. You can read them at the links.
This is an Open Thread.
