Biden’s Bits: “Happy Mother’s Day”…

Biden Tweets Logo. Image by Lenny Ghoul.

President Biden’s public schedule for Monday 05/15/2023; is all traveling from Delaware to the White House. There’s a stop over in PA. According to ABC Channel 6 Action News, the Biden’s are in PA “to  celebrate their granddaughter’s graduation from the University of Pennsylvania.”



President Biden Welcomes the President of Spain Tweets

From Friday…

From Saturday…

The video clip is 45 seconds long.

Pool spray from the Oval Office prior to the bilateral meeting YouTube is 4 minutes and 52 seconds long.

Remarks:

President Biden:

Well, Mr. President, welcome. I’m glad to return the hospitality you provided for me in Madrid. And my only regret is I wish you were staying for a week.

You know, during that visit, I said that — you said that our two nations are linked by a shared desire — I think the quote was — “to promote the principles of freedom.” I couldn’t agree with you more, because today it’s at stake in many parts of the world.

And together, we’re supporting Ukraine. I can’t thank you enough for your significant support for Ukraine — it matters a great deal — and for your leadership, the partnership, and the challenge.

Also, we signed a defense cooperation agreement, and I appreciate that as well. We’re going to — and thank you for letting us station two destroyers in Spain. And together, we’re — you’re helping us face the challenge — we’re both facing the challenges of migration in the Western Hemisphere. You’re doing a heck of a job.

And — and, Mr. President, you’re about to take on the European Council’s presidency this summer, and I’m anxious to talk to you about that as well.

We got a lot to talk about.

White House.gov. 05/12/2023.

President Pedro Sánchez/with a dash of President Biden:

Absolutely. Well, thank you very much. Thank you, President Biden, for — I think it’s a great pleasure, because I see you as a reference in the defense of democracy, as many citizens around the world would have never imagined that democracy would be under threat precisely here in Washington, in the U.S. But your commitment with the democratic values is an example to everyone.

And in this context, I do believe that Spain and the United States, we — we share common values, and our bilateral relations are excellent. We are allies, friends, and also are strategic partners.

And I would like to touch upon four topics that we will discuss today.

The first one is on Russians’ aggressions in Ukraine. I do believe that the transatlantic bond and the unity among allies remains rock solid, President. We support Ukraine.

Of course, we work for a lasting and just peace that respects fully the international law and also the principles of the U.N. Charter.

Make no mistake: In this war, there is an aggressor and a victim, and the aggressor is President Putin. So this will be the first topic.

The second topic is how our governments — the U.S. administration and also the Spanish government — we put in the center of our political priorities, in the benefit to our middle and working classes, the green transition and the digital transformation.

I would propose, President Biden, that we can work together to have the best success of COP28 later this year and also that we could work together — together with the European Union — in order to regulate the artificial intelligence to reach the highest level of standards at the global — at the global level.

The third point would be, as President Biden said, the presidency of the Council of the European Union. We are very ambitious, President. We have many goals. But I would like to highlight two, which I think would be very important in the second semester of the year.

The first one is how do we reindustrialize the European Union together with the U.S. economy, and also how do we, as Europeans, strength our bilateral cooperation with Latin America, which is a part of the world — a region where Spain and the U.S., we have common interests about democracy, prosperity, and safe, regular, and orderly migration pathways.

And last but not least, of course, we will talk about our bilateral relations — which I think are excellent — on the defense, as President Biden said, but also on science, trade, investments. We also are going to sign agreements to work together at the multilateral level in order to — to boost gender equality, LGTB rights, and also climate change, to name a few.

So, President Biden, I do believe that the world needs a U.S. President that is committed to fighting the good fight, like you do. And you can count on Spain in that endeavor.

So let’s keep on doing this job.

PRESIDENT BIDEN: Well, partner, I do count on it. Thank you.

PRESIDENT SÁNCHEZ: Thank you.

PRESIDENT BIDEN: Thank you.

PRESIDENT SÁNCHEZ: Thank you very much.

White House.gov. 05/12/2023.

The White House posted the following meeting readout:

President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. welcomed President Pedro Sanchez of Spain to the White House today to reaffirm the close partnership between the United States and Spain. The leaders underscored our unwavering support for Ukraine in the face of Russia’s brutal war, including through continued security, economic, and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, as well as the imposition of measures to impose economic costs on Moscow. The leaders noted the recent signing of the expanded Agreement on Defense Cooperation between the United States and Spain, which facilitates the presence of additional U.S. warships in Spain and enhances NATO’s collective security. The two leaders discussed ongoing efforts to advance prosperity, security, shared values, and the rules-based international order, including as Spain assumes the Presidency of the Council of the European Union this July. The leaders committed to deepen economic cooperation in the Americas, including through the Inter-American Development Bank. President Biden also thanked Spain for its recent commitment to expand safe, humane, and regular migration pathways for individuals from Latin America.

The two Presidents also discussed avenues to broaden the scope of our cooperation. The United States and Spain intend to work rapidly toward achieving our shared goals to address the climate crisis. They will intensify cooperation on early warning systems, ocean protection, and drought resilience, and continue our strong collaboration on energy security. President Biden applauded Spain’s decision to join the Net Zero Government Initiative, which commits countries to net zero emissions in government operations by 2050. The leaders underscored the importance of strengthened cooperation on sustainable and inclusive infrastructure development, and in this context, President Biden welcomed Spain joining the Blue Dot Network’s Executive Steering Committee. The leaders pledged to deepen cooperation in science and technology, including through the Artemis Accords on responsible use of outer space and a new partnership between NASA and the Spanish space agency. The two Presidents tasked their teams with pursuing negotiations on an agreement related to further cleanup efforts at the site of a 1966 air accident in Palomares, Spain.

White House.gov. 05/12/2023.

FYI: Google and the U.S. media have Pedro Sánchez listed as the Prime Minister. I went with President because both the White House and President Pedro Sánchez’s twitter account list him as President of Spain.

Presidente del Gobierno de España =’s via google translate:


Debt Ceiling/MAGA House Republicans/Budget/Economy Tweets

From Friday…

From Saturday…

From Sunday…

From Monday…

His budget can be found here.

American Rescue Plan.
Bipartisan Infrastructure Act.
Inflation Reduction Act.
CHIPS and Science Act.

The House passed H.R.2811–Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023 on 04/26/2023.


Howard University Commencement Address Tweets

From Saturday…

The YouTube is 30 minutes and 45 seconds long. President Biden begins his remarks at the 5 minute mark. His full remarks can be found here.


Mother’s Day Tweets

From Sunday…

The White House issued the following Proclamation on Mother’s Day, 2023:

     On Mother’s Day, we celebrate the moms and the women filling the role of a mother in our lives, who bless us with a total sense of what it means to be family.  They believe in us so we can believe in ourselves.  They sacrifice to give us opportunities they never had.  They are there for us at our highest points and our lowest moments, lifting us up when we need it most.

     The lessons I learned from my mother, Catherine Eugenia “Jean” Finnegan Biden, continue to guide me today.  She led with honor.  She believed everyone deserved to be treated equally.  She reminded my siblings and me that failure was inevitable, but giving up was never an option.  She would say that courage is the greatest virtue, because without courage, you cannot love with abandon.

     My wife, First Lady Jill Biden, has loved our children and grandchildren with abandon as well.  She was the glue that helped put our family back together after my boys and I experienced profound loss.  Every day, her joy, wisdom, and strength bring light to so many, including the students she teaches full time.

     Across the country, mothers are nurturing children, providing for families, and driving innovation in every field.  They serve at the highest levels of government, lead our Nation’s military, and power our economy — running some of the biggest companies in the world and operating beloved small businesses on Main Streets across America.  At the same time, many mothers work night shifts and jobs that often do not pay them enough to make ends meet and support their families.  As moms continue knocking down the barriers that stand in the way of all women and girls reaching their full potential, my Administration is working to give them support and opportunity.  Our American Rescue Plan helped keep the doors open for 220,000 child care providers — 90 percent of which are owned and staffed by women — so families could go to work while their children were cared for.  We expanded the Child Tax Credit and cut child poverty in half during our first year in office.  The historic infrastructure, manufacturing, and clean energy laws I signed as part of our Investing in America agenda are creating good-paying jobs for women in sectors where they have been previously underrepresented.  And to ensure that new and expecting mothers can thrive in the workplace, I signed into law new protections for pregnant workers and nursing parents in the workplace:  the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections for Nursing Mothers Act.

     Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris is leading the charge to make pregnancy and childbirth safer for all women and to make sure pregnant women and moms in all communities are treated fairly.  We released a Blueprint for Addressing the Maternal Health Crisis to lower the rates of maternal mortality and morbidity; reduce disparities in maternal health; and improve the experiences of women before, during, and after birth across the country.  Our American Rescue Plan gave States the option to extend Medicaid postpartum coverage for a full year — up from just 60 days — and we have already approved requests from over 30 States and Washington, D.C., to expand this coverage.  And my Administration continues fighting for a national, comprehensive paid family and medical leave program. 

     Today, at family gatherings across America, let us give thanks for all the mothers and mother-figures, who we love so much.  Let us be sure to make the most of our precious time together.  Let us also keep in our prayers those who observe this day with a hole in their heart, missing a mom’s irreplaceable presence and the comfort it brings, as well as the mothers who know the pain of losing a child.  Finally, let us continue working to extend our country’s promise of dignity and opportunity to America’s mothers — the least we can do for the people in our lives who have given us the most.   

     The Congress, by joint resolution approved May 8, 1914 (38 Stat. 770), has designated the second Sunday in May each year as “Mother’s Day” and requested the President to call for its appropriate observance.

     NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 14, 2023, as Mother’s Day.  I urge all Americans to express their love, respect, and gratitude to mothers everywhere.  I call upon all citizens to observe this day with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.

     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
twelfth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-three, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-seventh.

White House.gov. 05/14/2023.

One Year After Buffalo Tweets

From Sunday…

The White House posted; ICYMI: President Joe Biden Op-Ed: “I’m doing everything I can to reduce gun violence, but Congress must do more” (05/14/2023):

Today, in a new op-ed, President Biden announced that the Biden-Harris Administration is taking new action to implement the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act and maximize the benefits of the law, reducing gun violence and saving lives.

The op-ed also honors the lives of those killed one year ago in the Buffalo, New York shooting, and the Uvalde, Texas shooting which came less than two weeks later.

Last year, President Biden carried their message back to Washington, and signed into law the most significant gun safety legislation in nearly 30 years. But Congress still must take additional action to save lives.

As the President writes, “I have already taken more executive action to reduce gun violence than any other president, and I will continue to pursue every legal and effective action. But my power is not absolute. Congress must act, including by banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, requiring gun owners to securely store their firearms, requiring background checks for all gun sales, and repealing gun manufacturers’ immunity from liability. We also need more governors and state legislators to take these steps.”

White House.gov. 05/14/2023.

Read the full piece below:
USA Today: President Biden: I’m doing everything I can to reduce gun violence, but Congress must do more
[President Biden, 5/14/23]

One year ago today, an individual who had posted a white supremacist manifesto, armed with an AR-15 style firearm, killed 10 Black Americans and injured three others at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York. Ten days later, another lone gunman, again armed with an AR-15 style firearm, killed 19 children and two teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.

Jill and I visited both communities, spending hours with hundreds of family members who lost pieces of their soul and whose lives will never be the same. They had one message for all of us: Do something. For God’s sake, do something.

I carried their message back to Washington, which finally broke the congressional logjam. Congress passed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the most significant gun safety legislation in nearly 30 years.

At the bill signing, in front of families from Buffalo, Uvalde and too many other communities affected by gun violence, I said the new law was real progress. It strengthens firearms background checks for young people, expands the use of red flag laws to temporarily remove firearms from those who are a danger to themselves or others, helps prevent domestic abusers from purchasing guns and makes historic investments in mental health to address the grief and trauma resulting from gun violence. 

I also urged Congress to take this victory as a call to action, an opening to do more to reduce gun violence. 

We need to do more. In the year after the Buffalo tragedy, our country has experienced more than 650 mass shootings and well over 40,000 deaths due to gun violence, according to one analysis

Just last weekend, an assailant in tactical gear and armed with an AR-15 style weapon killed eight individuals, including children, at a shopping mall in Allen, Texas. Guns are the number one killer of children and teens in America. 

I have already taken more meaningful executive action to reduce gun violence than any other president, and I will continue to pursue every legal and effective action. But my power is not absolute. Congress must act, including by banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, requiring gun owners to securely store their firearms, requiring background checks for all gun sales, and repealing gun manufacturers’ immunity from liability. We also need more governors and state legislators to take these steps.

The majority of Americans – even the majority of gun owners – want Congress to take some commonsense action to reduce gun violence. But too many congressional Republicans are doing the bidding of gun manufacturers instead of their constituents. 

So, one year after the Buffalo tragedy, how do we seize the momentum of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act and spur Congress to do more? We need to pursue three steps:

White House.gov. 05/14/2023.
  1. Fully implement the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act to show congressional Republicans that commonsense laws save lives
  2. Take additional action to maximize the benefits of the law
  3. Build an even bigger, unrelenting coalition demanding that Congress pass additional commonsense gun safety legislation.

These enhanced checks have already stopped more than 160 firearms from getting into potentially dangerous hands, according to data from the Justice Department. Justice has also used the Act to charge more than 60 defendants with gun trafficking and illegally purchasing firearms for another person, seizing hundreds of firearms that could have ended up in the hands of criminals.

Justice awarded more than $230 million for states to expand the use of red flag orders and other interventions to temporarily remove firearms from someone who is a danger to themselves or others. The Departments of Health and Human Services and Education, combined, have already delivered more than $1.5 billion to states and communities to make our schools safer, improve access to mental health services, and help young people deal with the trauma and grief resulting from gun violence.

This includes funding that the Department of Education projects will put an additional 14,000 mental health professionals in our schools, and to boost the skills of school staff to better meet students’ mental health needs.

The bottom line is this: the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act is saving lives.

Today, I am announcing more than ten actions my Administration is taking to maximize the benefits of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. These actions are the result of the Executive Order I signed on March 14, 2023.

For example, the White House and Department of Justice will soon convene state legislators and governors’ offices, urging them to enact laws allowing the federal background check system access to all records that could prohibit someone under age 21 from purchasing a firearm. The Departments of Health and Human Services and Education are creating new resources to help health care providers and educators understand the impact of gun violence trauma on communities, and how the Act’s funding can be used to address that trauma.

Across the Administration, we are doubling down on efforts to make sure schools and communities know about the resources available through the Act, and to encourage more communities to use the funding to replicate strategies others are using to successfully reduce gun violence.

Now, we must build an even bigger, unrelenting coalition demanding that Congress pass additional gun safety legislation. To that end, I will invite to the White House law enforcement leaders supportive of an assault weapons and high-capacity magazine ban.

When I helped secure a 10-year ban on assault weapons in 1994, law enforcement’s support was key to our success. Once again, I am asking law enforcement leaders to mobilize their colleagues all across the country to urge Congress to ban assault weapons. I know the brave Americans who serve in law enforcement are tired of being outgunned by criminals with AR-15 style firearms, losing officers in the line of duty, and carrying the trauma of these attacks for the rest of their lives. 

America doesn’t have to be a place where our children learn how to duck and cover from a shooter, or scan a movie theater or restaurant for their exit options.

Gun violence is mobilizing an entire generation of young people. But we cannot sit back and pass this problem off to the next generation to solve. If we wait, too many of them will never have the chance to grow up. They deserve better than that, as do all of the gun violence survivors and victims’ families asking Congress to do more.

For God’s sake, do something.

White House.gov. 05/14/2023.

The White House posted the following fact-sheet; President Biden Announces 13 New Actions to Reduce Gun Violence by Maximizing the Benefits of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (05/14/2023):

Today, President Biden published an op-ed announcing new actions the Biden-Harris Administration is taking to implement the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA) and maximize the benefits of the law, reducing gun violence and saving lives. The op-ed also honors the lives of those killed in Buffalo, New York, one year ago today, and Uvalde, Texas, less than two weeks later. Because of these tragedies and the courageous advocacy of the victims’ families and survivors of these shootings and so many other acts of gun violence, President Biden worked with Congress to break a 30-year congressional logjam and enact BSCA.

On March 14, 2023, President Biden signed an Executive Order directing key members of his Cabinet to each submit to him, within 60 days, a report summarizing their progress toward full implementation of BSCA. The President also directed his Cabinet to outline steps they are taking to maximize the benefits of this historic law.

These reports make clear that BSCA is saving lives. For example, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has denied more than 160 firearms transactions solely because of BSCA’s enhanced background checks for individuals under age 21. In part due to BSCA’s revised definition of when an individual is “engaged in the business” of dealing in firearms, DOJ’s prosecutions for unlicensed dealing increased 52% from Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 to FY 2022. The Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Education (ED), combined, have already delivered more than $1.5 billion to states and communities to make our schools safer, improve access to mental health services, and help young people deal with the trauma and grief resulting from gun violence. With this funding, schools are projected to hire an additional 14,000 mental health professionals over the next five years.

Today, the President is detailing 13 actions his Cabinet has taken or will take to maximize the benefits of the legislation, including new steps to keep guns out of dangerous hands, ensure BSCA’s mental health funding helps those dealing with the grief and trauma resulting from gun violence, make our schools safer, and expand community violence interventions.

Highlights of these reports are described below.

New Actions to Reduce Gun Violence by Maximizing the Benefits of BSCA

President Biden is announcing the following 13 actions his Administration has taken or will soon take to maximize the benefits of the law:

White House.gov. 05/14/2023.

Keeping guns out of dangerous hands

  • The White House, in partnership with DOJ, will convene state and local law enforcement leaders to solicit their collaboration on BSCA implementation priorities, such as: 1) increasing state and local law enforcement agencies’ response rates to enhanced background check inquiries when someone under age 21 tries to purchase a gun; and 2) ensuring that arrest and adjudication records include additional documentation of dating relationships to keep more guns out of the hands of domestic abusers.
  • The White House, in partnership with DOJ, will convene state legislators and governors’ offices, urging them to enact laws allowing the federal background check system to access all records that could prohibit someone under age 21 from purchasing a firearm.
  • DOJ is working with state and territory governments and local law enforcement agencies to increase their response rates to the federal background check system inquiries when someone under age 21 tries to purchase a gun. DOJ has held 18 webinars to date, attended by more than 500 law enforcement agencies, and has nine more planned.
  • DOJ is training federal law enforcement and educating state and local law enforcement and prosecutors on the need for additional documentation of dating relationships in domestic abuse cases in order to implement BSCA’s provision that narrowed the “boyfriend loophole,” helping to keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers.

Ensuring BSCA’s mental health funding helps those dealing with the grief and trauma resulting from gun violence

  • The Secretaries of HHS and ED will urge governors to use BSCA and Medicaid’s funding to help schools address the trauma and mental health challenges resulting from gun violence.
  • HHS will educate health and social service providers, community leaders, and other individuals on the effects that gun violence trauma can have on communities.
  • HHS will clarify how early childhood providers can use BSCA funding to address mental health and gun violence trauma.
  • HHS will highlight stories of how communities are effectively using BSCA’s mental health funding to help those impacted by gun violence, in order to encourage other communities to adopt those strategies and effectively use BSCA’s resources.
  • HHS will meet with trauma program grantees and select community members and providers to gather community-level data pertaining to the link between exposure to gun violence and trauma. Lessons learned will inform HHS’ future program development, and a report HHS will make available to other communities.
  • As part of the school-based services Technical Assistance Center established under BSCA, HHS and ED will jointly develop resources for states and schools regarding how schools can use Medicaid to fund school-based health services to help students dealing with the physical and emotional impacts of gun violence.

Making schools safer

  • The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will launch a dedicated public campaign to bring greater awareness to SchoolSafety.gov and its available resources and evidence-based practices. The campaign will be geared towards K-12 leaders, school administrators, teachers, school personnel, and parents and legal guardians.
  • ED has taken several steps to help states and school districts make effective use of BSCA’s $1 billion Stronger Connections Grant Program to improve school safety. For example, ED hosted a four-part webinar series that highlighted evidence-based practices for supporting student safety and well-being and published extensive Frequently Asked Questions to help states and school districts understand how they can effectively use this funding to ensure all schools are safe and welcoming to all students.

Expanding community violence interventions

  • To help communities maximize the benefits of BSCA’s community violence intervention funding, DOJ hosted a five-part webinar series to help local leaders use evidence-informed strategies to reduce violence.

Highlights of Progress Made to Implement BSCA

Keeping guns out of dangerous hands

  • In part due to BSCA’s revised definition of who is “engaged in the business” of dealing in firearms, DOJ’s prosecutions for unlicensed dealing increased 52% from FY 2021 to FY 2022. DOJ is on track to maintain this elevated level in FY 2023.
  • DOJ has implemented BSCA’s enhanced firearms background checks for individuals under the age of 21 in all 43 jurisdictions where the federal government processes background checks. Since November 2022, DOJ has conducted more than 89,000 of these checks and denied more than 160 firearms transactions solely because of BSCA. Out of the 13 states that process their own background checks, 10 states have fully implemented the enhanced background checks. DOJ is providing technical assistance in the remaining three states.
  • DOJ awarded over $230 million for state crisis intervention programs, including extreme risk protection orders (also known as red flag laws), to temporarily keep guns out of the hands of those who are a danger to themselves or others. This funding is supporting communities in 49 states, territories, and the District of Columbia.
  • The federal gun background check system (the National Instant Criminal Background Check System) implemented BSCA’s updated definition of misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, which now includes qualifying dating relationships to keep more guns out of the hands of domestic abusers.
  • DOJ has provided multiple trainings for federal prosecutors and federal law-enforcement agents on a number of BSCA’s provisions, including the updated definition of “engaged in the business,” the new straw purchasing and firearms trafficking provisions, and the expanded definition of misdemeanor crime of domestic violence to include abusive dating partners.

Improving school safety

  • DOJ awarded almost $60 million in BSCA grants to support school safety. This funding will help institute safety measures in and around schools, support school violence prevention efforts, provide training to school personnel and students, implement evidence-based threat assessments, and fund research and evaluation on the causes and consequences of school violence.
  • ED awarded states nearly $1 billion from BSCA’s Stronger Connections grant program to support schools in providing students with safer and healthier learning environments and support students’ social, emotional, physical, and mental well-being. Per BSCA, states are tasked with developing competitions for high-need school districts to apply for funding, which they may use for purposes such as expanding school-based mental health services, addressing the physical security of schools, providing safety and violence prevention programs, and creating and implementing emergency operating plans. States are in the process of awarding these grants now.
  • ED awarded BSCA’s $50 million in funding for out-of-school time programs to use to increase attendance and engagement of students in the middle and high school grades.

Improving access to mental health care

  • HHS has already awarded nearly $400 million in BSCA funding to increase mental health services in the community, expand school-based mental health services, expand and strengthen the mental health workforce, and improve mental health crisis services. For example:
    • HHS awarded $60 million to help better equip primary care residents to provide behavioral health care. This funding is anticipated to support approximately 3,500 residents over five years.
    • HHS awarded $18 million to 49 states, jurisdictions, and Tribes to provide technical assistance and enhance the pediatric mental health care workforce’s capacity to make early identification, diagnosis, treatment and referral of behavioral conditions a routine part of children’s health care services; particularly in pediatric, emergency services and schools.
    • HHS awarded $59.4 million in supplemental Community Mental Health Block Grant funding to states, helping to expand access to prevention, treatment, and crisis services.
    • HHS awarded $57.7 million in Mental Health Awareness Training grants to prepare and train school personnel, emergency first responders, law enforcement, and others to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental health challenges and enable early intervention.
    • HHS awarded $19.5 million to National Child Traumatic Stress Network to improve treatment and services for children, adolescents, and families who have experienced traumatic events.
    • HHS awarded $73.6 million for Project Advancing Wellness and Resiliency in Education (Project AWARE) to help develop and support school-based mental health programs and services. This program will promote the healthy social and emotional development of school-aged youth and prevent youth violence in school settings.
    • HHS awarded $20 million in Resiliency in Communities after Stress and Trauma grants to promote resilience and equity and prevent violence in communities that have recently faced civil unrest, community violence, and/or collective trauma.
  • With the help of BSCA, ED has awarded more than $280 million in funding to bolster the pipeline of mental health professionals serving in schools and expand school-based mental health services and supports in schools. Grantees project that these funds will put more than 14,000 new mental health professionals in U.S. schools – including school psychologists, counselors, and social workers.

Expanding community violence interventions

  • DOJ awarded $50 million in BSCA funding – combined with $50 million in bipartisan omnibus appropriations – through the federal government’s first-ever standalone community violence intervention grant program. Combined, this $100 million is helping 47 sites across 24 states and territories.

Random Thought Tweets

From Friday…

Remarks by President Biden on the Protection of Bristol Bay and National Conservation (05/11/2023):

The video clip is 1 minute and 4 seconds long

President Biden:

We’re also [the caption reads “Our Tribal Leaders”] joined by Tribal leaders and conservation advocates and representatives of the business community who worked together for decades to achieve something momentous for the people of Alaska, for all Americans: the protection of Bristol Bay.  (Applause.)

[snip]

Bristol Bay is an extraordinary place unlike anywhere in the world.  Six rivers meet there, traveling through 40,000 miles of tundra, wetlands, and lakes, collecting freshwater and sediment along the way from some of the most pristine land on the entire planet.  And that’s not hyperbole.

That freshwater empties into Bristol Bay, where every year tens of millions of salmon return, making this the largest sock-eye salmon fishery on all the Earth.  (Applause.) 

[snip]

The Alaska Native people have rallied and relied on this fishery for millennia.

[snip]

In the end, we used our authority under the Clean Water Act to ban the disposal of mine waste in Bristol Bay watershed.  Period.  That me- — (applause) — and that means the mine will not be built.  (Applause.)

[snip]

And for many of you, this has been a — the fight of your lifetime.

[snip]

To everyone who had a role in saving Bristol Bay: Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.

White House.gov. 05/11/2023.

From Saturday…

Remarks by President Biden at Screening of “American Born Chinese” in Celebration of AANHPI Heritage Month (05/08/2023)

The video clip is 28 seconds long.

President Biden:

Let me say one more thing.  Nights like these are a reminder of the power of stories and the importance of treating storytellers with dignity, respect, and the value they deserve.
 
I sincerely hope the writers’ strike in Hollywood gets resolved and the writers are given a fair deal they deserve as soon as possible.  (Applause.)
 
This is an iconic, meaningful American industry.  And we need the writers and all the workers and everyone involved to tell the stories of our nation and the stories of all of us.

White House.gov. 05/08/2023.

From Monday…

The video clip is 2 minutes and 52 seconds long. Given I’m already super late; there will not be a transcript provided.

The White House issued the following Proclamation on Peace Officers Memorial Day and Police Week, 2023:

   Every day when law enforcement officers pin on their badges, they make an extraordinary commitment to the American people:  to rush toward danger regardless of the risk and to faithfully stand up for the rule of law.  Across our neighborhoods, towns, and cities, they put themselves in harm’s way, hoping to return home safely to their families.  On Peace Officers Memorial Day and during Police Week, we celebrate the remarkable courage of our law enforcement community and honor the fallen heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect their fellow Americans. 

     As a Nation, we expect a lot from our law enforcement officers.  They save lives by keeping our roads, subways, and highways safe and responding to domestic violence incidents and natural disasters.  We ask them to ensure public safety, build trust within our neighborhoods, and protect the well-being of our communities.  Too often, they are also called upon to respond to mass shootings, drug overdoses, mental health crises, and more.  Being a law enforcement officer is not just what they do; it is who they are.

     The same is true for their families, who sacrifice alongside these heroic Americans.  It takes a special person to marry or be the child of a law enforcement officer — knowing the uncertainty as their loved one walks out the door and dreading the possibility of receiving that phone call.

     No memorial can ever fill the void left in the hearts of those who have lost a loved one in the line of duty.  But their sacrifices in full service to their communities and to our Nation will never be forgotten.  We will continue to honor their memories with actions that help keep our law enforcement officers and communities safe from harm. 

     When I took office at the height of the pandemic, State, local, Tribal, and territorial law enforcement budgets were shrinking.  Some agencies were facing their lowest staffing levels in decades, undermining their ability to perform their jobs.  That is why we provided crucial funding to help police departments build new training facilities, recruit new personnel, and give officers a raise.  I also expanded benefits for first responders who were disabled in the line of duty and their families.  And I signed laws improving officer wellness by expanding critical mental health resources to address the physical and emotional trauma that so many members of our law enforcement community experience.

     Meanwhile, I have taken steps to keep law enforcement officers safer on the job by signing the most sweeping gun safety law in nearly three decades.  It helps keep more guns out of the hands of dangerous people, including by broadening restrictions on domestic abusers, which is critical because domestic violence calls can often turn deadly for police.  This law also supports crisis interventions, including extreme risk protection orders, and provides a billion dollars to address the mental health crisis in America.  We are also strengthening background checks for 18 to 20-year-olds trying to purchase guns, helping prosecutors crack down on illegal gun sales, and reining in ghost guns that police across the country are increasingly finding at crime scenes.

     As I have often said, when it comes to keeping our communities safe, the answer is not to defund the police.  It is to fund them with the resources and training they need to protect and serve our communities and to build trust with the American public.  My Safer America Plan calls on the Congress to invest in recruiting, hiring, and training more than 100,000 additional officers for effective, accountable community policing, consistent with the standards of my policing Executive Order.  My plan also invests in programs that send social workers and other professionals to respond to calls that should not be the responsibility of law enforcement.  And it invests $5 billion in proven crime-prevention strategies like community violence interruption.  We must not accept the false choice between public safety and public trust; they are two sides of the same coin. 

     At the National Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington, D.C., there is a quote engraved on the wall that reads, “It is not how these officers died that made them heroes, it is how they lived.”  Today, during this week, and year-round, we express our gratitude for the courageous women and men of our Nation’s law enforcement community.  We honor the memory of the members who made the ultimate sacrifice and pray for their families.  And we recommit ourselves to the sacred task of creating a safer and more just Nation for all Americans. 

     By a joint resolution approved October 1, 1962, as amended (76 Stat. 676), and by Public Law 103-322, as amended (36 U.S.C. 136-137), the President has been authorized and requested to designate May 15 of each year as “Peace Officers Memorial Day” and the week in which it falls as “Police Week.”

     NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 15, 2023, as Peace Officers Memorial Day and May 14 through May 20, 2023, as Police Week.  I call upon all Americans to observe these events with appropriate ceremonies and activities and salute our Nation’s brave law enforcement officers and remember their peace officer brothers and sisters who have given their last full measure of devotion in the line of duty.  I also call on the Governors of the United States and its Territories, and appropriate officials of all units of government, to direct that the flag be flown at half-staff on Peace Officers Memorial Day.  I further encourage all Americans to display the flag at half-staff from their homes and businesses on that day.

     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twelfth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-three, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-seventh.

White House.gov. 05/15/2023.

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About Tiff 2519 Articles
Member of the Free Press who is politically homeless and a political junkie.