President Biden’s public schedule for 08/11/2023:
| 10:00 AM Presidential Daily Brief | The President receives the Presidential Daily Briefing Closed Press |
| 12:00 PM | Out-of-Town Pool Call Time Out-of-Town Pool |
| 6:10 PM Leaves the White House | The President departs the White House en route to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware South Lawn Open Press |
| 7:05 PM Arrives Rehoboth Beach, Delaware | The President arrives in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware Out-of-Town Pool |
Anniversary of the PACT Act Tweets
From Thursday…
The YouTube video is 25 minutes and 46 seconds long. His full remarks can be found here.
It was part of my Unity Agenda, as I called it, when I did my first State of the Union — last State of the Union to try to bring the country together on things I thought we all could agree on.
[snip]
Look, I delivered that speech in March of last year. And a few months later in August, with veterans groups making the case and never giving up, the bipartisan PACT Act was on my desk to sign into law.
And don’t tell me we can’t get things done when we work together. Democrats and Republicans worked together to get that done.
[snip]
And here’s what the law does: It empowers the Veterans Administration, the VA, to move quicker to determine if a veteran qualifies for the benefits of the law — benefits like monthly disability compensation and regular toxic exposure screenings.
[snip]
And for families who have suffered the ultimate loss, it means potential access to life insurance, tuition benefits for their surviving family members, home loan assistance, and monthly stipends — which cannot replace one bread- — one of the breadwinners in their home, but it sure in hell can help.
[snip]
I’m urging veterans from these decades of war in Vietnam, and Iraq, Afghanistan to enroll in the VA healthcare, to get screened for toxic exposure, and to promptly file your claim.
And for those watching this home — at home, visit VA.gov/PACT — P-A-C-T. VA.gov — I want to say it again — VA.gov/PACT.
White House.gov. 08/10/2023.
His first State of the Union remarks:
The VA — the VA is pioneering new ways of linking toxic exposures to disease, already helping more veterans get benefits. And tonight, I’m announcing we’re expanding eligibility to veterans suffering from nine respiratory cancers.
I’m also calling on Congress to pass a law to make sure veterans devastated by toxic exposure in Iraq and Afghanistan finally get the benefits and the comprehensive healthcare they deserve. (Applause.)
White House.gov. 03/02/2022.
VA.Gov./PACT says:
“Bidenomics” Tweet
From Thursday…
The video clip is 22 seconds long.
President Biden: Right here, Arocsa is opening a new facility–they’re building these towers for wind. They’ve attracted over a billion dollars in investment. And it’s happening all over the country. Millions of people are going to be engaged in the kind of work they’re doing all across the spectrum. We’re finally investing in America instead of sending jobs overseas.
From Friday…
From the White House:
Understanding the Economics of Investing in America: A Collection of Resources (Blog post).
American Rescue Plan.
Bipartisan Infrastructure Act.
Inflation Reduction Act.
CHIPS and Science Act.
Wildfire Tweet
From Thursday…
The video clip is 1 minute and 5 seconds long.
Prior to his remarks to mark the 1 year anniversary of the passage of the PACT Act, President Biden offered a short statement on the devastating wildfires impacting Hawaii.
And look, before I begin, I want to say a word about the devastating wildfires that have claimed at least 36 lives in Maui, in Hawaii. I — we have just approved a major disaster declaration of — for Hawaii, which will get aid into the hands of the people desperate — desperately needing help now. They’ve lost — anyone who’s lost a loved one, whose home has been damaged or destroyed is going to get help immediately.
And I’ve directed that we surge support to these brave firefighters and first responders and emergency personnel working around the clock. They’re risking their lives.
I just got off the phone, before I got here, for a long conversation with Governor Josh Green this morning and let him know I’m going to make sure the state has everything it needs from the federal government to recover.
The FEMA Administrator
Griswell[Criswell] will be in Miami tomorrow — in Maui tomorrow. And I’ve directed her to streamline any process which — which requests for help and survivors registered for immediate federal assistance without delay.FEMA is surging disaster assistance personnel on the island, and they’re going to help survivors get access to federal assistance.
And — and, you know, anybody who wants to know out there where to go — if this is televised — that they can go to DisasterAssistance.gov. DisasterAssistance — got — .gov to learn if you’re eligible for assistance.
And I’ve ordered all available federal assets on the island, including the U.S. Coast Guard and the Navy Third Fleet and the U.S. Army, to assist local emergency response crews from the — along with the Hawaiian National Guard. We’re working as quickly as possible to fight these fires and evacuate residents and tourists.
In the meantime, our prayers are with the people of Hawaii, but not just our prayers — every asset we have will be available to them. And we’ve seen — they’ve seen their home, their business destroyed, and some have lost loved ones. And it’s not over yet.
White House.gov. 08/10/2023.
Officials have updated the death toll to 55 people according to Reuters. The death toll is likely to rise as search and rescue enter more areas they’ve been unable to reach due to the on-going fires.
Conservation Tweet
From Friday
The video clip is 45 seconds long.
We’re protecting this magnificent piece of property, the Grand Canyon. And I set aside almost 1 million acres surrounding it to be assured that it could never be encroached upon. We’re going to make sure that in the United States of America, we have one third of all the land and all our sea in conservation–one third. And we’re on our way to getting that done. It really makes a big difference. We owe it to our progeny. We owe it to the continent. We owe it to the people of this country.
At the 36 second mark of the video it shows President Biden signing the Proclamation on Establishment of the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni-Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument with the President saying “It’s official.”
From the White House:
For those interested in learning more about the 917,000 acres check out 12 News.com. One thing they noted toward the end of their explainer; At this time, the government has not disclosed the acreage and borders of the monument should the designation go through. Maps have been provided by advocates for the proposal.
This is an Open Thread.
