It’s Monday…
President Biden’s public schedule for 08/19/2024:
Note: All times listed on the schedule are eastern times…
| 10:00 AM Official Schedule | The President receives the President’s Daily Brief Closed Press |
| 12:45 PMPool Call Time | Out-of-Town Pool Call Time Joint Base Andrews Overhang Out-of-Town Pool |
| 1:45 PM Official Schedule | The President and The First Lady depart the White House en route to Joint Base Andrews South Lawn Open Press |
| 2:05 PM Official Schedule | The President and The First Lady depart Joint Base Andrews en route to Chicago, Illinois Joint Base Andrews Out-of-Town Pool |
| 3:00 PM Press Gaggle | Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre will gaggle aboard Air Force One en route to Chicago, Illinois |
| 3:50 PM Official Schedule | The President and The First Lady arrive in Chicago, Illinois Open Press |
| 4:00 PM Official Schedule | The President and The First Lady depart Chicago O’Hare International Airport en route to Soldier Field Landing Zone Open Press |
| 4:30 PMOfficial Schedule | The President and The First Lady depart Soldier Field Landing Zone Open Press |
| 10:50 PM Official Schedule | The President gives the keynote address at the Democratic National Committee Convention in Chicago, Illinois. The First Lady also delivers remarks. The Vice President and The Second Gentleman attendPre-Credentialed Media |
| 11:20 PM-11:45 PM Official Schedule | President Biden and the First Lady leave Chicago en route to California |
| 5:00 AM Official Schedule | The President and The First Lady depart Santa Barbara Airport en route to Santa Ynez Landing Zone Out-of-Town Pool |
| 5:15 AM Official Schedule | The President and The First Lady arrive in Santa Ynez, California |
Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre Gaggle Aboard Air Force One En Route to Chicago, IL
Inflation Reduction Act turns 2 Tweets
From Friday…
While Republicans in Congress try to repeal our Inflation Reduction Act, increase prescription drug costs, and erase good-paying jobs – Kamala and I will keep fighting to move our country forward. pic.twitter.com/6QJNWLYspf
— President Biden (@POTUS) August 16, 2024
In just two years, my Inflation Reduction Act has unleashed $265 billion in clean energy and manufacturing investments from the private sector – part of the $900 billion invested in America since I took office.
— President Biden (@POTUS) August 16, 2024
Two years since we signed into law the most significant climate investment in the history of the world. pic.twitter.com/JNs70sjAeH
— President Biden (@POTUS) August 16, 2024
From Saturday…
Americans don’t like being played for suckers.
— President Biden (@POTUS) August 17, 2024
Let’s put patients before unreasonable profits. pic.twitter.com/4aNdg5mal4
Remarks by President Biden and Vice President Harris on the Progress They Are Making to Lower Costs for the American People | Largo, MD; the YouTube is 35 minutes and 47 seconds long.
Americans don’t like being played for suckers. We believe we should be patient, but there should be reasonable profits — not unreasonable pr- —
Remarks by President Biden and Vice President Harris on the Progress They Are Making to Lower Costs for the American People | Largo, MD; the YouTube is 35 minutes and 47 seconds long. 08/15/2024.
From Sunday…
Starting in January of next year, every senior on Medicare will have their out-of-pocket drug costs capped at $2,000 a year total – even for expensive cancer drugs that can cost $14,000 a year.
— President Biden (@POTUS) August 18, 2024
And next, we are going to make sure that applies to everyone – not just seniors.
Folks, that’s not all. The same law I wrote — we wrote means starting in January of
this[next] year, every senior in the United States of American, no matter what their cost of drugs — and like I said, some of these cancer drugs are 12,000 bucks a year — every single penny they spend, they never have to spend more than $2,000 a year for all drugs — (applause) — all drugs.And we’re going to fight to make sure everyone qualifies for that as well. (Applause.)
Remarks by President Biden and Vice President Harris on the Progress They Are Making to Lower Costs for the American People | Largo, MD; the YouTube is 35 minutes and 47 seconds long. 08/15/2024.
The Inflation Reduction Act is a historic investment in our clean energy future.
— President Biden (@POTUS) August 18, 2024
And that investment includes the strongest ever labor protections and incentives for building out clean energy. pic.twitter.com/brTkkf2ogG
Never in America should someone have to skip doses, cut pills in half, or forego prescriptions entirely because their prescription drugs are totally unaffordable. pic.twitter.com/WBJbNT59yT
— President Biden (@POTUS) August 18, 2024
The video clip is 36 seconds long.
Too many Americans can’t afford the drugs they badly need for life and death, so they skip doses, cut pills in half, forego prescriptions entirely because their prescription drugs are totally unaffordable.
[snip]
You know, the VA pays, as they should, 50 percent less than Medicare because VA can negotiate the prices. (Applause.) But for years, Big Pharma blocked Medicare from negotiating lower drug prices.
The consequence: They were able to maintain the exorbitant price increases and their profits are uncalled for.
Look, but this time, we finally beat Big Pharma — (applause) — and, I might add, with no help from Republicans — not a single Republican voted for this bill, period. Not one in the entire Congress.
From the White House…
08/15/2024:
08/16/2024:
Ceasefire Tweets
From Friday…
Over the last 48 hours in Doha, the United States, Egypt, and Qatar have engaged in intensive talks as mediators to reach an agreement for a ceasefire and release of hostages and detainees.
— President Biden (@POTUS) August 16, 2024
These talks were serious and constructive.
Senior officials from our governments will…
Show more =’s Senior officials from our governments will reconvene in Cairo before the end of next week with the aim to conclude the deal under the terms put forward today. The path is now set for an outcome that will save lives, bring relief to the people of Gaza, and de-escalate regional tensions.
Earlier today, I received an update from my negotiating team on the ground in Doha and directed them to put forward the comprehensive bridging proposal presented today.
— President Biden (@POTUS) August 16, 2024
I spoke separately with Amir Sheikh Tamim and President Sisi to review the significant progress made in Doha…
Show more =’s I spoke separately with Amir Sheikh Tamim and President Sisi to review the significant progress made in Doha over the past two days of talks. Our teams will remain on the ground to continue technical work over the coming days, and senior officials will convene again in Cairo before the end of the week. I am also sending Secretary Blinken to Israel to reaffirm my support for Israel’s security, continue our efforts to conclude this agreement, and underscore that with the ceasefire and hostage release deal now in sight, no one in the region should take actions to undermine this process.
From the White House…
08/16/2024:
Border Crossings are Down Tweet
From Friday…
New data shows that following border actions I announced in June, encounters between ports are down significantly, with unlawful crossings lower than in July 2019.
— President Biden (@POTUS) August 16, 2024
While we are taking action – Congressional Republicans twice voted against more resources for border security.
From CBP (Customs and Border Protection).gov…
08/16/2024:
CBP Releases July 2024 Monthly Update:
Statistics Show Lowest Southwest Border Encounters in Nearly Four Years
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released operational statistics today for July 2024, which show a significant decline in migrant encounters during the first full month after a Presidential Proclamation issued June 4, 2024, by President Biden to temporarily suspend the entry of certain noncitizens across the southern border. U.S. Border Patrol encounters in July were 32% lower than in June 2024 and were the lowest monthly total along the southwest border since September 2020. July’s total numbers between ports of entry are also lower than July 2019, and lower than the monthly average for all of 2019, the last comparable year prior to the pandemic. CBP monthly reporting can be viewed on CBP’s Stats and Summaries webpage.
“In July, our border security measures enhanced our ability to deliver consequences for illegal entry – leading to the lowest number of encounters along the southwest border in more than three years,” said Troy A. Miller, CBP Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Commissioner. “We are working closely with international partners to go after transnational criminal organizations that traffic in chaos and prioritize profit over human lives, and this month announced enhanced enforcement efforts to attack the fentanyl supply chain. These efforts are seeing results, as CBP saw the largest fentanyl seizure in our agency’s history just a few weeks ago. We remain vigilant in these efforts alongside our partners.”
On June 4, 2024, President Biden announced a Presidential Proclamation to temporarily suspend entry of noncitizens across the southern border. The Secretary of Homeland Security and the Attorney General also jointly issued an interim final rule (IFR) that, consistent with the Proclamation, generally restricts asylum eligibility for those who irregularly enter across the southern border – including the southwest land and the southern coastal border. Since June 4, encounters between ports of entry have decreased by 55%. These executive actions have led to a significant increase in the number of migrants removed and returned to their home countries and a decrease in the number of people released pending their removal proceedings as explained in recent DHS Fact Sheets from June and July.
Since the Presidential Proclamation and Interim Final Rule went into effect on June 5, DHS has removed or returned more than 92,000 individuals to more than 130 countries, including by operating more than 300 international repatriation flights. DHS has almost tripled the percentage of noncitizens processed for Expedited Removal, and the percentage of releases pending immigration court proceedings is down nearly half. Total removals and returns over the past year exceed removals and returns in any fiscal year since 2010 and a majority of all southwest border encounters during the past three fiscal years resulted in a removal, return, or expulsion.
Below are key operational statistics for CBP’s primary mission areas in July 2024. View all CBP statistics online.
CBP.gov. 08/16/2024.
I did not copy over the whole press release; it’s very long and broken into sections.
Springfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument Tweet
From Friday…
Our history isn't just about the past, it’s about our present and future.
— President Biden (@POTUS) August 16, 2024
Today I established the Springfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument to help us remember an unspeakable attack on the Black community and honor those who united to deliver on the promise of civil rights. pic.twitter.com/z8tgNyms03
From Friday…
08/16/2024:
- Remarks by President Biden at Signing of the Proclamation to Designate the Springfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument; the YouTube is 7 minutes and 23 seconds long.
Junk Fees Tweet
From Saturday…
Under my Administration's new rule, Americans are entitled to a refund if a flight is canceled or significantly delayed – regardless of circumstance.
— President Biden (@POTUS) August 17, 2024
I know folks are fed up with the service they’ve gotten from airlines when something goes wrong, so we're fixing it.
Student Debt Tweet
From Sunday…
Folks, to date, my Administration has cancelled student debt for nearly 5 million borrowers through various actions.
— President Biden (@POTUS) August 18, 2024
Republicans in Congress have fought us every step of the way, but we didn't back down.
We won't now.
“New” from the White House…
08/19/2024:
08/18/2024:
08/17/2024:
08/16/2024:
- Remarks by Vice President Harris at a Campaign Event in Raleigh, NC; the YouTube is 41 minutes and 5 seconds long.
- Remarks by President Biden After Air Force One Arrival | Hagerstown, MD
This is an open thread
