It’s Monday.
President Biden’s public schedule for Monday 02/27/2023:
| 6:30 AM | Out-of-Town Pool Call Time Biden Residence, Wilmington, DE Out-of-Town Pool |
| 8:05 AM | The President departs New Castle, Delaware en route the White House New Castle National Guard Base Out-of-Town Pool |
| 8:15 AM | In-Town Pool Call Time The White House In-Town Pool |
| 8:55 AM | The President arrives at the White House South Lawn Open Press |
| 11:15 AM | The President receives the Presidential Daily Briefing Oval Office Closed Press |
| 2:30 PM Press Briefing | Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre James S. Brady Press Briefing Room |
| 5:00 PM Remarks | The President and The Vice President deliver remarks at a reception celebrating Black History Month by East Room Pooled for TV and Pre-Credentialed Media |
Press Briefing @2:30 p.m. D.C., time.
Remarks @5:00 p.m. D.C., time.
President Biden has tweeted…
He’s posted 2 tweets so far for Monday…
It’s a gif/video type thing that’s 9 seconds long.
Most of the information in the gif/video thing can be found from this fact-sheet posted by the White House on 02/15/2023; Biden-Harris Administration Announces New Standards and Major Progress for a Made-in-America National Network of Electric Vehicle Chargers
1. ABB
10,000/year
- ABB E-Mobility recently commenced production of DC Fast Chargers from its new facility in Columbia, SC. This $4 million investment follows previous commitments to add 125 jobs across its operations at its Sugarland, Texas training center and Southern California product development and research facility.
2. SK SIGNET
10,000/year
- SK Signet, a South Korean-based EV charging company specializing in ultra-fast charging infrastructure, is building its first American manufacturing facility in Plano, TX. By 2026, SK Signet expects to be producing up to 10,000 DC Fast chargers annually and will support 183 highly-skilled jobs.
3. FLO
250,000 by 2028
- FLO, a North American EV charging network operator and smart charging solutions provider, announced a $3 million investment in its first U.S. assembly facility located in Auburn Hills, Michigan earlier this month. By 2028, the facility will help FLO bring 250,000 charging stations to American drivers, create, and support upwards of 730 jobs, and bolster Michigan’s economy by $76 million.
4. WALLBOX
1,000,000 by 2030
- Wallbox, a Spanish-based provider of EV charging and energy management solutions worldwide, opened its first North American manufacturing facility in Arlington, TX. The $70 million, 150,000 square foot facility has the capacity to produce over 250,000 units in 2023 and over one million in 2030, including its next-gen Hypernova DC Fast Chargers. The facility will support 250 high-paying jobs by 2025 and 700 jobs by 2030.
5. LINCOLN ELECTRIC
TBD
- Lincoln Electric, long-time welding giant, has announced a new product line of DC fast chargers that leverages core manufacturing and engineering capabilities in power supply technology at its facility in Cleveland, Ohio.
6. TRITIUM DCFC
30,000 per year
- Tritium DCFC Limited, an Australian-based EV fast charger producer, held a grand opening in August for its first US-based factory, located in Lebanon, Tennessee. The facility will produce up to 30,000 DC fast chargers per year at peak capacity. Today, Tritium announced it will add more than 250 jobs to this facility, for a total of more than 750 cleantech jobs at the company’s Lebanon factory. Tritium is a participant in the White House Talent Pipeline Challenge, a nationwide initiative to create equitable job opportunities in growing industries.
7. SIEMENS
1,000,000 by 2028
- Siemens has expanded its electric vehicle (EV) charging manufacturing footprint with the recent selection of Carrollton, Texas, to serve as its second U.S. EV charger manufacturing hub. This announcement builds on the more than $140 million Siemens has newly invested across its electrical products manufacturing sites in Grand Prairie, Texas, and Pomona, California, facilities that serve critical infrastructure markets and support union jobs. The new facility, expected to be fully operational in Spring 2023. Siemens is also a partnering with the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Training Program (EVITP) by developing curriculum to ensure a skilled talent pipeline of American EV charger installation workers.
8. ADS-TEC ENERGY
TBD
- ADS-Tec Energy, a German-based provider of battery powered EV Charging stations, will invest $8 million in building its first U.S. facility to perform assembly, sales, warehousing, and servicing in Auburn, AL. The facility is expected to create more than 180 jobs.
9. FREEWIRE
TBD
- FreeWire announced a new 66,000 square foot global headquarters in Newark, CA, a $20 million investment that will focus on R&D and manufacturing of ultrafast EV charging equipment and more than 200 well-paying engineering and manufacturing jobs in electrification and clean energy across the community.
10. CHARGEPOINT
20,000 by 2028
- ChargePoint is expanding its partnership with SMTC Corporation to expand DCFC production, establish a manufacturing line for Level 2 chargers at their Milpitas, CA facility, and create approximately 250 new manufacturing jobs. The expanded facility will be able to produce 10,000 DCFC chargers and 10,000 Level 2 chargers by 2026.
11. EVBOX
200 per week
- EVBox, a Netherlands-based EV charging manufacturer, announced plans for its first North American headquarters and production facility in Libertyville, IL. The 60,000 square foot facility aims to produce around 200 units of DC fast charging per week – a level of production expected to create between 80-120 new jobs in the immediate region.
12. BLINK
TBD
- Blink will expand its Bowie, Maryland facility by 30,000sq ft, investing $49M over 10 years and create 60 new jobs to produce L2 Chargers. Additionally, in 2023, Blink will announce a new 200,000sq ft. manufacturing plant for DC fast chargers investing a total $156M over 10yrs, creating 160 new jobs.
ELECTRIFY AMERICA
10,000 by 2028
- Electrify America last year announced a new investment of $450 million into its charging network by Siemens, a global technology and electrification company, and Volkswagen Group. These investments will support the rapid deployment of up to 10,000 ultra-fast chargers at 1,800 charging stations, in the U.S. and Canada by 2026.
Jeff Stein is a White House economics reporter for the Washington Post. His full thread was posted on 02/19/2023:
I’m gifting both articles linked in the thread.
The first; The former Trump aide crafting the House GOP’s debt ceiling playbook was written by Jeff Stein, Josh Dawsey, and Isaac Arnsdorf. Published on 02/19/2023.
Snip:
The president of a new pro-Trump think tank called the Center for Renewing America, Vought, 46, has emerged as one of the central voices shaping the looming showdown over federal spending and the national debt. As Republicans struggle to craft a strategy for confronting the Biden administration over the debt ceiling, which limits how much the government can borrow to pay for spending Congress has already approved, Vought has supplied them with a seemingly inexhaustible stream of advice: suggestions for negotiating with the White House, briefings about dealing with the media, a 104-page memo that proposes specific spending levels for every federal agency.
Several Republican lawmakers and staffers privately acknowledged talking to Vought at least once a week. Earlier this month, he briefed about four dozen GOP senators over lunch in the Capitol, according to Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), who said it was at least the third time he had heard Vought’s pitch for dealing with the debt limit.
Vought helped push for a new House panel led by Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) to investigate the alleged “weaponization of the federal government” under President Biden. Stephen K. Bannon, the former Trump political adviser, called Vought the “intellectual architect” of House conservatives’ rebellion against McCarthy. Vought is also close with Rep. Chip Roy (R-Tex.), who spearheaded that fight.
Washington Post via my Twitter. 02/19/2023.
The second; Republicans use ‘wokeism’ to attack left — but struggle to define it was written by Ashley Parker and Liz Goodwin. It was published on 02/21/2023. Jeff Stein added it to his twitter thread on the same day.
It’s quotes a lot of different Republican’s using the word “woke” without truly defining what it means for example:
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) told Fox News’s Maria Bartiromo, for instance, that the defense budget could be more efficient: “Eliminate all the money spent on wokeism,” he suggested.
Washington Post via my twitter. 02/21/2023.
I read that I wonder how you’d find that money in stark terms. The Defense Department doesn’t written “woke” and then a price tag in their budget. So what I believe he means; Is any kind of training that try’s to prevent rape, sexual harassment, or racism among the military. Again, because the term is vague on purpose we are left with nothing but our own opinions as to what “Eliminate all the money spent on wokeism” means.
I won’t lie I stopped really reading when I got to this section about half-way through:
Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) said wokeness was very important to Alabama families and would be a “huge” part of the 2024 Republican presidential primary. But he was vague when pressed to actually define the concept, which he said he views as “more in the education field.”
“To me, education is about reading, writing and math, having an opportunity to grow up in an unbiased world — not biased — and to me that’s what all this woke stuff is, pushing one thing on our young people,” Tuberville said.
In an unbiased world?
That’s just not a thing; bias is a human condition, we are all bias in our thoughts and opinions to a certain degree.
My bias shows here because I spent the vast majority of my kids schooling involved inside the school administration as a parent volunteer working with janitors to teachers to principals to board members. And that year of my ill-fated attempt to help out with the PTA…
School is about more than learning basic skills like reading, writing, or math.
School is also about learning social skills.
That’s why teachers are underpaid and under appreciated, IMO.
Kids learn so differently–each child is unique in that sense. Some are visual learners, some are independent learners, some have learning disabilities that are shoved off early as “behavioral issues”. Some are so shy they rarely utter a word on most days.
I’ve seen great teachers able to reach the most ill behaved student ever. I’ve also seen, not what I’d call bad teachers, just teachers ill-equipped to handle the unique needs of some of their students.
I’ve also seen teachers and students just not getting long for whatever reason, they just can’t work well together. Much like in the real world of working relationships. There are just some people that rub each other the wrong way from their first meeting.
Micromanaging each school, from K-12, across the country would be not only an impossible heavy lift, but also it would hinder the good students, the great ones, the less into learning ones. And would put an even greater burden on the teachers that are already tasked with attempting to teach 30 plus kids how to read, write, and do math while also preventing those students from punching Jimmy in the eye cause he likes flowers.
This doesn’t even cover the idiotic proposal of Ron DeMoron Governor of Florida’s idea that the state should be allowed to tell a college what adults can and cannot learn.
Anyway…
When the post was posted for Friday, President Biden had tweeted 5 times. He added 5 tweets giving him a Friday Tweeting Total of 10 tweets and 0 retweets.
Remarks from Poland 02/21/2023…
President Biden: All across my country, in big cities and small towns, Ukrainian flags fly from American homes. Over the past year, Democrats and Republicans in our United States Congress have come together to stand for freedom. That’s who Americans are, and that’s what Americans do.
Remarks from Poland 02/21/2023…
President Biden: One year ago, the world was bracing for the fall of Kyiv. Well, I have just come from a visit to Kyiv, and I can report: Kyiv stands strong! (Applause.) Kyiv stands proud. It stands tall. And most important, it stands free.
Remarks from Poland 02/21/2023…
The video clip is 1 minute and 30 seconds long.
President Biden: One year ago, the world was bracing for the fall of Kyiv. Well, I have just come from a visit to Kyiv, and I can report: Kyiv stands strong! (Applause.) Kyiv stands proud. It stands tall. And most important, it stands free. When Russia invaded, it wasn’t just Ukraine being tested. The whole world faced a test for the ages. Europe was being tested. America was being tested. NATO was being tested. All democracies were being tested. And the questions we faced were as simple as they were profound. Would we respond or would we look the other way? Would we be strong or would we be weak? Would be — we would — would we be — all of our allies — would be united or divided? One year later, we know the answer.
President Biden: Over the past year, the United States has come together with our Allies and partners in an extraordinary coalition to stand against Russian aggression.
President Biden: The United States has assembled a wor- — worldwide coalition of more than 50 nations to get critical weapons and supplies to the brave Ukrainian fighters on the frontlines. Air defense systems, artillery, ammunition, tanks, and armored vehicles. The European Union and its member states have stepped up with unprecedented commitment to Ukraine, not just in security assistance, but economic, and humanitarian, refugee assistance, and so much more.
President Biden: As Ukraine continues to defend itself against the Russian onslaught and launch counter-offensives of its own, there will continue to be hard and very bitter days, victories and tragedies. But Ukraine is steeled for the fight ahead. And the United States, together with our Allies and partners, are going to continue to have Ukraine’s back as it defends itself.
President Biden: Stand with us. We will stand with you.
President Biden: Our commitment is to the people of Ukraine and the future of Ukraine — a Ukraine that’s free, sovereign, and democratic.
President Biden: Democracies of the world will stand guard over freedom today, tomorrow, and forever. (Applause.) For that’s what — that’s what’s at stake here: freedom.
02/23/2023…
02/26/2023…
02/17/2023…
FEMA tweets…
02/26/2023…
The video clip is 1 minute and 29 seconds long recap of his visit to Poland…
Remarks by President Biden and President Andrzej Duda of Poland After Bilateral Meeting 02/21/2023:
President Biden: So, it’s a delight to be back, and I’m anxious to get our discussion going, although the President and I solved all the problems in the other room a moment ago. (Laughter.) There’s nothing left to solve.
President Biden: Well, Mr. President, thank you very much for that welcome. And any excuse to come back to Poland, I take advantage of. The welcome has always been extremely generous, and — and I appreciate it. And — so thank you for inviting me back to Warsaw at this critical moment.
President Biden: But all kidding aside, this is a critical, critical, critical, critical relationship for the United States. And we thank you for all the cooperation and help.
President Biden: As we gather tonight, the world, in my view, is at an — at an inflection point. The decisions we make over the next five years or so are going to determine and shape our lives for decades to come.
President Biden: Let us move forward with faith and conviction and with an abiding commitment to be allies not of darkness, but of light. Not of oppression, but of liberation. Not of captivity, but, yes, of freedom.
Remarks by President Biden Before Meeting with the Leaders of the Bucharest Nine 02/22/2023.
President Biden: The commitment of the United States to NATO — and I’ve said it to you many times; I’ll say it again — is absolutely clear. Article Five is a sacred commitment the United States has made. We will defend literally every inch of NATO — every inch of NATO.
President Biden: And the leaders around this table have repeatedly stepped up to reaffirm our shared commitment to all these values. We provided critical security assistance to Ukraine and critical support to literally millions of refugees. We’ve helped ensure Ukrainians can access basic services. And together, we’ll continue our enduring support for Ukraine as they defend their freedom.
Saturday’s Tweeting Total =’s 9 tweets and 0 retweets…
From the White House fact-sheet; The Congressional Republican Agenda to Increase the Debt by Over $3 Trillion 02/15/2023:
- Congressional Republicans proposed repealing—and are even running ads attacking—reforms President Biden signed to lower prescription drug costs. Repealing these policies would increase the amount of money Medicare pays Big Pharma, raise costs for seniors, and add $159 billion to the debt.
The photo was taken (I think) on 10/27/2022 from Syracuse, New York.
He has similar remarks text to tweet text in those same remarks:
President Biden: And it creates jobs, and it creates industries. It demonstrates we’re all in this together. And that’s what today is all about. I’ve never — and I mean it sincerely — I’ve never been more optimistic in my life about America’s future. I mean it sincerely. (Applause.)
It’s a 15 second video/gif thingy without sound.
The link takes you to White House.gov/Get Internet. It shows you ways to to sign up for low cost internet service.
This morning the White House posted the following fact-sheet; Vice President Harris Announces Progress in Lowering Internet Costs for Families, Funding to Expand High Speed Internet Access
Over 16 million households now saving $500 million per month, thanks to the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP)
Vice President announces over $175 million for Minority Serving institutions to connect more young Americans with affordable, high-speed internet
High-speed internet has become an essential tool to access education, healthcare, and work. Still, too many are left without high-speed internet because of lacking infrastructure, costs or the lack of skills to utilize the technology. This is particularly notable in communities of color, rural communities and among older Americans where the lack of affordable, reliable high-speed internet is compounding economic, health and other disparities.
White House.gov. 02/27/2023.
That’s why President Biden and Vice President Harris worked with Democrats, Republicans, and Independents to include a record $65 billion in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to expand “Internet for All” — so that everyone in America has access to reliable and affordable high-speed internet. The Administration also secured critical funding for affordable high-speed internet in the American Rescue Plan and general appropriations laws. The Administration’s efforts are centered around three principles—access, affordability and equity. Across the laws, Internet for All programs will build high-speed internet infrastructure, teach digital skills, and provide necessary technology to ensure that everyone in America has the access and skills they need to fully participate in today’s society.
Today in South Carolina, Vice President Harris is highlighting the impact of these investments to date, while announcing new milestones in the effort to increase access to affordable, reliable, high-speed internet and close the digital divide including:
- The Affordable Connectivity Program’s (ACP) enrollment is now up 40% since President Biden and Vice President Harris launched GetInternet.gov;
- Consumers are now saving over $500M per month as a result of the ACP;
- The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is announcing more than $175 million to 61 Minority Serving Institutions for internet access, equipment, and training; and,
- NTIA is committing to an intentional HBCU engagement strategy to ensure these institutions find applicable resources to connect their campuses and communities.
Lowering Costs
Approximately 1 in 5 Americans who do not use the internet cite cost as the key factor. These consumers are more likely to have school aged kids, make under $25,000 per year and identify as a person of color. Since so much of our society has moved online, this discrepancy can continue to exacerbate other inequalities. The Affordable Connectivity Program is designed to help close this divide.
White House.gov. 02/27/2023.
The Affordable Connectivity Program, authorized by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, is a key part of the Administration’s Internet for All initiative and the largest internet affordability program in our nation’s history. Experts estimate that as many as 48 million households—or nearly 40% of households in the country—qualify for the ACP.
The Affordable Connectivity Program, administered by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), provides eligible households up to $30/month (or $75/month on qualifying Tribal lands) off internet bills, as well as a one-time discount of up to $100 off a laptop, desktop computer or tablet. To further lower costs, in May 2022, President Biden and Vice President Harris announced commitments from internet service providers across the country to offer high-speed plans that are fully covered by the Affordable Connectivity Program—meaning millions of working families can now get high-speed internet without paying a dime. They simultaneously launched GetInternet.gov—a one-stop shop to check eligibility and sign up.
In July 2022, the Vice President made a call to action to states and federal agencies to help spread the word about the Affordable Connectivity Program. This call to action led to tens of millions of text messages, emails, letters and flyers sent directly to consumers to inform them about this opportunity.
Today, Vice President Harris is announcing another milestone in this program. The Affordable Connectivity Program is now reaching over 16 million households, saving Americans over half-a-billion dollars per month. This is a 40% increase since the announcement of GetInternet.gov.
Centering Equity in Access
For consumers who do not cite affordability as an impediment to access there could be other factors such as, a shortage of modern infrastructure in their area, unavailability of devices or a lack of support to gain digital skills. That’s why the Biden-Harris Administration’s “Internet for All” initiative is taking a holistic approach to closing the digital divide.
White House.gov. 02/27/2023.
The Biden-Harris Administration believes that a strong economy is an equitable economy and today’s economy is online. Closing the digital divide will allow Americans to access the resources they need and strengthen the U.S. economy to compete in the 21st Century.
- American Rescue Plan: For over 20 years, now we have had a digital divide in this country – and the pandemic further accentuated the problem. President Biden responded with the American Rescue Plan to provide the immediate support communities needed to increase access during the pandemic. Nationally, the American Rescue Plan has provided more than $25 billion for high-speed internet infrastructure and adoption.
- Bipartisan Infrastructure Law: Last summer, every state and territory signed-on to the “Internet for All” initiative, agreeing to participate in the Digital Equity and Broadband, Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) programs funded through President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and implemented by the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). NTIA is on track to announce allocations for the BEAD program by June 30th 2023. This program is the largest single tranche of funding and will provide nearly $42 billion nationwide.
To ensure funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is utilized to connect those who need it most, the Biden-Harris Administration recently announced funding for $53 million in state planning funds for digital equity. With this investment, every state, DC and Puerto Rico will produce a digital equity plan to enhance adoption and use of the internet across covered populations in their state. These plans are intended to support the creation of community-centric solutions, including partnerships with community organizations and anchor institutions.
White House.gov. 02/27/2023.
Today’s announcement helps kick-off this work, providing over $175 million to 61 Minority Serving Institutions. These grants funded through the Department of Commerce’s Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program will help schools fund enhancements to high-speed internet infrastructure, purchase equipment, devices and software, and provide digital skills training and upskilling for IT staff. Minority Serving Institutions serve as centers of academic excellence all across the country and serve as a catalyst to develop leaders for our nation. Today’s, announcement is an investment in those students.
To ensure that HBCU’s are fully included and utilized in the process to expand affordable high-speed internet across the country, the Biden-Harris Administration is committing to an intentional HBCU engagement strategy. This strategy recognizes that while these institutions are critical anchors that deliver outsized impacts, they often reside in communities that have long faced a disproportionate lack of access. This commitment will provide each HBCU with direct contact to a Federal Program Officer within their state that will help these institutions find applicable resources to execute their own programs, participate in the state-wide high-speed internet and digital equity planning programs, and help facilitate the promotion of the ACP on campus and within their communities.
The Biden-Harris Administration’s Internet for All Initiative will ensure that every American has access to reliable and affordable high-speed internet. For more information about how the Biden-Harris Administration is working to connect everyone in America please visit www.internetforall.gov. To sign-up for the Affordable Connectivity Program, please visit www.getinternet.gov.
Vice President Harris is scheduled to speak at 12:45 p.m. D.C., time.
Remarks from Poland 02/21/2023…
President Biden: Freedom. There is no sweeter word than freedom. There is no nobler goal than freedom. There is no higher aspiration than freedom. (Applause.) Americans know that, and you know it. And all that we do now must be done so our children and grandchildren will know it as well.
Remarks from Poland 02/21/2023…
President Biden: Because in the mo- — moments of great upheaval and uncertainty, that knowing what you stand for is most important, and knowing who stands with you makes all the difference.
See under Monday’s first tweet…
Sunday’s Tweeting Total =’s 9 tweets and 0 retweets…
The photo was taken during his economic remarks from Lanham, Maryland 02/15/2023. The text in the tweet comes from his State of the Union remarks; sort of on 02/07/2023…
President Biden: My administration is also taking on junk fees, those hidden surcharges too many companies use to make you pay more. For example, we’re making airlines show you the full ticket price upfront, refund your money if your flight is cancelled or delayed. We’ve reduced exorbitant bank overdrafts by saving consumers more than $1 billion a year. (Applause.)
State of the Union 02/07/2023…
President Biden: Folks, we all know 12 years of education is not enough to win the economic competition of the 21st century. (Applause.) If we want to have the best-educated workforce, let’s finish the job by providing access to preschool for three and four years old. Studies show that children who go to preschool are nearly 50 percent more likely to finish high school and go on to earn a two- or four-year degree, no matter their background they came from.
State of the Union 02/07/2023…
President Biden: We have to reward work, not just wealth. Pass my proposal for the billionaire minimum tax. (Applause.) You know, there’s a thousand billionaires in America — it’s up from about 600 at the beginning of my term — but no billionaire should be paying a lower tax rate than a school teacher or a firefighter. (Applause.) No, I mean it. Think about it.
The White House on 02/24/2023 posted the following statement from the G7 Leaders‘:
- At the one-year mark of Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, we, the Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7), met with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to reaffirm our unwavering support for Ukraine for as long as it takes. Russia’s heinous attacks over the last 365 days have laid bare the cruelty of the ongoing aggression. We condemn Russia’s illegal, unjustifiable, and unprovoked war, disregard for the Charter of the United Nations (UN) and indifference to the impacts that its war is having on people worldwide. We salute the heroism of the Ukrainian people in their brave resistance. We commit to intensifying our diplomatic, financial and military support for Ukraine, to increasing the costs to Russia and those supporting its war effort, and to continuing to counter the negative impacts of the war on the rest of the world, particularly on the most vulnerable people.
- Russia started this war and Russia can end this war. We call on Russia to stop its ongoing aggression and to immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw its troops from the entire internationally recognized territory of Ukraine. In the past year Russian forces have killed thousands of Ukrainians, caused millions to flee, and forcibly deported many thousands of Ukrainians, including children, to Russia. Russia has destroyed hospitals, schools, and energy and critical infrastructure, and left historic cities in ruins. In areas liberated from Russian forces, there is evidence of mass graves, sexual violence, torture and other atrocities. We strongly condemn all of Russia’s outrageous acts. Amidst Russia’s assault, Ukrainians are more united, proud and determined than ever.
- Russia’s war against Ukraine is also an attack on the fundamental principles of sovereignty of nations, territorial integrity of states and respect for human rights. We remain united and resolute in our support of the UN Charter. We reiterate our unequivocal condemnation and firm rejection of the attempted illegal annexation by Russia of Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions. As in the case of Crimea and Sevastopol, we will never recognize these illegal annexation attempts.
- We reiterate that Russia’s irresponsible nuclear rhetoric is unacceptable, and any use of chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear weapons by Russia would be met with severe consequences. We recall the consensus achieved in Bali of all G20 members, including Russia, that the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons is inadmissible. We also recall the importance of the 77-year record of non-use of nuclear weapons. We deeply regret Russia’s decision to suspend the implementation of the new START treaty. We express our gravest concern over Russia’s continued occupation and control over the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant. The situation can only be resolved by complete withdrawal of Russian troops and equipment from the premises. We support the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) efforts to strengthen nuclear safety and security in Ukraine, including through the continuous presence of IAEA experts and the cessation of all combat operations in and around the plant and surrounding infrastructure.
- We welcome the resolution A/ES-11/L.7 titled “Principles of the Charter of the United Nations underlying a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine” resolution which was adopted with the broad support of the international community at the Emergency Special Session of the UN General Assembly yesterday. We remain committed to diplomacy and welcome and support President Zelenskyy’s earnest efforts to promote a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in line with the UN Charter by outlining basic principles in his Peace Formula. With a view to a viable post-war peace settlement, we remain ready to reach arrangements together with Ukraine as well as interested countries and institutions on sustained security and other commitments to help Ukraine defend itself, secure its free and democratic future, and deter future Russian aggression.
- We remain committed to coordinating efforts to meet Ukraine’s pressing military and defence equipment needs, with an immediate focus on air defence systems and capabilities, as well as necessary munitions and tanks.
- Building on the results achieved during the international conference held in Paris on 13 December, we also reaffirm our commitment to provide additional humanitarian assistance to the Ukrainian people, assistance to support Ukraine’s energy sector, and other assistance in Ukraine and neighbouring countries, including to ensure access to healthcare including mental health. We welcome the establishment of the Multi-agency Donor Coordination Platform to help advance Ukraine’s reform agenda, promote private sector led sustainable growth, and ensure close coordination among international donors to deliver assistance in a coherent, transparent and accountable manner.
- We will continue to help maintain Ukraine’s economic and financial stability, including addressing urgent short-term economic needs. In this context, we welcome the progress made by our Finance Ministers to increase our budget and economic support to 39 billion US dollars for 2023 and look forward to additional commitments. We ask Finance Ministers to continue engagement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Ukraine to deliver an ambitious program by the end of March 2023 and to continue working together, with the IMF and others for necessary budget support to Ukraine throughout and beyond 2023.
- We support Ukraine’s reconstruction efforts, including the recovery of infrastructure destroyed by Russia’s aggression. It is essential that this process continues to involve a wide range of actors, including Ukrainian subnational entities and civil society, international financial institutions and organizations, and the private sector. The Ukraine Recovery Conference to be held in London in June this year will offer a venue for Ukraine, international partners, private sector and civil society to further promote momentum behind Ukraine’s recovery. At the same time, we will continue to support the determination of Ukraine to build a society free from corruption. We support the Ukrainian government’s efforts to advance necessary institution-building in line with Ukraine’s European path, including in the judicial sector and promotion of the rule of law by empowering the independent Ukrainian anti-corruption institutions. In this regard, we reiterate our full confidence in the role of the G7 Ambassadors Group in supporting the implementation of the reform agenda.
- We reaffirm our commitment to strengthening the unprecedented and coordinated sanctions and other economic measures the G7 and partner countries have taken to date to further counter Russia’s capacity to wage its illegal aggression. We remain committed to presenting a united front through the imposition of new coordinated economic actions against Russia in the days and weeks ahead. Specifically, we are taking the following new measures, consistent with our respective legal authorities and processes and international law:
(i) We will maintain, fully implement and expand the economic measures we have already imposed, including by preventing and responding to evasion and circumvention through the establishment of an Enforcement Coordination Mechanism to bolster compliance and enforcement of our measures and deny Russia the benefits of G7 economies. We call on third-countries or other international actors who seek to evade or undermine our measures to cease providing material support to Russia’s war, or face severe costs. To deter this activity around the world, we are taking actions against third-country actors materially supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine. We also commit to further aligning measures, such as transit or services bans, including to prevent Russian circumvention.
(ii) We are committed to preventing Russia from finding new ways to acquire advanced materials, technology, and military and industrial equipment from our jurisdictions that it can use to develop its industrial sectors and further its violations of international law. To this end, we will adopt further measures to prevent Russia from accessing inputs that support its military and manufacturing sectors, including, among others, industrial machinery, tools, construction equipment, and other technology Russia is exploiting to rebuild its war machine.
(iii) We will continue to reduce Russia’s revenue to finance its illegal aggression by taking appropriate steps to limit Russia’s energy revenue and future extractive capabilities, building on the measures we have taken so far, including export bans and the price cap for seaborne Russian-origin crude oil and refined oil products. We commit to taking action in a way that mitigates spillover effects for energy security, in particular for the most vulnerable and affected countries.
(iv) Given the significant revenues that Russia extracts from the export of diamonds, we will work collectively on further measures on Russian diamonds, including rough and polished ones, working closely to engage key partners.
(v) We are taking additional measures in relation to Russia’s financial sector to further undermine Russia’s capacity to wage its illegal aggression. While coordinating to preserve financial channels for essential transactions, we will target additional Russian financial institutions to prevent circumvention of our measures.
(vi) We continue to impose targeted sanctions, including on those responsible for war crimes or human rights violations and abuses, exercising illegitimate authority in Ukraine, or who otherwise are profiting from the war. - We will continue our efforts to ensure Russia pays for Ukraine’s long-term reconstruction. Russia bears full responsibility for the war and the damage it has caused, including to Ukraine’s critical infrastructure. We collectively reaffirm the need for an international mechanism to register the damages Russia has inflicted. We are determined, consistent with our respective legal systems, that Russia’s sovereign assets in our jurisdictions will remain immobilized until there is a resolution to the conflict that addresses Russia’s violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and integrity. Any resolution to the conflict must ensure Russia pays for the damage it has caused. We will work with partners beyond the G7 which hold those Russian sovereign assets to build the broadest coalition possible to advance these objectives.
- We are united in our determination to hold President Putin and those responsible to account, consistent with international law. We support investigations by the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, the Prosecutor-General of Ukraine, and other national prosecutors who are able to establish jurisdiction under national law. In this regard, we support exploring efforts to develop an international centre for the prosecution of the crime of aggression against Ukraine (ICPA) which is linked to the existing Joint Investigation Team supported by Eurojust.
- We deplore that many countries in the world have been severely affected by the repercussions of Russia’s war of aggression. Russia’s weaponisation of food has caused global economic hardship and a rise in global food prices, increasing the cost of living of people, compounding the economic vulnerabilities of developing countries, and exacerbating already dire humanitarian crises and food insecurity around the world. We reiterate the G7’s united will to continue to provide rapid assistance, including food-related aid, to countries in need and affected populations and we will continue to design our restrictive measures to shield such populations from unintended consequences by ensuring food and fertilisers are carved out. We will continue to support food security and the availability and sustainable use of fertilisers to vulnerable countries in need of assistance and welcome the related work undertaken by the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and other relevant agencies. We recognize the importance of the EU-Ukraine Solidarity Lanes, President Zelenskyy’s Grain from Ukraine Initiative and the UN and Türkiye- brokered Black Sea Grain Initiative (BSGI). In this context, we stress the importance of the automatic extension of the BSGI by 18 March and its expansion.
- We also express our profound sympathy for all those affected by the horrifying earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria. We stand in solidarity with the people of Türkiye and Syria and pledge our continued support to tackling the consequences of this catastrophe. It is vital that humanitarian aid reaches all those who require it as efficiently as possible. We welcome the expansion of cross- border aid for an initial period of three months, and underscore that the humanitarian needs of those in northwest Syria should continue to be met. We also welcome the EU initiative to host a donor conference in support of the people in Türkiye and Syria in March.
- Above all, our solidarity will never waver in standing with Ukraine, in supporting countries and people in need, and in upholding the international order based on the rule of law.
From the White House fact-sheet; The Congressional Republican Agenda to Increase the Debt by Over $3 Trillion
- The first bill passed by the new Republican House majority increased the debt by $114 billion by allowing wealthy people and corporations to continue to cheat on their taxes.
Mostly from his remarks in Poland 02/21/2023…
President Biden: And yesterday, I had the honor to stand with President Zelenskyy in Kyiv to declare that we will keep standing up for these same things no matter what. (Applause.)
FACT SHEET: The Congressional Republican Agenda to Increase the Debt by Over $3 Trillion 02/15/2023…
The photo was taken on 02/15/2023 during remarks he gave from Lanham, Maryland.
This is an Open Thread.
