It’s Thursday…
President Biden’s public schedule for 04/11/2024:
| 10:00 AM Presidential Daily Brief | The President receives the President’s Daily Brief Closed Press |
| 1:30 PM Press Briefing | Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre James S. Brady Press Briefing Room |
| 3:15 PM Bilateral Meeting | The President meets with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. of the Republic of the Philippines Closed Press |
| 4:15 PM Trilateral Meeting | The President holds a trilateral meeting with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. of the Republic of the Philippines and Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan; The Vice President attends East Room In-House Pool Spray |
Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre @1:30 p.m. D.C., time:
State Visit Tweets
From Wednesday…
Tune in as I hold a joint press conference with Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan. https://t.co/K9TPlzeAoc
— President Biden (@POTUS) April 10, 2024
Remarks by President Biden and Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan in Joint Press Conference; the YouTube is 30 minutes and 42 seconds long.
It’s spring in Washington.
— President Biden (@POTUS) April 10, 2024
That means the cherry blossoms are in bloom across the city thanks to a gift from Japan of 3,000 cherry trees over a century ago.
Like these trees, the friendship between the United States and Japan is timeless, inspiring, and thriving. pic.twitter.com/QPb9pgnP8t
Remarks by President Biden and Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan at Arrival Ceremony; the YouTube is 33 minutes and 30 seconds long.
Let me end with this. It’s spring in Washington. The sun is shining. And every spring, cherry blossoms bloom across the city thanks to a gift from Japan of 3,000 cherry trees over a century ago. People travel all over our country and the world to see these magni- — these magnificent blossoms.
Last night, the Prime Minister and Mrs. Kishida, Jill and I, took a stroll down the driveway across the lawn here at the White House to visit three cherry blossom trees. One that Jill and Mrs. Kishida planted together a year ago. The other two are among the 250 new trees that Japan has given the United States to honor our 250th birthday two years from now. They’ll be planted at the Tidal Basin, not far from the Martin Luther King Memorial. And like our friendship, these trees are timeless, inspiring, and thriving.
Remarks by President Biden and Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan at Arrival Ceremony. 04/10/2024.
The alliance between Japan and the United States is a cornerstone of peace, security, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and around the world.
— President Biden (@POTUS) April 10, 2024
Ours is truly a global partnership.
For that, Mr. Prime Minister Kishida, I thank you. pic.twitter.com/tP3JwKRz3V
The video clip is 11 seconds long.
There is no sounds, it just shows them walking side by side.
The tweet text comes from; United States-Japan Joint Leaders’ Statement
Today, the United States' and Japan's economic relationship is one of the strongest and deepest in the world.
— President Biden (@POTUS) April 10, 2024
Our democracies are beacons of freedom.
And the ties of friendship and family between the Japanese and American people bring meaning to millions. pic.twitter.com/XHSNTFSYMm
Together, Prime Minister Kishida and I have strengthened this Alliance and expanded our work.
— President Biden (@POTUS) April 11, 2024
We have raised our shared ambitions.
And now, the U.S.-Japan Alliance is a beacon to the entire world.
There’s no limit to what our countries and our people can do together. pic.twitter.com/spbFvBSKam
Remarks by President Biden and Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan in Joint Press Conference; the YouTube is 30 minutes and 42 seconds long.
Mr. Prime Minister, through our partnership, we have strengthened this alliance. We have expanded our work together. We have raised our shared ambitions. And now, the U.S.-Japan alliance is a beacon to the entire world.
There’s no limit to what our countries can and our people can do together.
Remarks by President Biden and Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan in Joint Press Conference. 04/10/2024.
From the White House…
04/10/2024:
- Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by First Lady Jill Biden at a Spousal Program Event with Mrs. Kishida Yuko as part of the Official Visit with Japan; the YouTube is 20 minutes and 16 seconds long.
04/11/2024:
From the White House YouTube…
04/11/2024:
Vice President Harris and Secretary Blinken Hosts a Luncheon in Honor of Prime Minister Kishida @12:40 p.m. D.C., time:
CPI Tweet
From Wednesday…
Today’s data shows inflation has fallen over 60% from its peak, but we have more to do to lower costs.
— President Biden (@POTUS) April 10, 2024
My plan would lower the cost of housing by building and renovating 2 million homes, and I’m calling on corporations with record profits to pass their savings to consumers.
Statement from President Joe Biden on the March Consumer Price Index:
Today’s report shows inflation has fallen more than 60% from its peak, but we have more to do to lower costs for hardworking families. Prices are still too high for housing and groceries, even as prices for key household items like milk and eggs are lower than a year ago. I have a plan to lower costs for housing—by building and renovating more than 2 million homes—and I’m calling on corporations including grocery retailers to use record profits to reduce prices.
Fighting inflation remains my top economic priority. We’re making progress: wages are rising faster than prices, incomes are higher than before the pandemic, and unemployment has remained below 4% for the longest stretch in 50 years. But we have more to do: my agenda is lowering costs for prescription drugs, health care, student debt, and hidden junk fees. Rather than proposing solutions for hardworking families, Congressional Republicans want to slash taxes for billionaires and big corporations, while helping special interests and Big Pharma raise prices. I won’t let them.
Statement from President Joe Biden on the March Consumer Price Index. 04/10/2024.
BLS.gov said:
The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.4 percent in March on a seasonally adjusted basis, the same increase as in February, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 3.5 percent before seasonal adjustment.
[snip]
Not seasonally adjusted CPI measures
The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 3.5 percent over the last 12 months to an index level of 312.332 (1982-84=100). For the month, the index increased 0.6 percent prior to seasonal adjustment.
The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) increased 3.5 percent over the last 12 months to an index level of 306.502 (1982-84=100). For the month, the index increased 0.7 percent prior to seasonal adjustment.
The Chained Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (C-CPI-U) increased 3.4 percent over the last 12 months. For the month, the index increased 0.7 percent on a not seasonally adjusted basis. Please note that the indexes for the past 10 to 12 months are subject to revision.
BLS.gov. 04/10/2024.
Not doing a full CPI thread today, but seems notable that the rent-OER gap has persisted for three months now. Still unclear if that's the result of random noise, a methodological quirk, or something more fundamental in the housing market. https://t.co/5XEeZH03KB pic.twitter.com/69A0eu0f7t
— Ben Casselman (@bencasselman) April 10, 2024
Of course, shelter is not the only problem here. "Core services ex-shelter" has really picked up lately. pic.twitter.com/k6Ei2x7rL2
— Ben Casselman (@bencasselman) April 10, 2024
Note: Reminder that the CPI makes a lot of noise because it’s the inflation markers used by the Fed to determine if they will cut interest rates. It’s unlikely given the hotter than wanted jobs market and the higher than wanted inflation that we see rate cuts anytime soon.
Big Internet Providers Tweet
From Wednesday…
When we want to know what's in our food, we read the label.
— President Biden (@POTUS) April 10, 2024
What if every good and service had that level of transparency?
Starting today, my Administration is requiring big internet providers to display labels that include prices, fees, speeds, and other critical information.
From the FCC…
PFAS Chemicals Tweet
From Wednesday…
PFAS are chemicals found in our water, soil, air, and food.
— President Biden (@POTUS) April 10, 2024
They're dangerous, and my Administration is addressing them.
The @EPA is issuing the first-ever national standard to address PFAS and delivering $1 billion from my agenda to help states detect and treat this pollutant.
From the White House…
04/10/2024:
EPA Announces First-Ever National Standard to Address PFAS in Drinking Water, Delivers an Additional $1 Billion through President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda to Combat PFAS Pollution
President Biden believes every community has the right to clean, safe drinking water, free of pollutants that harm people’s health and wellbeing. That is why the President launched a comprehensive action plan and provided billions in funding to protect communities from toxic “forever chemicals” that are linked to a range of severe health problems, including cancers, liver and heart damage, and developmental impacts in children. Found in drinking water, soil, air, and our food supply, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) persist in the environment for long periods of time, posing a serious health threat across rural, suburban, and urban areas.
Today the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing the first-ever national legally enforceable drinking water standard for PFAS, which will protect 100 million people from PFAS exposure, prevent tens of thousands of serious illnesses, and save lives. This action complements the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to combatting PFAS pollution and delivering clean water.
President Biden has secured historic levels of funding to meet this new standard. Today, the Biden-Harris Administration is also announcing an additional $1 billion through President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to help every state and territory fund PFAS detection and treatment systems to meet the new standard. This funding is part of the $9 billion in dedicated funding through the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to address PFAS and other emerging contaminants in drinking water – the largest-ever investment in tackling PFAS pollution. An additional $12 billion in funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law supports general drinking water investments, including PFAS treatment. The investments are part of the Justice40 Initiative, which aims to ensure that 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities.
These actions will help tackle PFAS pollution that has devastated communities like Oakdale, outside of St. Paul, Minnesota, where decades of PFAS-containing waste dumped by a chemical plant has contaminated the community’s drinking water. In this area, cancer was found to be a far more likely cause of death in children than in neighboring areas. The funding announced today will build on funding from the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that is already helping communities address PFAS contamination, including a $33 million award for Tucson, Arizona to treat its PFAS-contaminated drinking water wells.
This funding also builds on President Biden’s action plan to address PFAS pollution, safeguard public health, and advance environmental justice – all while advancing the Biden Cancer Moonshot goal of cutting the cancer death rate by at least half by 2047 and preventing cancer before it starts by protecting communities from known risks associated with PFAS exposure.
As the first-ever Safe Drinking Water Act standard for PFAS – and the first for any new contaminants since 1996 – this rule sets health safeguards and will require public water systems to monitor and reduce the levels of PFAS in our nation’s drinking water, and notify the public of any exceedances of those levels. The rule sets drinking water limits for five individual PFAS, including the most frequently found PFOA and PFOS. Because PFAS can often be found together in mixtures, EPA is also setting a limit for any combination of four PFAS, including GenX Chemicals. This standard will reduce PFAS exposure in our drinking water to the lowest levels that are feasible for effective nationwide implementation.
Today’s announcements advance President Biden’s broader commitment to deliver clean water for every American. The President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law invests over $50 billion to upgrade water infrastructure – the largest investment in clean water in American history. This includes a historic $15 billion to replace toxic lead pipes and protect children from brain damage, as part of President Biden’s goal of replacing every lead pipe in the country within a decade.
Recent Federal Actions to Protect Communities from PFAS
Under President Biden’s leadership, nearly two dozen federal agencies and offices have made systematic and substantive progress to safeguard public health and protect the environment from PFAS in drinking water and beyond. This work is coordinated by the White House Council on Environmental Quality, which leads the Interagency Policy Committee on PFAS. Other new actions the Biden-Harris Administration has advanced to combat PFAS pollution over the past year include:
Protecting Firefighters from PFAS: The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to protecting firefighters from the harmful effects of PFAS contained in fire suppressing agents and firefighter gear. The Department of Defense is offering PFAS blood tests to military firefighters. The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s U.S. Fire Administration is working to reduce PFAS exposure and promoting access to early cancer screenings and participation in the National Firefighter Registry for Cancer led by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health as part of President Biden’s mission to end cancer as we know it.
Reducing PFAS in Fire Suppressants: The Department of Defense (DoD) qualified three fluorine-free foams to replace fluorinated Aqueous Film Forming Foam for shore-based firefighting activities at military installations, which the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has authorized for civilian airports. The FAA is assisting airports to transition to these new foams, and funding foam testing systems for airports that prevent environmental discharge. These changes will reduce the release of PFAS in the environment and protect the health of firefighters and local communities.
Supporting Healthcare Providers: The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently released the PFAS: Information for Clinicians resource guide. This information gives clinicians up-to-date resources and information they need to help patients with questions and concerns about PFAS exposure and health effects.
Phasing Out PFAS in Food Packaging: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the completion of the voluntary market phase-out of PFAS used on paper and paperboard food packaging, eliminating the primary source of dietary exposure to PFAS. FDA can now also test for 30 PFAS in a variety of foods to further protect people from dietary PFAS exposure.
Testing for and Cleaning Up PFAS Pollution: EPA continues to take key actions to address PFAS. For example, EPA is gathering data on 29 PFAS in the nation’s drinking water systems has collaborated with DoD to develop a method to test for 40 PFAS in various media including biosolids, groundwater, and fish tissue. EPA also updated its interim PFAS disposal and destruction guidance and has released a new method to test for 30 volatile fluorine-containing compounds in air including potential products of incomplete combustion of PFAS. DoD recently identified 40 installations where interim cleanup actions to prevent further PFAS migration are underway or will start in FY2024. These actions will address PFAS in groundwater to protect public health and the environment.
Reducing PFAS in Federal Procurement: EPA and the U.S. General Services Administration announced this week that custodial contracts for federal buildings will now only use cleaning products certified to ecolabels such as EPA’s Safer Choice and certain Green Seal standards, thereby avoiding products that contain intentionally added PFAS. This shift will protect the environment, federal custodial workers, other federal employees, and those visiting government buildings.
FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Takes Critical Action to Protect Communities from PFAS Pollution in Drinking Water. 04/10/2024.
From the EPA…
04/10/2024:
Bipartisan Safer Communities Tweet
From Thursday…
Licensed gun dealers in America must run background checks on their customers.⁰
— President Biden (@POTUS) April 11, 2024
But not every gun dealer who ought to be licensed is licensed.
Today, my Administration is clarifying when folks must get their license and run background checks, and ensuring that gun show and… pic.twitter.com/Wga2qazFFM
Show more =’s Today, my Administration is clarifying when folks must get their license and run background checks, and ensuring that gun show and online sale loopholes no longer exist. We’re keeping guns out of the hands of abusers and felons.
From the White House…
04/11/2024:
The video clip is 34 seconds long..
I’ve spent hours with families who’ve lost loved ones to gun violence. They all have the same message: ‘Do something.’ Today, my Administration is taking action to make sure fewer guns are sold without background checks. This is going to keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers and felons. And my Administration is going to continue to do everything we possibly can to save lives. Congress needs to finish the job and pass universal background checks legislation now.
FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Announces New Action to Implement Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, Expanding Firearm Background Checks to Fight Gun Crime. 04/11/2024.
“New” from the White House…
04/10/2024:
This is an Open Thread.
