It’s Monday…
President Biden’s public schedule for 11/11/2024:
| 8:00 AM Closed Press The President receives the President’s Daily Brief |
| 9:00 AM East Room Closed Press The President and The First Lady host veterans and members of the military and veteran affiliated community at the White House to commemorate Veterans Day |
| 10:00 AM In-Town Pool In-Town Pool Call Time |
| 10:40 AM South Grounds In-Town Travel Pool The President, The First Lady, The Vice President, and The Second Gentleman depart the White House en route to Arlington National Cemetery |
| 10:50 AM In-Town Travel Pool The President, The First Lady, The Vice President, and The Second Gentleman arrive at Arlington National Cemetery |
| 11:00 AM In-Town Travel Pool The President and The Vice President participate in the Presidential Armed Forces Full Honor Wreath-Laying Ceremony on the centennial anniversary of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier; The First Lady and The Second Gentleman attend |
| 11:15 AM In-Town Travel Pool The President delivers remarks at the National Veterans Day Observance at the Memorial Amphitheater; The First Lady, The Vice President, and The Second Gentleman attend |
| 11:45 AM Joint Base Andrews Overhang Out-of-Town Pool Out-of-Town Pool Call Time |
| 12:15 PM In-Town Travel PoolThe President departs Arlington National Cemetery en route to Joint Base Andrews |
| 12:45 PM Joint Base Andrews In-Town Travel Pool The President arrives to Joint Base Andrews |
| 12:55 PM Joint Base Andrews Out-of-Town Pool The President departs Joint Base Andrews en route to Wilmington, Delaware |
| 1:30 PM Out-of-Town PoolThe President arrives to Wilmington, Delaware |
| 3:30 PM Out-of-Town Pool The President departs Wilmington, Delaware en route to Joint Base Andrews |
| 4:05 PM Joint Base Andrews Out-of-Town Pool The President arrives to Joint Base Andrews |
| 4:15 PM Joint Base Andrews In-Town Travel Pool The President departs Joint Base Andrews en route to the White House |
| 4:35 PM South Grounds In-Town Travel Pool The President arrives to the White House |
Veteran’s Day Tweet
From Monday…
Today, we honor generations of America's veterans – patriots who have stood on the frontlines of freedom and kept the light of liberty shining bright around the world.
— President Biden (@POTUS) November 11, 2024
May we all strive to be worthy of their sacrifices for us. pic.twitter.com/QHcldlF4Pf
From the White House…
11/06/2024:
A Proclamation on Veterans Day, 2024
Today, we honor generations of America’s veterans — patriots who have stood on the frontlines of freedom and kept the light of liberty shining bright around the world. Just as they have kept the ultimate faith in our Nation, we must keep ultimate faith in them.
Each one of our Nation’s veterans is a link in a chain of honor that stretches back to our founding days — bound by a sacred oath to support and defend the United States of America. Throughout history, whenever and wherever the forces of darkness have sought to extinguish the flame of freedom, America’s veterans have been fighting to keep it burning bright. I remember so clearly the pride the First Lady and I felt in our son Beau during his service in Iraq. He — like all our veterans from Belleau Wood, Baghdad, and Gettysburg to Guadalcanal, Korea, and Kandahar and beyond — lived, served, and sacrificed by a creed of duty. We owe them a debt of gratitude we can never fully repay, not just for fighting for our democracy, but for giving back to our communities and inspiring the next generation to serve, even after they hang up their uniforms.
As a Nation, we have one truly sacred obligation: to prepare and equip those we send into harm’s way and to care for them and their families when they return home. Since I came into office, I have signed more than 34 bipartisan laws to support our veterans and their families, caregivers, and survivors. That includes the landmark Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act, which enacted the most significant expansion of benefits and services for veterans exposed to toxins in more than 30 years. Today, more than 1.1 million veterans and 11,000 survivors of deceased veterans are now receiving new service-connected disability benefits, and over 5.8 million veterans have been screened for toxic exposure — a critical step to ensuring they get access to the care they need. And as of last March, any exposed veteran who served during any conflict outlined in the PACT Act will be able to enroll in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care. My Administration is ensuring that women veterans enrolled in the Department of Veterans Affairs health care have equitable access to benefits and health services. My Administration has worked to reduce barriers and reach out to veterans to make sure they can access their earned benefits. As a result, the VA is delivering more benefits to more veterans than ever before. In 2024, the VA processed more claims than ever and is providing record level health care services. We have taken steps to eliminate barriers and disparities for all veterans, including people of color, LGBTQI+ people, and women. We have made progress in addressing veteran homelessness, and we are working to end the silent scourge of suicide by addressing financial and legal risk factors, promoting secure storage of firearms, and expanding access to mental health services. Last year, the VA housed nearly 48,000 veterans, expanded access to health care and legal assistance for homeless veterans, and helped more than 158,000 veterans and their families keep their homes. And we are committed to assisting the roughly 200,000 service members who transition from the military each year with finding good-paying jobs, including by connecting them to Registered Apprenticeship programs. My Administration has also prioritized supporting veteran entrepreneurship. This year, service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses secured almost $32 billion in Federal contracts, nearly $4 billion more than in the prior year.
While our veterans are the steel spine of this Nation, their families are the courageous heart — they also serve and sacrifice so much for our country. Last year, I signed an Executive Order calling for the most comprehensive set of administrative actions in our Nation’s history to support the economic security of military and veteran spouses, caregivers, and survivors. The Executive Order increases training and employment opportunities for military spouses in the workforce and encourages Federal agencies to do more to retain military and veteran spouses through flexible policies. Additionally, through the First Lady’s Joining Forces initiative, my Administration is working to better support military and veteran families on everything from making school transitions easier for military children to expanding economic opportunities and improving well-being for military spouses, caregivers, and survivors.
Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to visit Normandy to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day alongside so many World War II veterans. Their service and sacrifice helped free the world from tyranny. We learned then what we still know now: Democracy is never guaranteed. Every generation must preserve it, defend it, and fight for it. Today, we honor all our veterans, who have preserved, defended, and fought for our democracy. They prove that we are a Nation that can meet darkness with light again and again, no matter how high the cost or how heavy the burden. May we all strive to be worthy of their sacrifices for us, doing our part to keep the light of liberty burning bright for generations to come.
In respect and recognition of the contributions our veterans and their families, caregivers, and survivors have made to the cause of peace and freedom around the world, the Congress has provided (5 U.S.C. 6103(a)) that November 11 of each year shall be set aside as a legal public holiday to honor our Nation’s veterans.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim November 11, 2024, as Veterans Day. I encourage all Americans to recognize the valor, courage, and sacrifice of these patriots through appropriate ceremonies and private prayers and by observing two minutes of silence for our Nation’s veterans. I also call upon Federal, State, and local officials to display the flag of the United States of America and to participate in patriotic activities in their communities.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this sixth day of November, 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-ninth.
A Proclamation on Veterans Day, 2024. 11/06/2024.
11/11/2024:
FACT SHEET: To Mark Veterans Day, Biden-Harris Administration Highlights Historic Care, Benefits & New Actions to Support Veterans and Their Families
Administration announces record-low number of veterans experiencing homelessness nationwide, expands eligibility for disability benefits and sets record for care and benefits delivered to veterans through President Biden’s Unity Agenda
President Biden believes we have a sacred obligation to care our nation’s veterans and their families. Simply put, we owe them a debt we can never fully repay. Supporting those who wear the uniform is a commitment that unites all Americans and it’s why the President has made supporting our veterans a core pillar in his Unity Agenda for the nation. Since taking office, President Biden has signed into law over 34 bipartisan bills that address some of the most important issues facing veterans today, including the PACT Act, which is most significant expansion of benefits and services for toxic exposed veterans in more than 30 years. The Biden Harris Administration and Congress have worked together to expand access to health care, address veteran homelessness, improve access to child and long-term care, and support education and workforce opportunity for veterans and their families.
To mark this Veterans Day, President Biden will announce that his Administration has delivered more benefits and health care, more quickly, to more veterans than ever before. In 2024 alone, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) delivered $187 billion in earned benefits to 6.7 million veterans and survivors, and processed a record 2.51 million disability claims. VA delivered more than 131 million health care appointments, over 6 million dental procedures, and provided services and assistance to more than 88,095 family caregivers. Veterans’ trust in VA also reached an all-time high in 2024.
The Administration is building on this historic progress and announcing new actions to address toxic exposures for veterans, including by expanding the types of cancers considered presumptive for VA disability benefits. Today, new data were also released showing that veteran homelessness has reached its lowest point on record, marking a 7.5% reduction in veteran homelessness in the last year alone and 55.6% percent reduction since 2010. Additionally, the Department of Education is announcing $9 million in funding to support student veterans.
Expanding benefits for toxic exposed veterans. For far too long it has taken too much time for the government to acknowledge and address the harms associated with military related toxic exposures. In part due to the PACT Act, VA now has the ability to act more swiftly and in the interest of veterans. Last week, VA announced it would proceed with an accelerated review to support rulemaking that would create a presumption for Gulf War deployed veterans, including those who deployed to Karshi-Khanabad (K2) in Uzbekistan, a location described as a “toxic soup of exposures,” and are diagnosed with rare conditions that could be related to the many contaminants of concerns found at K2. Rulemaking would commence this year. VA also announced it will be moving forward with rulemaking to add four cancers, including bladder cancer, ureter cancer, multiple myeloma, and leukemias, to the list of conditions presumed to be related to burn pit exposure for all veterans deployed to the Southwest Asia area of operations, including for K2 veterans.
Ending veteran homelessness. Thanks to the efforts of the Department of Housing and Urban Development and VA, the number of veterans experiencing homelessness has reached a record low since measurement began in 2009. This reflects a 7.5% reduction in veterans experiencing homelessness since 2023, an 11.7% decrease since 2020, and a 55.6% reduction since 2010. In 2024 alone, VA has permanently housed nearly 48,000 veterans and awarded over $800 million in grants to help veterans experiencing homelessness. VA also expanded access to legal assistance for homeless veterans and helped more than 158,000 veterans and their families retain their homes or otherwise avoid foreclosure. Additionally, so far in 2024, nearly 90,000 veterans were under lease with vouchers through the HUD-VA Supportive Housing Program (HUD-VASH) – the most veterans served at any point in the program’s history. President Biden has also called on Congress to triple the number of veterans who receive housing vouchers – a critical tool to help prevent veteran homelessness in the first place.
Supporting student veterans. It has been 80 years since the enactment of the Montgomery GI Bill. This law and the post-9/11 GI bill, allow veterans and eligible family members to receive educational benefits to help them obtain higher education and job training. Today, to support students returning to college, the Department of Education announced $9 million in awards to 13 grantees across 10 states under the Centers of Excellence for Veteran Student Success (CEVSS) program which funds model programs to support veteran student success in postsecondary education by coordinating comprehensive and targeted services to address the academic, financial, physical and mental health, and social needs of veteran students. Funds are being used for a variety of activities, including to enhance data systems to identify and track services and impact, including program completion, hire dedicated veteran success coaches, mentors, and coordinators, increase outreach, communication, and continuity of services, and provide professional development to faculty and staff on supporting veteran students.
These new announcements build on Administration-wide actions to support veterans and their families, including:
Lowering health care costs and expanding health care eligibility for veterans. President Biden believes access to health care is a right not a privilege. Today, millions of veterans are eligible for VA health care, thanks to the efforts of the Biden-Harris Administration. Since passage of the PACT Act, over 796,000 veterans have newly enrolled in VA health care. And, beginning last March, VA made all veterans who were exposed to toxins and other hazards while serving our country—at home or abroad—eligible for VA health care without any need to first apply for VA benefits. This includes all veterans who served in the Vietnam War, Gulf War, Iraq, Afghanistan, or any other combat zone after 9/11. In addition to expanding care, veterans trust in VA reached 80.4% this year, an all-time record and an increase of 25% since 2016. Survey data also found that veteran trust in VA outpatient care increased to 91.8%, an all-time high. And, today, VA announced it plans to eliminate copayments for all telehealth care visits, building upon its September announcement which made tele-emergency care available nationwide, making it easier for veteran to receive timely access to virtual care when needed. These actions make it faster and easier for millions of veterans to access quality health care that they’ve earned and deserve.
Providing benefits to address toxic exposures. The bipartisan Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act represents the most significant expansion in benefits and services for veterans in over thirty years. At President Biden’s direction, VA expedited health care and benefits eligibility under the PACT Act by several years, ensuring that they did not need to wait any longer for the care and benefits they deserved. VA has also conducted the largest outreach campaign in the history of the department, driving all-time record benefits applications and a sharp increase in health care enrollments. Since enactment, VA has received over 2 million PACT Act related claims and has granted toxic exposure benefits to more than 1.1 million veterans and over 11,000 survivors. Additionally, nearly 360,000 veterans eligible under the PACT Act have newly enrolled in VA health care and more than 5.82 million veterans have been screened for toxic exposure. More than 60,000 Veterans have enrolled in VA health care thanks to the expediting of the PACT Act, and more than 350,000 Veterans have granted PACT claims due to the elimination of the phase in approach.
Understanding the harms of toxic exposures. VA has ongoing efforts to research and understand the health conditions that veterans experience so that VA can provide them with all of the benefits and care they deserve. Last month, VA announced a new scientific assessment to determine if there is a relationship between per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) exposure during military service and kidney cancer among veterans. This review helps advance the President’s Unity Agenda and Biden Cancer Moonshot goals to understand and address environmental and toxic exposures and end cancer as we know it.
Reducing veteran suicide. Since releasing a comprehensive public health strategy for reducing military and veteran suicide, the Biden-Harris Administration has continued to improve suicide prevention efforts. As of October 2024, VA has provided no-cost life-saving care to more than 82,000 veterans at risk of suicide since the program began. VA awarded over $150 million in grants for community-based organizations to deliver or coordinate suicide prevention programs and services for veterans and their family members. In September, VA announced more than $4.3 million in cooperative agreements to states and territories to help fund and provide technical assistance to better inform veteran suicide prevention suicide. Because economic and financial uncertainty can increase the risk of suicide, VA launched the National Veterans Financial Resource Center earlier this year to provide veterans and their families with a one-stop website to locate tools and resources to improve financial wellbeing.
Improving access to child and long-term care options. Last year, President Biden signed an historic Executive Order calling for more than 50 administrative actions that would improve access to and quality of child care and long-term care for Americans, including for our nation’s heroes. Thanks to these actions, each VA medical center offers veterans and their families with self-directed care options through the Veteran Directed Care (VDC) program. More than 700 Veterans are now receiving VDC services through the new programs.
Protecting veterans and their families from predatory actors and scams. In 2023, veterans, military personnel, and their families reported $477 million in losses to fraud. Last November, the President announced the new Veteran Scam and Fraud Evasion (VSAFE) Task Force to better protect veterans and their families against these scams. In 2024, VSAFE released several resources to cut down on any confusion, and get veterans, Service members, and their family members routed to the best support as effectively and efficiently as possible. A centralized website, VSAFE.gov, is a fraud prevention, response, and reporting information hub. Information from across federal agencies can be accessed in one place, making it easy for veterans, Service members, and their families to find out more about different kinds of fraud, to get assistance, and to report. A single shared call line, 833-38V-SAFE, will connect veterans, Service members, and their families with the best agency to handle their report and get help.
Improving Equity. Women are the fastest growing group of veterans who use VA services and the Administration is committed to addressing and providing resources for their specialized health care needs. In October 2023, to improve health outcomes for mothers and their newborn children, VA expanded access to its maternity care coordination from 8 weeks to 12 months post-partum. In total, VA is now serving more women than ever before, with nearly 750,000 receiving disability compensation benefits from VA in 2024. To ensure that all LGBTQ+ veterans can access the benefits they have earned, the Department of Defense announced it would proactively review and consider discharge upgrades for veterans who were discharged under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and VA expanded access to care and benefits for those with other than honorable discharges. Additionally, VA released its 2024 Agency Equity Action Plan to help ensure that VA delivers on its promise to provide world-class care and benefits to all veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors ― regardless of their age, race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or geographic location.
Advancing economic security for military and veteran spouses, caregivers, and survivors. Since Day One of the Biden-Harris Administration, First Lady Jill Biden, through her Joining Forces initiative, has worked to eliminate barriers to employment and increase economic opportunity for military-connected families. In June 2023, the President, alongside the First Lady, signed an Executive Order that included nearly 20 new actions to enhance career stability, expand employment resources, and improve transition assistance support for military and veteran spouses, caregivers, and survivors. In February 2024, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) published a government-wide plan to tackle employment barriers and expand opportunities for military-connected spouses, caregivers, and survivors. And, in April 2024, the Administration announced a permanent memorandum of agreement between the Department of Defense and State Department to strengthen the Domestic Employees Teleworking Overseas (DETO) program for military spouses who work for the federal government. These actions represent the Biden-Harris Administration’s holistic commitment to ensuring that the Federal government is a leader among employers, modeling approaches to recruit, hire, and retain military spouse talent.
FACT SHEET: To Mark Veterans Day, Biden-Harris Administration Highlights Historic Care, Benefits & New Actions to Support Veterans and Their Families. 11/11/2024.
Biden delivers Veterans Day remarks; Washington Post YouTube:
Antisemitic Attacks on Israeli Soccer Fans
From Friday…
The Antisemitic attacks on Israeli soccer fans in Amsterdam are despicable and echo dark moments in history when Jews were persecuted.
— President Biden (@POTUS) November 8, 2024
We’ve been in touch with Israeli and Dutch officials and appreciate Dutch authorities’ commitment to holding the perpetrators accountable.
We…
Show more =’s We must relentlessly fight Antisemitism, wherever it emerges.
From the Washington Post (11/09/2024); gift link:
Amsterdam police are holding four people suspected of committing “open violence” in the attacks this week on Israeli soccer fans, the Dutch public prosecutor’s office said Saturday. The Dutch prime minister, meanwhile, canceled a trip to U.N. climate talks following the clashes, which were condemned by Dutch and Israeli officials as “antisemitic attacks.”
[snip]
Authorities on Saturday said 62 people have been arrested. They expect more arrests as investigations continue.
[snip]
Of those arrested, authorities said, about 40 have been fined for public disturbance. Others have been fined for criminal offenses such as insult, rebelliousness or failure to show ID. A few have been released but remain under investigation for offenses including vandalism.
[snip]
The Council of Ministers will discuss the attacks Monday, he said in a post on X; a sub-council is to discuss antisemitism on Tuesday. Also on Tuesday, Schoof planned to meet with Jewish and social organizations to discuss “the approach to antisemitism and the unrest and concerns that exist there.”
Washington Post (11/09/2024); gift link. 11/09/2024.
Dutch public prosecutor’s office:
At this moment, four suspects – including two minors – are still in custody, suspected of having used open violence during the riots last Thursday in Amsterdam. They will be brought before the examining magistrate early next week.
During the press conference on Friday afternoon, November 8, Chief Prosecutor René de Beukelaer reported that 62 suspects had been arrested in the afternoon and evening before and during the Ajax Maccabi Tel Aviv match. Approximately forty of them were suspected of disturbing the peace. They were given a fine by the police for violating the APV and were subsequently sent away. Ten people were suspected of, for example, insult, vandalism or possession of fireworks, these ten people were sent away but are still suspects, their cases are still being investigated.
On Friday morning, ten suspects were still in custody, De Beukelaer reported. These ten suspects were also arrested before and during the football match. Three of them are still in custody at this time: two minors suspected of public violence against an unknown person and an adult suspected of public violence towards police officers.
Of the remaining seven people, four have been fined for offences such as insult, resistance or failure to show ID. Two cases have been dismissed due to lack of evidence and one case is still under investigation.
Special investigation team
The police are investigating the many images with a special team to identify suspects. The investigation also includes the reports and witness statements that have been received. Whether there was an organised connection is also part of this investigation. On Friday evening, the police arrested a 26-year-old suspect of public violence based on camera images. He is still in custody. More arrests are expected.
The four suspects who are still in custody will be brought before the examining magistrate early next week.
Dutch public prosecutor’s office. 11/09/2024.
Post Election Remarks Tweet
From Saturday…
The America of your dreams is calling for you to get back up.
— President Biden (@POTUS) November 9, 2024
That’s the story of America over 240 years and counting.
A story for all of us, not just some of us. pic.twitter.com/KKqf0063S2
The video clip is 40 seconds long.
From the White House…
11/07/2024:
Remarks by President Biden in Address to the Nation; the YouTube is 7 minutes and 10 seconds long.
Look, folks, you all know it in your lives: Setbacks are unavoidable, but giving up is unforgivable. Setbacks are unavoidable, but giving up is unforgivable. We all get knocked down, but the measure of our character, as my dad would say, is how quickly we get back up. Remember, a defeat does not mean we are defeated. We lost this battle.
The America of your dreams is calling for you to get back up. That’s the story of America for over 240 years and counting. It’s a story for all of us, not just some of us.
The American experiment endures, and we’re going to be okay, but we need to stay engaged. We need to keep going. And above all, we need to keep the faith.
Remarks by President Biden in Address to the Nation; the YouTube is 7 minutes and 10 seconds long. 11/07/2024.
Happy Birthday, Marines
From Sunday…
Happy 249th Birthday, @USMC! https://t.co/XbYYnOvWIc
— President Biden (@POTUS) November 10, 2024
This is an open thread
