President Biden’s public schedule for 06/16/2023:
| 11:00 AM Leaves White House | The President departs the White House en route to Joint Base Andrews South Grounds In-Town Travel Pool |
| 11:30 AM Leaves Joint Base Andrews | The President departs Joint Base Andrews en route to Windsor Locks, Connecticut Joint Base Andrews Out-of-Town Pool |
| 12:00 PM Press Gaggle | Principal Deputy Press Secretary Olivia Dalton Gaggle Aboard Air Force One en route to Windsor Locks, Connecticut |
| 12:40 PM Arrives in Windsor Locks, Connecticut | The President arrives in Windsor Locks, Connecticut Open Press |
| 2:05 PM Remarks | The President delivers remarks at the National Safer Communities Summit Open Press |
| 3:25 PM Leaves Windsor Locks, Connecticut | The President departs Windsor Locks, Connecticut en route to Greenwich, Connecticut Out-of-Town Pool |
| 4:05 PM Arrives in Greenwich, Connecticut | The President arrives in Greenwich, Connecticut Out-of-Town Pool |
| 5:15 PM Campaign Reception | The President participates in a campaign reception Restricted Out-of-Town Pool |
| 6:30 PM Leaves Greenwich, Connecticut | The President departs Greenwich, Connecticut en route to Joint Base Andrews Out-of-Town Pool |
| 7:35 PM Leaves Joint Base Andrews | The President departs Joint Base Andrews en route to the White House Joint Base AndrewsIn-Town Travel Pool |
| 7:55 PM Arrives at the White House | The President arrives at the White House South Grounds |
Press Gaggle Audio Only:
Gun Reform Tweet
From Thursday…
From Friday…
Last week the White House announced that President Biden would travel to Connecticut today to celebrate the upcoming one-year anniversary of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (06/25/2023) becoming law.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre shared more details of the trip via Twitter on Thursday:
The exchange between the Press Secretary and Dennis House with WTNH, the ABC station in Connecticut took place on 06/14/2023.
From the White House press briefing transcript:
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Hello!
Q Hi, Karine. I’m Dennis House with WTNH, the ABC station in Connecticut. And, as you mentioned, the President is coming here on Friday for Senator Murphy’s gun summit at the University of Hartford. And I’d like to know: Why is Connecticut so important to the President to make this argument for more gun control and more gun safety?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Okay. And yo- — Dennis House, right?
Q Yes, Dennis House.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Okay. Good to see you, Dennis. Thanks for — thanks for —
Q Nice to see you, and thanks for your time today.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Okay. So, look, we were talking about, earlier — moments ago — about the importance of the work that we need to continue to do, to talk about the work that we need to continue to see on protecting communities.
And so, the President believes that this is an in- — criti- — a critical trip, an important trip, as we see the anniversary — upcoming anniversary of the bipartisan Safer Community Act, which resulted in decades of work.We hadn’t seen bipartisan legislation on really dealing with gun violence in 30 years. And this is something that the President was able to do.
Let’s not forget the more than two dozen pieces of executive actions that he was taking.
So he’s going to highlight the progress at the state level and call for state legislators across the country and Congress to take additional action. That’s what you’re going to hear from the President.
Connecticut has been a leader on gun safety legislation in the decade following the tragedy, as you know, at Sandy Hook. And just over a week ago, the governor of Connecticut, Governor Lamont, signed a gun violence prevention bill, which contains more than a dozen measures to improve gun safety, including strengthening the state’s ban on assault weapons — on assault weapons and secure storage requirements.
So this is — the President believes it’s important to highlight the states that are actually doing the work and getting this done since we’re not seeing more action from Congress.
And so, this is going to be an important — important, we think, conversation, important opportunity for the President to highlight how we’re — what — in what ways that we can continue to — we can protect our communities, protect our schools, protect our grocery stores, protect our churches, as we’ve seen continuous gun violence in our streets.Q Well, we welcome him to our great state. And, Karine, thanks for your time. I appreciate it.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Thank you so much, Dennis. Have a good rest of your week.
Q You too.
White House.gov. 06/14/2023.
President Biden’s remarks are scheduled for 2:05 p.m. D.C., time.
DACA Anniversary Tweets
From Thursday…
Former President Barack Obama’s full tweet…
Show More =’s an immigration system that offers these Americans a permanent pathway to citizenship.
I shared President Biden’s full statement on the DACA Anniversary in Thursday’s Biden Bits.
Junk Fees Tweets
From Thursday…
Snip from the USA TODAY article:
Ticketmaster and mobile ticket vendor SeatGeek will no longer hide fees from total ticket costs amid pressure from President Joe Biden for companies to ditch so-called “junk fees.”
The moves come after Live Nation Entertainment, the parent company of Ticketmaster, faced criticism from the White House and Congress in January over ticket sales for pop star Taylor Swift’s tour that included exorbitant hidden fees and platform outages, preventing some fans from buying tickets.
Biden touted the steps taken by Live Nation, SeatGeek and other companies during White House remarks Thursday and also recognized ticket sellers like TickPick that already provide upfront pricing to customers with no hidden fees.
USA TODAY. 06/15/2023.
The YouTube is 5 minutes and 36 seconds long.
I shared in Thursday’s Biden Bits from the White House; President Biden Recognizes Actions by Private Sector Ticketing and Travel Companies to Eliminate Hidden Junk Fees and Provide Millions of Customers with Transparent Pricing in full.
Snip:
Today, the President is announcing actions by several companies in answer to that call. President Biden will be joined by representatives from Live Nation, SeatGeek, xBk, Airbnb, the Pablo Center at the Confluence, TickPick, DICE, and the Newport Festivals Foundation — companies large and small that currently provide all-in pricing or are announcing a new commitment to do so in the coming months.
In total, the companies that are making new commitments today will improve the purchasing experience for tens of millions of customers annually. These commitments are in response to the President’s call to action on junk fees in his State of the Union. For example, shortly after the State of the Union, Live Nation expressed interest to the Administration in announcing a commitment to offer all-in upfront pricing through its Ticketmaster platform. Today, Live Nation is committing to roll out an upfront all-in pricing experience in September showing just one clear, total price for more than 30 million fans who attend shows at the more than 200 Live Nation-owned venues and festivals across the country. Ticketmaster will also add a feature to give consumers the option to receive all-in upfront pricing for all other tickets sold on the platform.
White House.gov. 06/15/2023.
His full remarks on Protecting Consumers from Hidden Junk Fees:
Before I begin, I want to thank everyone involved in reaching a tentative agreement at our ports on the West Coast. This deal shows collective bargaining works.
When employers and workers come together to agree on a deal that works for both of them, it’s good for the economy and keeping our supply chain open.
A special thanks to Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su, who used to — her deep experience and judgment to keep parties talking throughout the negotiations. And this is going to have a real positive impact on trade.
She — she’s shown she’s a true leader, and I think she should be confirmed. She’s up — I think she’s up in the Senate today for a hearing — her confirmation hearing.
And I want to thank both sides for staying at the table and reaching a deal. And a special thanks to the longshore workers who worked historically through this pandemic, and it was really heroically as well. And — and we finally get — they’re going to get the pay, and the benefits, and the quality they deserve.
Now, to the purpose of our meeting today.
In my State of the Union Address, I outlined our fight against junk fees — to end junk fees: these hidden charges that companies sneak into your bill to make you pay more and without you really knowing it initially.
Junk fees are not a matter for the wealthy very much, but they’re a matter for working folks, like the homes I grew up in. And they can add hundreds of dollars a month and make it harder for families to pay their bills. I think it’s just wrong.
My administration has also taken a number of steps to crack down on junk fees by reducing overdrafts by $5.5 billion a year and bounced checks cost by another $2 billion a year. That’s real money.
And we’re seeking to require airlines to refund money and give you additional compensation, like cash or travel vouchers, if your flight is canceled or delayed.
These actions matter, and it’s inspiring companies to change their practices.
Today I’m pleased to announce there is even more progress. One of the major categories of junk fees are ones that companies charge right at the end of the purchasing process, after you’ve already spent the time comparing your options. The solution is — the — the solution is what is called “all-in pricing.” And that’s where companies fully disclose their fees upfront when you start shopping so you’re not surprised at the end when you check out.
The companies represented here today are voluntarily committing to all-in, upfront pricing. Some of them have used this process for years to sell tickets — events — like ticktock — TickPick — excuse me — DICE, and Newport Festival Foundation. Tens of millions of fans have already benefitted from their decision.
Others, like Airbnb, have started giving customers the option of seeing all-in prices since we called for action last year, and other businesses are committing today.
Starting in September, Live Nation will automatically list all the prices upfront for all tickets to events at more than 200 venues of its own, benefitting over 30 million customers. And it will give customers the option of an all-in price for all other tickets sold on its platform.
The ticket seller,
SeatGreek[SeatGeek], is also set to give customers the option of seeing all-in, upfront prices.And I’m pleased we’re also joined by x-pay [sic] — xBk, a small venue in Des Moines, Iowa, that’s going be using all upfront pricing for its hundred events at — a year as well.
Folks, we’re just at the latest private-sector — we — these are just the latest private-sector leaders who are responding to my call for action. And I’m asking their competitors to follow suit and adopt an all-in, upfront pricing as well.
This is — this a win for consumers, in my view, and proof that our crackdown on junk fees has real momentum. But there’s more to do to address the problem of online ticketing to prote- — to — excuse me — to address the problems in the online ticketing industry and to get [rid of] junk fees across all industries.
I want to thank members of Congress who are working on legislation to address these junk fees in ticketing, lodging, and other industries.
This is real transparency, which leads to more competition, brings down costs for working Americans, keeps growing our economy from the middle out and the bottom up, not the top down.
And I’m going to now turn it over to Lael, our director of my National Economic Council, to start our discussion.
So, thank you.
White House.gov. 06/15/2023.
The Q&A:
Q: Mr. President, can you tell us what you want Blinken to achieve in China, sir? What would you like Blinken to achieve in China, sir?
Yes, I’ve spoken with him. And — but we’ll talk about that later. That’s not what this is about.
White House.gov. 06/15/2023.
Q: And on the cyberattack today, sir — can you say anything about the cyberattack today for us?
No.
White House.gov. 06/15/2023.
Q: President Biden, why is (inaudible)? Why did the Ukraine and FBI informant file refer to you as the “Big Guy,” President Biden? Why is that term continuously applied?
Why do you ask such a dumb question?
White House.gov. 06/15/2023.
“Falmin’ Hot” Tweets
From Thursday…
The YouTube is 15 minutes and 4 seconds long. Remarks by the President and First Lady can be found here.
From Friday…
Semi-remark related:
And tonight’s film is a reminder of that essential truth: opportunity. It’s a cornerstone of our democracy and the American Dream. And as you’ll see in the film, that’s exactly what the Hispanic community embodies: opportunity and courage.
White House.gov. 06/15/2023.
Tentative Labor Agreement Tweet
From Thursday…
Show More =’s table and reaching a deal, and to the ILWU workers who worked tirelessly to get goods delivered during COVID. Unions help working people get the pay, benefits, and quality of life they deserve.
His full statement:
As I have always said, collective bargaining works, and I congratulate both parties at the ports for reaching an agreement. I want to thank Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su who used her deep experience and judgment to keep the parties talking, working with them to reach an agreement after a long and sometimes acrimonious negotiation. Above all I congratulate the port workers, who have served heroically through the pandemic and the countless challenges it brought, and will finally get the pay, benefits, and quality of life they deserve.
Julie Su has proven herself time and time again, both as Deputy Secretary working closely with Secretary Marty Walsh – and now as a leader who helped assure that our supply chains remain strong for America’s businesses, farmers, and working families.
White House.gov. 06/14/2023.
The Forgotten Tweet
From Wednesday…
His message to the Senate:
TO THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES:
I am returning herewith without my approval S.J. Res. 11, a resolution that would disapprove the rule entitled “Control of Air Pollution From New Motor Vehicles: Heavy-Duty Engine and Vehicle Standards.”
This rule amends the Environmental Protection Agency’s heavy-duty emissions control program — including its standards, test procedures, and other requirements — to further reduce the air quality impacts of heavy-duty engines. The rule cuts pollution, boosts public health, and advances environmental justice in communities across the country. It will prevent hundreds, if not thousands, of premature deaths; thousands of childhood asthma cases; and millions of missed school days every year.
The resolution would deny communities these health benefits by resulting in weaker emissions standards for heavy-duty vehicles and engines, which are significant sources of pollutants that threaten public health. If enacted, the resolution would squander $36 billion in benefits to society — and an opportunity to lead on the defining crisis of our time.
Therefore, I am vetoing this resolution.
White House.gov. 06/14/2023.
Summary:
This joint resolution nullifies the Environmental Protection Agency rule relating to Control of Air Pollution From New Motor Vehicles: Heavy-Duty Engine and Vehicle Standards (88 Fed. Reg. 4296) and published on January 24, 2023. The rule modifies emission standards to reduce air pollution, including ozone and particulate matter, from heavy-duty engines and vehicles.
Congress.gov.
Actions:
| 06/07/2023 | Presented to President. |
| 05/23/2023 | Passed/agreed to in House: On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 221 – 203 (Roll no. 232).(text: CR H2523) |
| 04/26/2023 | Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate without amendment by Yea-Nay Vote. 50 – 49. Record Vote Number: 98.(consideration: CR S1360, S1363-1365; text: CR S1365) |
| 04/26/2023 | Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works discharged by Unanimous Consent. |
| 02/09/2023 | Introduced in Senate |
This is an Open Thread.
Have a nice weekend, everyone!
