President Biden’s public schedule for Friday 03/03/2023…
| 9:30 AM | The President receives the Presidential Daily Briefing The White House Closed Press |
| 10:30 AM | In-Town Pool Call Time The White House In-Town Pool |
| 11:30 AM Remarks | The President awards the Medal of Honor to Ret. U.S. Army Colonel Paris Davis for his remarkable heroism during the Vietnam War East Room Pooled for TV and Pre-Credentialed Media |
| 12:45 PM Press Briefing | Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre James S. Brady Press Briefing Room |
| 2:00 PM | The President holds a bilateral meeting with Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany Oval Office In-House Pool Spray |
| 2:30 PM | Out-of-Town Pool Call Time Joint Base Andrews Overhang Out-of-Town Pool |
| 3:45 PM | The President departs the White House en route to New Castle, Delaware South Lawn Open Press |
| 4:40 PM | The President arrives in New Castle, Delaware New Castle National Guard Base Out-of-Town Pool |
On 03/01/2023, the White House posted the following statement:
On March 3, 2023, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., will award the Medal of Honor to Colonel Paris D. Davis, United States Army, Retired, for conspicuous gallantry.
Then-Captain Paris D. Davis distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty while serving as Commander of Detachment A-321, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces, during combat operations against an armed enemy in the vicinity of Bong Son, Republic of Vietnam, June 17-18, 1965. Captain Davis, commanding an inexperienced South Vietnamese regional raiding force, learned that a vastly superior North Vietnamese enemy force was operating in the area. Through surprise and leadership, he gained the tactical advantage, personally engaging and killing several enemy soldiers. Wounded while leading the initial assault, Captain Davis continued moving forward, personally engaging the enemy in hand-to-hand combat. Launching a counterattack, the superior enemy force separated Captain Davis from his main Regional Force Company. Charging under the intense enemy fire, Captain Davis personally led four others in the destruction of enemy gun emplacements and captured more enemy personnel. Afterwards, Captain Davis moved to regroup his forces and break contact with the enemy to allow his expertly guided tactical air and artillery fire to obliterate the foe. However, the enemy again counter-attacked in superior numbers and Captain Davis was struck by automatic weapons fire. So close was the charging enemy soldier that shot him, Captain Davis engaged him in close-quarter combat and was again wounded in the process of defeating this soldier. Captain Davis then led his men to reorganize into abandoned enemy fighting positions as he continued to call for artillery and air support. Realizing two of his fellow Americans were incapacitated and unable to move while trapped by enemy fire, Captain Davis located their positions and moved to suppress enemy guns and personally rescue each to the safety of the friendly Company position. While enacting the rescue of the first American, Captain Davis was shot in the leg. In great pain he continued forward and dragged him to the Company perimeter. Captain Davis then exposed himself again to the intense enemy fire to rescue the second American, crawling 150 yards to complete the rescue while being hit by enemy grenade fragments. After rescuing the second fellow American, Captain Davis then personally directed the helicopter extraction for the wounded, but refused medical extraction for himself. Captain Davis continued to engage the enemy until all members of his Company were extracted. He remained on the battlefield to continue personal coordination of tactical air and artillery fire, ensuring the destruction of the enemy force.
White House.gov. 03/01/2023.
PERSONAL BACKGROUND:
Paris Davis was commissioned a Reserve Component officer on June 1, 1959, and received Airborne and Ranger qualifications in 1960, and Special Forces qualification in 1962. His initial overseas tours included Korea, Vietnam (1962-1963), and Okinawa, Japan. Then-Captain Davis performed multiple heroic acts during his second tour in Vietnam (April 1965 to October 1965), during which he received the Silver Star, Bronze Star Medal with “V” device, Purple Heart with one Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster, and the Air Medal with “V” device. He received a Master of Science degree from Southern Illinois University in 1973, and a Master of Public Administration and Doctorate from Northern Virginia University in 1977. After retiring from military service July 30, 1985, he went on to publish a small newspaper in Virginia. A resident of Arlington County, Virginia, Colonel Davis was inducted into the Ranger Hall of Fame in 2019.
White House.gov. 03/01/2023.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
THE MEDAL OF HONOR:
The Medal of Honor is awarded to members of the Armed Forces who distinguish themselves conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of their own lives above and beyond the call of duty while:
White House.gov. 03/01/2023.
- engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States;
- engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing foreign force; or
- serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in an armed conflict against an opposing armed force in which the United States is not a belligerent party.
The meritorious conduct must involve great personal bravery or self-sacrifice so conspicuous as to clearly distinguish the individual above his or her comrades and must have involved risk of life. There must be incontestable proof of the performance of the meritorious conduct, and each recommendation for the award must be considered on the standard of extraordinary merit.
White House.gov. 03/01/2023.
The Medal of Honor ceremony is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. D.C., time.
Press briefing is scheduled for 12:45 p.m. D.C., time.
President Biden has tweeted…
He’s got 1 tweet so far for Friday…
02/28/2023; White House Fact-sheet: The Congressional Republican Agenda: Repealing the Affordable Care Act and Slashing Medicaid
02/15/2023; White House Fact-sheet: The Congressional Republican Agenda to Increase the Debt by Over $3 Trillion
President Biden is expected to release his budget next Thursday (03/09/2023).
When the post was posted for Thursday, President Biden had tweeted 3 times. He added 7 tweets giving him a Thursday Tweeting Total of 10 tweets and 0 retweets.
I wish Farah well.
Remarks @ the House Democratic Caucus Issues Conference (03/01/2023)…
President Biden: I ran for President — literally, not figuratively — to build the economy from the middle out and the bottom up. Not a joke. I was so sick and tired of talking about trickle-down economics. I know, in my household, not from far here — a little further north on I-95, in Wilmington — not a whole lot trickled down on our kitchen table. No, I’m serious. Not a — think about it. Not a whole lot. But working together, we made historic progress toward that vision of building from the middle out and the bottom up. And the people in this room are the reason for that.
From the Mayor of D.C.’s website (02/06/2023):
Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser was joined by Acting Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice Lindsey Appiah, and Metropolitan Police Department Chief Robert J. Contee, III to announce proposed amendments to the Revised Criminal Code Act of 2022. At the press conference announcing the legislation, the Mayor made clear that while the community is united around the need to increase opportunity and address root causes of crime, residents are also seeking more accountability for those who commit crimes in DC.
In November 2022, the DC Council passed the Revised Criminal Code Act of 2022, a bill modernizing and overhauling the District’s criminal laws. In January 2023, Mayor Bowser vetoed the bill, resulting in a Council override of the Executive veto.
Over the past several months, residents and partners in the public safety and criminal justice community expressed concerns about some provisions in the updated code, including lower penalties for certain crimes. The updated code would expand eligibility for the Second Look Act from youthful, convicted violent offenders to people of all ages; it would also expand the right to a jury trial for those charged with misdemeanors but facing jail time, which is expected to exacerbate the already stretched capacity of the court system; and it would reduce maximum criminal penalties for violent crimes like carjacking and robberies.
The Mayor’s amended legislation would allow for stand-alone hearings for the expansion of jury trials and the expansion of the Second Look Act. The DC Second Look Amendment Act of 2019 currently allows people sentenced for a violation of DC criminal code that occurred when the individual was under the age of 25 to petition the court for resentencing after the individual has served 15 years of their sentence.
Mayor Bowser’s proposed amendments seek to remove the provisions for which there remain divisions and concern within the public safety and criminal justice community and District residents and address the timeline for which the bill is scheduled to be implemented. The Revised Criminal Code Amendment Act of 2023 will:
Mayor.DC.gov. 02/06/2023.
- Create opportunities for the public to provide input on policy changes around jury trials and expansion of the Second Look Act;
- Restore penalties on crimes that the public has expressed significant concerns about in recent months; and
- Allow sufficient time for training and data systems changes across the criminal justice system by updating the implementation date to January 1, 2027.
Following today’s announcement, the proposed legislation will be introduced to Council and proceed through the District’s legislative process.
Read the entire legislation.
Mayor.DC.gov. 02/06/2023.
Find today’s presentation.
As NPR.org points out; Congress has unique legislative power over Washington, D.C., outlined both in the U.S. Constitution and the 1973 District of Columbia Home Rule Act, which gives Congress the power to block any laws by the D.C. Council. While rarely used, it is not unprecedented.
On 02/02/2023 Republican Rep. Andrew Clyde (GA) introduced H.J.Res.26 Disapproving the action of the District of Columbia Council in approving the Revised Criminal Code Act of 2022:
The Summary:
This joint resolution nullifies the Revised Criminal Code Act of 2022, enacted by the council of the District of Columbia (DC). The act makes a variety of changes to DC criminal laws, including by providing statutory definitions for various elements of criminal offenses, modifying sentencing guidelines and penalties, and expanding the right to a jury trial for certain misdemeanor crimes.
Congress.gov. 02/09/2023.
Actions:
| 02/09/2023 | Passed/agreed to in House: On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 250 – 173 (Roll no. 119). |
| 02/02/2023 | Introduced in House |
There was a second bill H.J.Res.24 Disapproving the action of the District of Columbia Council in approving the Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2022.
The Summary:
This joint resolution nullifies the Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2022, enacted by the council of the District of Columbia. The act allows noncitizens who meet residency and other requirements to vote in local elections in the district.
Congress.gov. 02/09/2023.
Actions:
| 02/09/2023 | Passed/agreed to in House: On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 260 – 162 (Roll no. 118). |
| 01/31/2023 | Introduced in House |
Both now head to the Senate.
The above statement shared by North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper (D) is his full statement.
AP News reported on Thursday; North Carolina legislative leaders announced Thursday an agreement to expand Medicaid to hundreds of thousands of additional low-income adults through the Affordable Care Act. The deal, which likely won’t be voted on until later this month at the earliest, marks a milestone for Republican lawmakers, most of whom opposed expansion for a decade until recently, and for hospitals and patient advocates who sought it all that time. North Carolina has been one of 11 states that has not adopted Medicaid expansion. If the deal goes through, the state would start providing expansion coverage to people starting next January.
His full statement:
I applaud the bipartisan group of senators for proposing rail safety legislation that provides many of the solutions that my administration has been calling for. This legislation provides us with tools to hold companies accountable to prevent terrible tragedies like the Norfolk Southern derailment in East Palestine and to make those communities whole.
White House.gov. 03/02/2023.
This legislation strengthens safety requirements for all trains carrying hazardous materials, and phases in newer, safer tank cars over the next two years, not over the next decade. It will increase safety by requiring hotbox detectors every 10 miles to prevent derailments like the one that we saw in East Palestine. It increases HAZMAT fees for railroads to pay for grants to train state and local firefighters and other first responders to respond to hazmat incidents. The legislation will also dramatically increase fines for safety violations from the current cap of $225,000 to the greater of $1 million or 1% of a railroad’s annual operating income, which for the largest carriers like Norfolk Southern could be more than $50 million.
This bill will make important progress – and we need to do even more, like require state of the art braking systems, provide more funding for federal safety inspections, invest in worker safety, fortify state emergency management and response, and hold companies like Norfolk Southern accountable not just for the immediate damage, but also the long-term health and economic damage to communities like East Palestine.
I encourage Republicans and Democrats alike to move quickly to advance these commonsense rail safety measures and send me a bill to sign into law.
Ohio Senator’s J.D. Vance (R) and Sherrod Brown (D) posted the following statement:
In a twist I know you didn’t see coming. I’m gonna share how both Senators published their joint-statement on their own websites.
Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH):
Senators JD Vance (R-OH) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH), along with Senators Rubio (R-FL), Hawley (R-MO), Casey (D-PA), and Fetterman (D-PA), will introduce legislation, The Railway Safety Act of 2023, today to prevent future train disasters like the derailment that devastated East Palestine, Ohio. The bill will take a number of key steps to improve rail safety protocols, such as enhancing safety procedures for trains carrying hazardous materials, establishing requirements for wayside defect detectors, creating a permanent requirement for railroads to operate with at least two-person crews, increasing fines for wrongdoing committed by rail carriers, and more.
“Through this legislation, Congress has a real opportunity to ensure that what happened in East Palestine will never happen again. We owe every American the peace of mind that their community is protected from a catastrophe of this kind,” said Senator Vance. “Action to prevent future disasters is critical, but we must never lose sight of the needs of the Ohioans living in East Palestine and surrounding communities. One day, the TV cameras will leave, and the news cycle will move on, but the needs of those Ohioans will remain. I will never stop fighting to deliver the support they need.”“It shouldn’t take a massive railroad disaster for elected officials to put partisanship aside and work together for the people we serve – not corporations like Norfolk Southern,” said Senator Brown. “Rail lobbyists have fought for years to protect their profits at the expense of communities like East Palestine and Steubenville and Sandusky. These commonsense bipartisan safety measures will finally hold big railroad companies accountable, make our railroads and the towns along them safer, and prevent future tragedies, so no community has to suffer like East Palestine again.”
“Congress should do everything it can to ensure that what happened in East Palestine never happens again,” said Senator Rubio. “For far too long, the rail industry, and the government agencies that regulate it, have prioritized their bottom line over safety and resiliency. This comprehensive bill would help prevent future catastrophic derailments.”
“What happened in East Palestine was a horrific tragedy,” said Senator Hawley. “The safety regulations governing our nation’s railroads must be updated to ensure that a disaster like this never happens again.”
“The Norfolk Southern train derailment left Pennsylvania and Ohio families, businesses, and first responders grappling with a disaster that spilled hazardous materials in their community. It shouldn’t have happened here and it shouldn’t happen anywhere else in America,” said Senator Casey. “The Railway Safety Act will make freight rail safer, hold rail companies accountable for putting communities and workers in harm’s way, and protect people over profits.”
The text of bill can be read here.
Vance.Senate.gov. 03/01/2023.
The Railway Safety Act of 2023 Would:
- Enhance safety procedures for trains carrying hazardous materials by:
- Including new safety requirements and procedures for trains carrying hazardous materials like vinyl chloride
- Requiring rail carriers to provide advance notification and information to state emergency response officials about what they are transporting
- Creating new requirements to prevent blocked railroad crossings
- Mitigating derailment risk with rules for train size and weight
- Reduce the risk of wheel bearing failures by:
- Establishing requirements for wayside defect detectors
- Requiring trains carrying hazardous materials to be scanned by hotbox detectors every 10 miles
- Strengthening inspection requirements for rail cars of trains carrying hazardous materials
- Require well-trained, two-person crews aboard every train
- Force rail carriers to face heightened fines for wrongdoing by:
- Substantially increasing the maximum fines USDOT can issue for safety violations
- Support communities impacted by rail disasters by:
- Expanding HAZMAT training grants for local law enforcement and first responders through increased registration fees paid by Class I railroads
- Invest in future safety improvements by:
- Providing $22,000,000 to the Federal Railroad Administration for research and development grants regarding wayside defect detectors and other rail priorities
- Providing $5,000,000 to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration for expenses related to developing stronger tank car safety features
Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH):
Today, U.S.Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and JD Vance (R-OH), along with U.S. Senators Bob Casey (D-PA), Marco Rubio (R-FL), John Fetterman (D-PA), and Josh Hawley (R-MO) will introduce the bipartisan Railway Safety Act of 2023 to prevent future train disasters like the derailment that devastated East Palestine, Ohio. The bill will take a number of key steps to improve rail safety protocols, such as enhancing safety procedures for trains carrying hazardous materials, establishing requirements for wayside defect detectors, creating a permanent requirement for railroads to operate with at least two-person crews, increasing fines for wrongdoing committed by rail carriers, and more.
“It shouldn’t take a massive railroad disaster for elected officials to put partisanship aside and work together for the people we serve – not corporations like Norfolk Southern,” said Senator Brown. “Rail lobbyists have fought for years to protect their profits at the expense of communities like East Palestine and Steubenville and Sandusky. These commonsense bipartisan safety measures will finally hold big railroad companies accountable, make our railroads and the towns along them safer, and prevent future tragedies, so no community has to suffer like East Palestine again.”
“Through this legislation, Congress has a real opportunity to ensure that what happened in East Palestine will never happen again. We owe every American the peace of mind that their community is protected from a catastrophe of this kind,” said Senator Vance. “Action to prevent future disasters is critical, but we must never lose sight of the needs of the Ohioans living in East Palestine and surrounding communities. One day, the TV cameras will leave, and the news cycle will move on, but the needs of those Ohioans will remain. I will never stop fighting to deliver the support they need.”
“The Norfolk Southern train derailment left Pennsylvania and Ohio families, businesses, and first responders grappling with a disaster that spilled hazardous materials in their community. It shouldn’t have happened here and it shouldn’t happen anywhere else in America,” said Senator Casey. “The Railway Safety Act will make freight rail safer, hold rail companies accountable for putting communities and workers in harm’s way, and protect people over profits.”“Congress should do everything it can to ensure that what happened in East Palestine never happens again. For far too long, the rail industry, and the government agencies that regulate it, have prioritized their bottom line over safety and resiliency. This comprehensive bill would help prevent future catastrophic derailments,” said Senator Rubio.
“What happened in East Palestine was a horrific tragedy. The safety regulations governing our nation’s railroads must be updated to ensure that a disaster like this never happens again,” said Senator Hawley.
Brown has repeatedly advocated for resources for the East Palestine community and is working to hold Norfolk Southern accountable for the cleanup and to make the community whole. This week, Brown and Vance sent a letter to Administrator Michael Regan of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Director Rochelle Walensky of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) urging them to ensure individuals affected by the Norfolk Southern train derailment have access to baseline medical testing.
Brown visited East Palestine earlier this month and again visited this week to host a roundtable discussion with residents, business owners, and local officials regarding their ongoing needs and concerns as they deal with the aftermath of the Norfolk Southern train derailment.
Brown’s second visit to East Palestine followed a letter he sent to the directors of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) and the U.S. EPA requesting additional information on plans to monitor East Palestine and the surrounding area for dioxins – a pollutant that can result from combustion of vinyl chloride and can be toxic to humans and animals.
Brown also sent a letter to Norfolk Southern Corporation President and CEO Alan Shaw reminding the company that as the carrier responsible for operating the derailed train, it has a legal and moral obligation to the residents of East Palestine, Ohio and Darlington Township, Pennsylvania.
Brown sent a letter to Governor Mike DeWine asking him to officially declare a disaster in East Palestine and seek the full support of the federal government to bolster the state of Ohio’s ongoing clean-up efforts. Brown led letters to NTSB and EPA raising concerns and calling on the agencies to investigate and provide assistance to the East Palestine community. He also wrote a letter to the CDC requesting the agency act immediately to provide additional assistance and resources to help the community assess and address the public health impacts of the derailment.
This bill is supported by the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers’ Transportation Division (SMART-TD), the Transport Workers Union of America (TWU), Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees (BMWED), and the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen (BRS).
Brown.Senate.gov. 03/01/2023.
The Railway Safety Act of 2023 would:
· Enhance safety procedures for trains carrying hazardous materials by:
o Including new safety requirements and procedures for trains carrying hazardous materials like vinyl chloride.
o Requiring rail carriers to provide advance notification and information to state emergency response officials about what they are transporting.
o Creating new requirements to prevent blocked railroad crossings.
o Mitigating derailment risk with rules for train size and weight.
· Increases rail car inspections to ensuring that all rail cars on train carrying hazardous materials are inspected by a qualified rail car inspector at regular intervals.
· Reduce the risk of wheel bearing failures by:
o Establishing requirements for wayside defect detectors.
o Requiring trains carrying hazardous materials to be scanned by hotbox detectors every 10 miles.
o Strengthening inspection requirements for rail cars of trains carrying hazardous materials.
· Require well-trained two-person crews aboard every train.
· Force rail carriers to face heightened fines for wrongdoing by:
o Substantially increasing the maximum fine USDOT can issue for safety violations.
· Support communities impacted by rail disasters by:
o Expanding HAZMAT training grants for local law enforcement and first responders through increased registration fees paid by Class I railroads.
· Invest in future safety improvements by:
o Providing $22,000,000 to the Federal Railroad Administration for research and development grants regarding wayside defect detectors and other rail priorities.
o Providing $5,000,000 to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration for expenses related to developing stronger tank car safety features.
The text of bill is HERE.
A one-pager on the bill is HERE.
For bills that have passed the House since Republicans won the slim majority @Congress.gov.
The video snip is 46 seconds long.
Remarks from Virginia (02/28/2023)…
President Biden: During the State of the Union, as some of you may have seen — (laughter and applause) — I was — I — I’ve been around for a lot of State of the Unions. (Laughter.) I never saw one where the President got to negotiate in the open with everybody. (Laughter and applause.) I was pleased to see so many Republicans stand up. Remember when Marjorie Taylor Greene was yelling, “Liar! Liar! Biden’s a liar!”? (Laughter.) (The President makes the sign of the cross.) (Laughter and applause.) I’m going to be good. I’m going to be good. They don’t want to cut anything. I — so I — when I asked — I said, “Okay, you don’t want to cut anything? Everybody who says we’re not going to cut Medicare or Social Security…” — when I asked them to join us and reject the cuts to Medicare — wasn’t it something? They all stood up. (Laughter and applause.) They all stood up. And they’re all on camera. (Laughter.) Got all their pictures. Like I said, I believe in conversion. (Laughter.) Maybe they found — as my grandfather said, “Maybe they found religion” — (laughter) — on Social Security and Medicare. I sure hope so — all kidding aside. But I’ll believe it when I see it.
This is an Open Thread.
