Biden Bits: “May the 4th Be With You”…

May 6, 2024 12:00 pm EDT Tiff TNB Night Owl (Open thread) Comments Off on Biden Bits: “May the 4th Be With You”…
Biden Tweets Logo. Image by Lenny Ghoul.

It’s Monday…

President Biden’s public schedule for 05/06/2024:

8:25 AMOut-of-Town Pool Call TimeBiden Residence, Wilmington, DEl
9:00 AMThe President receives the President’s Daily Brief
10:05 AMThe President departs Wilmington, Delaware en route to Joint Base Andrews New Castle National Guard Base
10:50 AMThe President departs Joint Base Andrews en route to the White House Joint Base Andrews
11:00 AMThe President arrives at the White House
12:00 PM
Remarks		The President presents the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy to the United States Military Academy Army Black Knights at the White House
1:00 PM
Lunch/Closed Press		The President has lunch with King Abdullah II of JordanPrivate Dining Room
1:30 PM
Press Briefing		Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-PierreJames S. Brady
5:15 PM
Remarks		The President and The First Lady host a Cinco de Mayo reception at the White House

President Biden Presents the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy @Noon D.C., time:

Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre @1:30 p.m. D.C., time:


Dreamers Can Enroll in ACA Tweet

From Friday…

From the White House…

05/03/2024:

Statement from President Joe Biden on Final Rule to Expand Health Coverage for DACA Recipients

Today, my Administration is expanding affordable, quality health care coverage to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients. Dreamers are our loved ones, our nurses, teachers, and small business owners. And they deserve the promise of health care just like all of us.
 
Nearly twelve years ago, President Obama and I announced the DACA program to allow our young people to live and work in the only country they’ve called home. Since then, DACA has provided more than 800,000 Dreamers with the ability to work lawfully, pursue an education, and contribute their immense talents to make our communities better and stronger.
 
I’m proud of the contributions of Dreamers to our country and committed to providing Dreamers the support they need to succeed. That’s why I’ve previously directed the Department of Homeland Security to take all appropriate actions to “preserve and fortify” DACA. And that’s why today we are taking this historic step to ensure that DACA recipients have the same access to health care through the Affordable Care Act as their neighbors.
 
On Day One of my administration, I sent a comprehensive immigration reform plan to Congress to protect Dreamers and their families. Only Congress can provide Dreamers permanent status and a pathway to citizenship. Congress must act.

Statement from President Joe Biden on Final Rule to Expand Health Coverage for DACA Recipients. 05/03/2024.

Fact Sheet: Biden-⁠Harris Administration Expands Health Coverage to DACA Recipients

President Biden Announces Final Rule that will Allow Eligible DACA Recipients to Enroll in Affordable Care Act Coverage

Today, the Biden-Harris Administration is expanding access to affordable, quality health care coverage to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients.  In 2012, President Obama and then Vice President Biden created the DACA policy to transform the lives of eligible Dreamers – young people who came to this country as children—allowing them to live and work lawfully in our country.  Over the last decade, DACA has brought stability, possibility, and progress to hundreds of thousands of Dreamers. 
 
While President Biden continues to call on Congress to provide a pathway to citizenship to Dreamers and others, he is committed to protecting and preserving DACA and providing Dreamers with the opportunities and support they need to succeed, including access to affordable, quality health care coverage.  Thanks to the Biden-Harris Administration’s actions, today’s final rule will remove the prohibition on DACA recipients’ eligibility for Affordable Care Act coverage for the first time, and is projected to help more than 100,000 young people gain health insurance.  Starting in November, DACA recipients can apply for coverage through HealthCare.gov and state-based marketplaces, where they may qualify for financial assistance to help them purchase quality health insurance. Four out of five consumers have found a plan for less than $10 a month, with millions saving an average of about $800 a year on their premiums.
 
President Biden and Vice President Harris believe that health care should be a right, not a privilege. Together, they promised to protect and strengthen the Affordable Care Act, lowering costs and expanding coverage so that every American has the peace of mind that health insurance brings.  Today’s final rule delivers on the President’s commitment by giving DACA recipients that same peace and opportunity.  
 
Today’s rule also reinforces the President’s enduring commitment to DACA recipients and Dreamers, who contribute daily to the strength and vitality of our communities and our country.  On day one of his Administration, President Biden committed to preserving and fortifying the DACA policy.  While only Congress can provide Dreamers permanent status and a pathway to citizenship, the Biden-Harris Administration has continued to vigorously defend DACA against ongoing legal challenges and strengthened DACA by codifying the 2012 policy in a final rule.   

Fact Sheet: Biden-⁠Harris Administration Expands Health Coverage to DACA Recipients. 05/03/2024.

Statement from Vice President Kamala Harris on Final Rule to Expand Health Coverage for DACA Recipients

Dreamers throughout this country are serving in our military, teaching in our classrooms, and leading our small businesses as entrepreneurs. They are our neighbors, classmates, and loved ones. Our nation is fortunate that America is their home.

Thanks to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), more than 800,000 Dreamers have been able to live, study, and work in the only home they have ever known while making our nation a better place. It is why I fought to defend and protect DACA as Attorney General of California and a U.S. Senator from California.

Now as Vice President, I have worked alongside President Biden to take steps to preserve and fortify DACA. Today, we are building on this progress by ensuring DACA recipients also have access to affordable health care, which will improve the health of all communities. This announcement will bring relief to more than 100,000 people and help them thrive while working to achieve their aspirations.

President Biden and I will continue to do everything in our power to protect DACA, but it is only a temporary solution. Congress must act to ensure Dreamers have the permanent protections they deserve.

Statement from Vice President Kamala Harris on Final Rule to Expand Health Coverage for DACA Recipients. 05/03/2024.

From HHS.gov…

05/03/2024:

Biden-Harris Administration Finalizes Policies to Increase Access to Health Coverage for DACA Recipients:

As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s ongoing commitment to ensuring affordable, quality health care for all, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), finalized a rule that will expand access to health care for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients. Today’s rule ensures DACA recipients will no longer be excluded from eligibility to enroll in a Qualified Health Plan (QHP) through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Health Insurance Marketplace, or for coverage through a Basic Health Program (BHP). CMS estimates that this rule could lead to 100,000 previously uninsured DACA recipients enrolling in health coverage through Marketplaces or a BHP.

“HHS is committed to making health coverage accessible for people DACA recipients – Dreamers – who have worked hard to live the American Dream. Dreamers are our neighbors and friends; they are students, teachers, social workers, doctors, and nurses. More importantly, they are fellow Americans,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “More than one third of DACA recipients currently do not have health insurance, so making them eligible to enroll in coverage will improve their health and wellbeing, and help the overall economy.”

“The Biden-Harris Administration believes health care is a right, not a privilege, and that extends to DACA recipients who have built their lives in the United States,” said CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure. “Today’s rule reduces barriers for DACA recipients to obtain health care coverage and is a vital step toward making certain that it is available and accessible to all Americans.”

Individuals without health insurance are less likely to receive preventive or routine health screenings and may delay necessary medical care, incurring high costs and debts when they do seek care. DACA recipients are currently three times more likely to be uninsured than the general U.S. population. DACA recipients who qualify to enroll in a Marketplace plan may also qualify for advance payments of the premium tax credit (APTC) and cost-sharing reductions (CSRs) to reduce the cost of their Marketplace coverage, depending on their income.

As a result of this rule, DACA recipients and other newly eligible individuals will qualify for a special enrollment period to select a health plan through the Marketplace during the 60 days following the rule’s November 1, 2024, effective date. This timing also corresponds with the 2025 Open Enrollment Period, which will help ensure that newly eligible individuals are able to seamlessly enroll in coverage. Those who apply for coverage in November 2024 can have their Marketplace coverage begin as early as December 1, 2024, if they meet all other eligibility requirements. DACA recipients and others who are eligible for a BHP can apply for and receive coverage as early as November 1, 2024.

CMS also made technical modifications to the definition of “lawfully present” used to determine eligibility for coverage through a Marketplace or a BHP to promote administrative efficiency, clarity, and transparency. These changes aim to ensure complete, accurate, and consistent eligibility determinations and verification processes for health coverage for these populations.

CMS is committed to providing high-quality education regarding implementation of this rule and technical assistance for the many interested parties who assist immigrant and other communities with health coverage enrollment.

All provisions of the final rule will be effective on November 1, 2024.

it makes you proud to be an American, doesn’t it? (Applause.)For more information on the final rule, see the fact sheet at https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/hhs-final-rule-clarifying-eligibility-deferred-action-childhood-arrivals-daca-recipients-and-certain.

To view the final rule, visit the Federal Register.

Biden-Harris Administration Finalizes Policies to Increase Access to Health Coverage for DACA Recipients. 05/03/2024.

Presidential Medal of Freedom Tweets

From Friday…

Remarks by President Biden at Presentation of the Presidential Medal of Freedom; the YouTube is 49 minutes and 16 seconds long.

From Sunday…

The video clip is 52 seconds long.

Today, we have another extraordinary honor to bestow one of the nation’s highest civilian honors of 19 incredible people whose relentless curiosity, inventiveness, ingenuity, and hope have kept faith in a better tomorrow.

[snip]

Sixty-one years ago, President Kennedy established the Presidential Medal of Freedom to recognize, quote, “any person who has made an especially meritorious contribution to the security of national int- — and national interests of the United States or world peace, cultural, or other significant public, pri- — public or private endeavors.”

[snip]

What I had to keep doing when I was writing these introductions is make them shorter and shorter and shorter because there’s so much more to say about each one of them, but we’d be here for 12 hours. (Laughter.) But you all know how incredible they are — an incredible group of people.

[snip]

I tell you what, it makes you proud to be an American, doesn’t it? (Applause.)

Remarks by President Biden at Presentation of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. 05/03/2024.

National Teacher of the Year Tweets

From Friday…

The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO):

Missy Testerman the 2024 National Teacher of the Year is a kindergarten through eighth grade English as a second language (ESL) teacher who is a staunch advocate for her students, their families and her fellow teachers. Testerman served as a first and second grade teacher at Rogersville City School in Rogersville, Tennessee, for three decades before taking advantage of the state’s Grow Your Own initiative and adding an ESL endorsement three years ago. She currently works as an ESL specialist at Rogersville City School, where she teaches K-8 students who do not speak English as their first language and supports them in all academic areas.  

In her rural Appalachian community, Testerman builds bridges between cultures – families who have been in the area for centuries and newer immigrants – through a curriculum focused on a study of Americans from diverse backgrounds, allowing students to better understand that people are inherently the same and that they all belong. As Tennessee’s State Teacher of the Year, she forged partnerships with East Tennessee State University and the University of Tennessee to encourage pre-service teachers and give authentic feedback to university leaders about their educator preparation programs. 

Missy plans to use her year of service as National Teacher of the Year to empower teachers to advocate for students and fellow educators by using their voices and sharing their experiences with those outside of the classroom. Testerman believes strongly in teachers embracing their role as education experts to inform decision-makers of today’s classroom experiences to meet all students’ needs. 

She prioritizes instruction that ensures her students have the skills and knowledge necessary to achieve. Testerman knows families are extensions of the classroom and often advocates for her families who speak little English. She considers her greatest contribution to her profession to be the love and desire for learning that she has instilled in countless students over the past three decades. A Tennessee native and first-generation college graduate herself, Testerman takes great pride in seeing her former students succeed in life and is motivated to ensure the next generation receives a broadened education while living in a rural setting. 

Testerman holds a Bachelor of Arts in elementary education and a Master of Arts in reading education from East Tennessee State University. She added ESL licensure through Freed-Hardeman University, wanting to ensure that immigrant students and families had an advocate in their rural Appalachian area. Testerman lives with her husband, David in Rogersville – where they both grew up and raised their children Andrew and Caroline.    

The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO).

From Sunday…

From the White House…

05/02/2024:

May the 4th Be With You Tweet

From Saturday…

The video clip is 9 seconds long.

President Biden: May the 4th Be With You.

Luke Skywalker aka Mark Hamill: Always.

Mark Hamill dropped by the press briefing room on 05/03/2024:

Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre; the YouTube is 54 minutes and 7 seconds long.

Q    Oh, my goodness.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Oh, my goodness.  I wonder why.

Good afternoon, everybody.  

Q    Good afternoon.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Happy Friday.  Don’t say things don’t get exciting in here sometimes.  

I really — there’s no introduction that really is needed here.  I have a special guest, as you can see.  Mark Hamill has decided to join us on this wonderful Friday, and I am really excited to turn it over to Mr. Hamill.  
Here you go.  

MR. HAMILL:  Just for — okay.  How many of you had “Mark Hamill will lead the press briefing” on your bingo card?  Hands?  (Laughter.)  Yeah, me either.  

And look, I just got to meet the President.  He gave me these aviator glasses to me.

Q    What a treasure.

MR. HAMILL:  I love the merch.  Love it all.  

But listen, I just wanted to say I was honored to be asked to come to the White House to meet the President — the most legislatively successful president in my lifetime.  And, you know, I don’t have to go through the list — the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the PACT Act, the CHIPS Act, all of that — Inflation.  Fifteen million jobs.  Look, it’s all good.  

I mean, I was really thrilled to meet the entire staff because you know it’s not just one person.  It’s like a composite endeavor.  And all these people — my goodness.  You know, I mean, I have no idea — I had no idea just what went into what is on his plate on a daily basis.  

So, that’s pretty much it.  I’m open to questions, although no “Star Wars” questions, please.  (Laughter.)  

But I want to say once again how grateful I am.  And it just shows you that one person can be so influential and so positive in our lives.  And again, thank you so much.  

And, Peter Baker, I loved your book.  

Yes.  

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Wow!  

Q    Thank you, Mark Hamill, for being here.  What did you ask — what did you talk about with the President? 

MR. HAMILL:  Well, first of all, I only expected to be there for like five minutes.  He showed us all these photographs.  And, you know, it was really amazing to me because, you know, I was — I was invited to the Carter White House, and I came.  And then I came to the Obama White House, but I never was invited into the Oval Office.  And it was a large gathering.  So, this one was really extra special.  

Q    All right, sir.

MR. HAMILL:  So — yes. 

Q    Did President Biden bring up “Star Wars,” too, sir?

MR. HAMMILL:  Well, you know, I called him “Mr. President.”  He said, “You can call me ‘Joe.’”  And I said, “Can I call you ‘Joe-bi-Wan Kenobi’?”  (Laughter.)  He liked that.  

But listen, I’m not really here to dominate.  I have to turn it back over to our wonderful press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre.  So, thank you all so much.  

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Thank you.

MR. HAMILL:  All right, thank you.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Thank you.

MR. HAMILL:  Okay.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Thank you so much for being here.  I got to get those shades.  

Q    Tell him (inaudible) only hope.

Q    (Inaudible.) (Laughter.)

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Thank you, guys.  Thank you.  (Applause.)

No one ever claps for me when I get off the podium.  (Laughter.)  Just saying.

Q    (Inaudible.)

Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. 05/03/2024.

Cinco de Mayo Tweet

From Sunday…

President Biden and the First Lady Host a Cinco de Mayo Reception at the White House @5:15 p.m. D.C., time:

Orthodox Christian Communities Tweet

From Sunday…

Statement from President Joe Biden on Orthodox Easter

Jill and I send warm wishes to Orthodox Christian communities around the world as they celebrate Easter.

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ reminds us of God’s abundant love for us and the power of light over darkness. We join Orthodox Christians in giving thanks for these and other blessings and rededicate ourselves to caring for those most in need.

In this sacred season, we hold people who are suffering from war and persecution especially close to our hearts. We will continue to pray and work for peace and justice for all people. 

May the Lord bless and keep you this Easter Sunday and in the year ahead.

Statement from President Joe Biden on Orthodox Easter. 05/05/2024.

Holocaust Remembrance Day Tweet

From Sunday…

A Proclamation on Days of Remembrance of the Victims of the Holocaust, 2024

     During Yom HaShoah and these days of remembrance, we mourn the six million Jews who were systematically targeted and murdered in the Holocaust, one of the darkest chapters in human history.  We also mourn the Roma, Sinti, Slavs, people with disabilities, LGBTQI+ people, racial minorities, and political dissidents who were killed or endured abuse by the Nazis and their collaborators, as well as those who risked or lost their lives to protect others.  We honor the memories of the victims, the courage of the survivors, and the heroism of those who stood up to the Nazis, and we recommit ourselves to making real the promise of “Never Again.”

     I often reflect on memories of sitting around our kitchen table where my father would educate my siblings and me about the horrors of the Holocaust.  Entire families wiped out.  Communities savagely destroyed.  Survivors left with memories and traumas that will never go away — even as the tattoos etched into their skin by the Nazis fade and the number of survivors dwindles.  My dad taught us that silence is complicity — a lesson I have passed down to my children and grandchildren by taking them to the Dachau concentration camp in Germany.  As United States Senator, as Vice President, and now as President, I have met with many Holocaust survivors, promising them that our Nation would neither forget what they endured nor ever again stand by silently in the face of antisemitism.

     The charge has never been more urgent than in the aftermath of Hamas’ vicious terrorist attack on October 7th — the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust.  Among the 1,200 innocent people who were slaughtered and the hundreds taken hostage were elderly survivors of the Shoah, who were forced to relive the horrors they thought they had escaped decades ago.  My Administration is working tirelessly to free the hostages who have been held by Hamas for over half a year — and as I have said to their families, we will not rest until we bring them home.  

     While Jews across the country and around the world are still coping with the trauma of that day and its aftermath, we have seen an alarming surge in antisemitism at home and abroad that resurfaces painful scars of millennia of antisemitism and hate against the Jewish people.  This includes harassment and calls for violence against Jews — in our schools, in our communities, and online.  This blatant antisemitism is reprehensible and dangerous.  Antisemitic hate speech has absolutely no place on college campuses or anywhere else in our country.  As Americans, we cannot stay silent as Jews are attacked, harassed, and targeted.  We must also forcefully push back attempts to ignore, deny, distort, or revise the history of Nazi atrocities during the Holocaust or Hamas’ murders and other atrocities committed on October 7th — including the appalling and unforgiveable use of rape and sexual assault to terrorize and torture Jewish women and girls.

     My commitment to the safety of the Jewish people and the security of Israel is ironclad.  Under the first-ever National Strategy to Combat Antisemitism, my Administration is mobilizing the full force of the Federal Government to crack down on antisemitism and to ensure hate has no safe harbor in America.  We clarified civil rights protections for Jews under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.  The Department of Education is leading investigations into antisemitism on college campuses.  The Department of Justice is investigating and prosecuting hate crimes.  The Federal Bureau of Investigation is focused on delivering security resources to Jewish communities.  We provided the largest-ever increase in funding for the physical security of non-profits, including synagogues, Jewish community centers, and Jewish schools.  I appointed Deborah Lipstadt, a Holocaust expert, to be the first-ever Ambassador-level Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism around the world.  

     During these somber days of remembrance, we mourn the lives tragically stolen in the Shoah and on October 7th.  As we hold the Jewish community close to our hearts, we recommit to remembering so that what happened can never be erased.  Some injustices are so heinous, horrific, and grievous that they cannot be buried, no matter how hard people try.  In silence, wounds deepen, but in remembrance comes healing, justice, and repair.  Toward those aims, we must all forcefully act against antisemitism and all forms of hate-fueled violence.  As we do, we honor the courage, strength, and resilience of the Jewish people, who have inspired the world for generations by turning pain into purpose, healing into hope, and darkness into light.

     NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 5 through May 12, 2024, as a week of observance of the Days of Remembrance of the Victims of the Holocaust, and I call upon the people of the United States to observe this week and pause to remember victims and survivors of the Holocaust.

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

A Proclamation on Days of Remembrance of the Victims of the Holocaust, 2024. 05/03/2024.

According to the Week Ahead Guidance published by Forth.news; The President will deliver the keynote address at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Annual Days of Remembrance ceremony at the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C., on Tuesday.


“New” from the White House…

05/03/2024:

05/04/2024:

05/06/2024:

Vice President Harris Delivers Remarks on her Nationwide Economic Opportunity Tour @1:15 p.m. D.C., time:

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About Tiff 2581 Articles
Member of the Free Press who is politically homeless and a political junkie.