It’s Thursday…
President Biden’s public schedule for 04/18/2024:
| 9:00 AM | In-Town Pool Call Time In-Town Pool |
| 9:30 AM | Out-of-Town Pool Call Time Joint Base Andrews Overhang Out-of-Town Pool |
| 10:15 AM Left the White House | The President departs the White House en route to Joint Base Andrews South Lawn Open Press |
| 10:35 AM Left Joint Base Andrews | The President departs Joint Base Andrews en route to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Joint Base Andrews Out-of-Town Pool |
| 10:45 AM | Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre Gaggle Aboard Air Force One En Route to Philadelphia, PA |
| 11:20 AM Arrived in Philadelphia | The President arrives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia International Airport Open Press |
| 12:45 PM Campaign Event | The President participates in a campaign event Open Press |
| 1:45 PM Campaign Event | The President participates in a campaign event Out-of-Town Pool |
| 3:50 PM Leaves Phiadelphia | The President departs Philadelphia, Pennsylvania en route to Joint Base Andrews Philadelphia International Airport Out-of-Town Pool |
| 4:45 PM Leaves Joint Base Andrews | The President departs Joint Base Andrews en route to the White House Joint Base Andrews Out-of-Town Pool |
| 4:55 PM Arrives at the White House | The President arrives at the White House South Lawn |
Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre Gaggle Aboard Air Force One En Route to Philadelphia, PA @10:45 a.m. D.C., time (replay):
Humanitarian Aid Tweet
From Wednesday…
In the 12 days following my call with Prime Minister Netanyahu, 3,000 trucks with food and supplies moved into Gaza – a daily increase of over 50% from the week prior.
— President Biden (@POTUS) April 17, 2024
It's still not enough.
We continue to urge Israel to ramp up land, air, and sea deliveries for Gaza civilians.
This morning WSJ tweeted:
More aid has been entering Gaza through the south of the enclave and a newly opened crossing in the north, but relief workers say this still isn’t enough to avert a looming famine https://t.co/BvpYg99WVB https://t.co/BvpYg99WVB
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) April 18, 2024
It’s paywalled for me…
i24 news reported on Tuesday; Israel’s Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) disclosed its latest efforts to enable increased humanitarian aid into Gaza, as well as repairs on water infrastructure within the enclave. Over the past two days alone, COGAT said 553 aid trucks passed through the two Israeli crossings Kerem Shalom and Nitzana, as well as 56 food packages being airdropped into Gaza on Monday.
They went on to say; In addition to the two regular direct routes from Israel, the Israeli military enabled the entry of trucks from a newly opened “Northern Crossing” and coordinated the arrival of 126 trucks traveling from the south toward north Gaza. As for infrastructure within Gaza, a water pipeline to the Khan Yunis area was being repaired and was expected to reopened in the coming days.
American Steel Tweets
From Wednesday…
Join me in Pittsburgh as I deliver remarks at the United Steelworkers Headquarters. https://t.co/4NdnP4BPIN
— President Biden (@POTUS) April 17, 2024
Remarks by President Biden on New Actions to Protect U.S. Steel and Shipbuilding Industry from China’s Unfair Practices | Pittsburgh, PA; the YouTube is 24 minutes and 54 seconds long.
Folks, it was almost exactly five years ago right here in Pittsburgh that I told the nation I was running to restore the backbone of America – the middle class.
— President Biden (@POTUS) April 17, 2024
And the backbone of America has a steel spine. pic.twitter.com/5GCp1C6TwD
Look, folks, it was — I was — almost exactly five years ago that I began my campaign for president right here in Pittsburgh, where I announced.
I said one of the reasons I was running was to rebuild the backbone of America, the middle class. And it was already mentioned — it’s been mentioned a thousand times, thankfully, since then — that the backbone of America has a steel spine. It really does have a steel spine.
Remarks by President Biden on New Actions to Protect U.S. Steel and Shipbuilding Industry from China’s Unfair Practices. 04/17/2024.
U.S. Steel has been an iconic American company for more than a century.
— President Biden (@POTUS) April 18, 2024
It should remain an American company.
American-owned and American-operated by American union steelworkers – the best in the world.
Look, first, U.S. Steel has been an iconic American company for more than a century. And it should remain a totally American company — (applause) — American owned, American operated, by American union steelworkers — the best in the world. And it’s — that’s going to happen. I promise you. (Applause.)
Remarks by President Biden on New Actions to Protect U.S. Steel and Shipbuilding Industry from China’s Unfair Practices. 04/17/2024.
I want competition with China – not conflict.
— President Biden (@POTUS) April 18, 2024
And on my watch, we’re in a stronger position to win the economic competition against China or anyone else with American workers leading the way.
The bottom line is that I want fair competition with China, not conflict, and we’re in a stronger position to win the economic competition of the 21st century against China or anyone else because we’re investing in America and American workers again, finally. (Applause.)
Remarks by President Biden on New Actions to Protect U.S. Steel and Shipbuilding Industry from China’s Unfair Practices. 04/17/2024.
From the White House…
04/17/2024:
National Security Package Tweet
From Wednesday…
I strongly support the national security package in the House of Representatives that supports Israel and Ukraine, provides humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza, and bolsters security and stability in the Indo-Pacific.
— President Biden (@POTUS) April 17, 2024
The House must pass the package this week and the Senate…
Show more =’s The House must pass the package this week and the Senate should quickly follow. I will sign this into law immediately to send a message to the world: We stand with our friends, and we won’t let Iran or Russia succeed.
From the White House…
04/17/2024:
Statement from President Joe Biden on the House’s National Security Supplemental:
I strongly support this package to get critical support to Israel and Ukraine, provide desperately needed humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza, and bolster security and stability in the Indo-Pacific. Israel is facing unprecedented attacks from Iran, and Ukraine is facing continued bombardment from Russia that has intensified dramatically in the last month.
The House must pass the package this week and the Senate should quickly follow. I will sign this into law immediately to send a message to the world: We stand with our friends, and we won’t let Iran or Russia succeed.
Statement from President Joe Biden on the House’s National Security Supplemental. 04/17/2024.
Yesterday, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson offered strong words supporting aid to Ukraine
.@SpeakerJohnson (R-LA): "My philosophy is you do the right thing and you let the chips fall where they may. If I operated out of fear of a motion to vacate, I would never be able to do my job." pic.twitter.com/YfJYu0Nyln
— CSPAN (@cspan) April 17, 2024
This morning Jake Sherman with Punchbowl posted Speaker Johnson’s words–mostly; the last few words of Johnson’s remarks are cut off:
I was struck by this quote from @SpeakerJohnson yesterday. Until yesterday, he had yet to make a case for Ukraine aid. And then he unfurled this. pic.twitter.com/PMnfMn2NC3
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) April 18, 2024
Also this morning…
TOP in @PunchbowlNews AM: Top GOP House leaders are discussing using the debate over the $95 billion foreign aid package to make it harder to oust @SpeakerJohnson. @JakeSherman, @bresreports, @maxpcohen, @AndrewDesiderio & @MicaSoellnerDC with the latest: https://t.co/bczZXuRePB
— Punchbowl News (@PunchbowlNews) April 18, 2024
From Punchbowl News AM:
Top House Republican leaders and aides are privately discussing using the debate over the $95 billion foreign aid package to make it harder to oust Speaker Mike Johnson. This comes as Johnson faces another uprising from his right.
Right now, any member can file a motion to vacate the chair, which triggers a potential snap referendum on the speaker. This was how hardliners ousted former Speaker Kevin McCarthy in October. And Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) has filed such a motion against Johnson, although she hasn’t sought a vote yet.
With Johnson getting hefty opposition from the House Freedom Caucus and other conservatives over the foreign aid package, the GOP leadership is discussing embedding language in the rule for debating the legislation that would raise the threshold needed to file motions to vacate. Under former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, only the party leaders could file such motions. McCarthy agreed to lower it to one member back in January 2023, which ultimately cost him his job.
Johnson hasn’t made a decision whether he’ll pursue this change, we’re told. But he’s getting pressed by scores of members to raise the threshold now.
PunchBowl.news. 04/18/2024.
Jake Sherman also shared a link to each bill…
AID BILLS
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) April 17, 2024
ISRAEL https://t.co/e9kMWU3CTc
UKRAINE https://t.co/jKny0IwRma
INDO PACIFIC https://t.co/xMzdhRC7sS
FYI: I’m not sure if it’s me or Twitter, but an error page comes up when I follow links this AM–just click retry and the page loads…
Remembrance Tweet
From Wednesday…
Bob Graham was a friend whose decades of service – from working to heal our nation after 9/11 to cosponsoring the Violence Against Women Act – made Florida and America safer and stronger places.
— President Biden (@POTUS) April 17, 2024
My heart is with his family and the people of Florida whom Bob served so well.
From the White House…
04/17/2024:
Bob Graham was a colleague, friend, and devoted Floridian whose nearly 50 years of service to his beloved home state and to our country have made America a safer and stronger nation.
Bob chose a life of service, working his way up from state legislator, to governor, senator, and presidential candidate. He and I served together in the U.S. Senate, as respective chairs of the Intelligence and Foreign Relations committees in the wake of 9/11, working to heal a shattered nation and to protect America in a changing world. Bob stood on principle against the Iraq War. He cosponsored my landmark Violence Against Women Act, transforming the way our nation responds to domestic abuse and sexual assault. He was committed to education and to the environment, continuing work that he’d begun as governor to support public schools and universities, and to protect the water supply, wetlands, and wildlife of Florida’s iconic Everglades. He was full of humor and humanity, and I’m grateful for the support that he gave me over the years.
Bob loved people, and he knew that politics at its core is about learning from and serving others. That’s why he spent more than 400 “workdays” on the job with constituents, doing everything from picking tomatoes, to handling baggage, to patrolling the streets with police. He knew it matters to walk a mile in other folks’ shoes. In recent years, he sought to instill that same ethic and empathy in a new generation of public servants through his center in Gainesville, and by working to require civics classes in public schools. He inspired his own daughter, Gwen, to serve in Congress as well; and I’m proud to have her in my Administration today, as an Assistant Secretary of Education. Bob was so proud, too.
Our hearts today are with Bob’s beloved wife of 65 years, Adele; with their four daughters, Gwen, Cissy, Suzanne, and Kendall; with their grandchildren and friends; and with the people of Florida, whom Bob served so well in so many ways for so long.
Statement from President Joe Biden on the Passing of Former U.S. Senator and Florida Governor Bob Graham. 04/17/2024.
Bob Graham’s family posted a statement on Tuesday:
— Gwen Graham (@GwenGraham) April 17, 2024
He was 87 years old.
Presidential Budget Tweet
From Wednesday…
For working families with small children, my budget guarantees affordable, quality child care.
— President Biden (@POTUS) April 17, 2024
Most families will pay less than $10 a day per child, saving millions of folks as much as $7,000 a year.
That’s a lot of breathing room for young families who need it most.
From the White House…
03/11/2024:
Student Debt Tweet
From Thursday…
We’re proposing a new rule to cancel the student debt of Americans facing financial hardships – from child care to health care – that prevent them from paying back their loans.
— President Biden (@POTUS) April 18, 2024
From the White House…
04/08/2024:
“New” from the White House…
04/17/2024:
04/18/2024:
- Readout of Homeland Security Advisor Dr. Liz Sherwood-Randall and Senior Advisor for Energy and Investment Amos Hochstein’s Trip to Mexico; the trip to Mexico was on 04/16/2024
This is an open thread
