Press Release
☷Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean Pierre
White House ( By Press Release office)
Apr 05,2024
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Hey everyone , good afternoon . So , I just wanted to give you some info on the President ' s event earlier today with Senator Bernie Sanders . There are 27 million Americans with asthma , 4 million of whom are kids . The problem is that inhalers are way too expensive for many people . Without insurance , families can end up paying anywhere from $200 to $600 for an inhaler , even though it only costs about five bucks to make one . Last year , the Federal Trade Commission and the FDA took action to crack down on false patents for inhalers and increase competition to lower costs . As a result , one inhaler manufacturer removed patents from a regulatory list . And just last month , three out of the four largest inhaler manufacturers announced that they would cap the cost for many patients at 35 bucks per month . On top of that , the President ' s Inflation Reduction Act is helping to lower the cost of prescription drugs for American families . But the President wants to expand those efforts by applying a $2 , 000 cap on prescription drug costs and 35 bucks for insulin to everyone . This is all in contrast to what congressional Republicans are proposing . They ' re still trying to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act and cut Medicaid . They even released a budget that would lead to devastating cuts to Medicare and the Affordable Care Act , higher housing and prescription drug costs for families , and big giveaways for the wealthy and corporations . President Biden won ' t let that happen . The Biden - Harris administration will keep working with partners like Bernie Sanders to get results for the American people . Alright , now onto your questions . MS . JEAN - PIERRE: Let me just say a few things about last night . The President and Vice President continued their tradition of honoring the Muslim community during Ramadan by hosting a meeting with Muslim community leaders to discuss important issues . It was meant to be a private meeting , as requested by the community . We understand the emotions felt by the Arab and Muslim communities right now . The President also expressed his commitment to secure an immediate ceasefire and increase humanitarian aid in Gaza . He mourns the loss of innocent lives on both sides . The President and Vice President will continue engaging with these leaders in the future . As for the participant walking out , I can ' t comment on private discussions . However , the President respects everyone ' s right to peacefully protest . Moving on , Nancy , go ahead . Q Thank you . Q Thanks , Karine . How did the White House decide who would attend the iftar dinner? MS . JEAN - PIERRE: So , what I can say is that the decision on who would attend the dinner was made after we had been reaching out for some time now . MS . JEAN - PIERRE: So , there shouldn ' t be any change in the schedule . Q And finally , does the President believe the meeting he had last night with Muslim leaders was helpful? And is there any reaction to a Palestinian American doctor leaving the meeting? Q Is there any reason to think the earthquake will affect the visits next week by the leaders of Japan and the Philippines for the summit?Regarding the potential emergency funding package for the Key Bridge in Baltimore , I don ' t have any information on that at the moment . JEAN - PIERRE: So , you probably heard that the Department of Transportation just announced $60 million to rebuild that bridge in Baltimore . The President is committed to helping the community and ensuring the ports are open for recovery efforts . He ' ll be visiting on Friday to assess the situation firsthand . Our thoughts are with the families who lost loved ones in the tragedy . As for Ukraine , we support providing aid and are focused on passing a bipartisan national security agreement to help them defend against Russian aggression . The President also supports pausing LNG exports to evaluate economic and climate impacts . We ' re committed to finding a solution to support Ukraine in their fight for democracy and freedom . There ' s a way to help them out , and that ' s by passing that bipartisan national security supplemental that has support from both sides . If it ' s brought to the floor , we know Republicans will vote for it . We know where Democrats stand . He just needs to put it out there . As for the meeting yesterday , it was scaled back and some Arab American leaders declined to attend . The White House respects their decision and understands the difficult time . The President will continue to have conversations and listen to the community . Regarding Chef José Andrés ' comments on Israel using food as a weapon , the President is outraged by the loss of lives and mourns with Chef Andrés and the families . The White House is monitoring the bird flu situation and takes the health and safety of the American people seriously . Our main focus is keeping communities healthy , safe , and informed . We ' re closely monitoring the situation and working with relevant agencies to support local authorities . The CDC has stated that the risk to human health from this outbreak is low . They will continue to monitor and coordinate with other agencies and officials . When it comes to the public health of the American people , we take it seriously and will continue to stay updated . As for the suggestion that Justice Sotomayor should retire , that ' s a personal decision for her to make , just like any other Justice on the bench . We don ' t get involved in those matters . Moving on to the investigation into the strike in Israel that killed aid workers , the President wants a swift and comprehensive investigation with accountability and transparency . The Israeli government will handle the investigation , and we hope to see the findings made public . We understand that this investigation is happening in an active warzone and we trust that the IDF is conducting their ongoing investigation . We ' ve called for this investigation and want to ensure accountability , but we won ' t jump ahead of the process . I think my colleague from the NSC mentioned that they have some initial findings , but it ' s still early . So , the process will continue . I ' ll let that process happen and let the Israeli government handle it . For transparency ' s sake , can you explain what that process is and if the U . S . has confidence in it? Look , I don ' t want to speculate or get into specifics about the process . We want to see a comprehensive and accountable outcome that is swift and made available to the public . That ' s what the Israeli government , specifically Prime Minister Netanyahu , said they will do . We ' ll let that process unfold . Regarding Kirby ' s statement about a possible in - person meeting with an Israeli delegation next week , I can ' t provide any further details . What I can say is that there is an expectation for an in - person meeting , following the virtual meeting on Monday regarding the Rafah operations . We ' ve made it clear where we stand on this issue . We believe there should be alternative approaches to dealing with Hamas in Gaza , particularly in Rafah . We don ' t think a military operation is the way to move forward . There are ongoing discussions between the Israeli and U . S . governments , and we consider that important . I won ' t go into specifics from here , but as mentioned earlier , there is a potential in - person meeting next week , and we ' re eager to continue those crucial conversations . Do you anticipate any changes to the President ' s policy towards Israel and Gaza after yesterday ' s strike? Well , nothing has changed , and we ' ve been clear about that since yesterday . We will continue to have tough and important conversations about how Israel proceeds with its operation . Our priority is to ensure the safety and protection of civilians and those providing humanitarian aid . The President was very clear on this . He also emphasized that Israel needs to do more . We have consistently expressed that as well . We will continue to engage with our Israeli counterparts in these discussions . And , you know , this is really important to the President . But let me also say , that ' s why the hostage deal is so crucial . The President and his team have been working nonstop to get that deal done . If we can secure a hostage deal , it means we can provide more humanitarian aid to Gaza and also achieve a ceasefire so that we can deliver that aid and bring hostages back home . That ' s what we ' re continuing to focus on . Do you have any updates on the progress of the hostage deal? I don ' t have any updates . As you saw in the President ' s statement , his team is currently having conversations in Cairo . We ' re making it a priority to get that hostage deal because it ' s important to reunite hostages with their families and provide humanitarian aid leading to a ceasefire . Go ahead . Just one more question about the meeting yesterday . Dr . Ahmad mentioned that he gave the President a letter from an eight - year - old orphan girl in Rafah . Has the President read the letter? I have to be careful here . I won ' t speak about the contents of a private meeting . We ' ve decided to keep these meetings private to give attendees the opportunity to be honest and share their thoughts in a safe space . So , I can ' t disclose the content of a private meeting . Well , since Dr . Ahmad publicly disclosed that he shared the letter and its contents with the media , can you at least confirm if the President has read it? Again , I can ' t speak about the content of a private meeting . All attendees wanted it to be private , and we ' re sticking to that promise . This letter , though , asks the President to stop Israel from entering Rafah . Without discussing the President ' s potential reaction , does the White House believe that President Biden has the power to prevent Israel from entering Rafah? We ' re having important conversations about it . The first one already took place virtually . And , you know , last week when the Israeli Foreign Minister was here , we had a conversation with Jake Sullivan , Secretary Austin , and others . We talked about the operations in Rafah and it started then . We had a virtual conversation on Monday and it ' s going to continue . Our hope is to protect innocent civilian lives in Rafah . There are over 1 million Palestinians seeking refuge there , so it ' s important to ensure their safety . We know there are Hamas operators in Rafah , so Israel needs to deal with them , but we must prioritize protecting civilian lives . We ' re having these conversations and expecting to meet in person next week . As for the President ' s visit to Baltimore on Friday , we ' ll have more details in the coming days . Regarding accountability , we want a swift , comprehensive , and public investigation . We ' ll wait to see what the Israeli government says . We ' re not asking for anything specific yet , just waiting for the investigation . And as for changes , we ' ll have to see what Israel does in response to these recent deaths . We ' re gonna keep having those tough talks with our Israeli counterparts , making it clear that protecting innocent civilians is a top priority . We understand the need for Israel to take action against Hamas , but we also want to ensure the safety of humanitarian workers and innocent bystanders . These conversations are just part of diplomacy , being honest and frank . The President ' s statement last night expressed his outrage and heartbreak , emphasizing the importance of reaching a ceasefire and ensuring the safe return of hostages . The President has been briefed on the bird flu cases , and we ' re monitoring any potential economic impacts closely . For specific details on the egg producer ' s situation , I ' d suggest reaching out to the CDC . But we ' ll always assess . ( Reporter sneezes . ) We ' ll always keep an eye on the economic impacts of any big changes like that . But , obviously , one of the most important things for this administration is the health and safety of the American public , and we take that very seriously . That ' s how we ' re going to operate . That is the top priority here . And CDC has been working with relevant agencies to ensure that we keep the American public protected . AIDE: Karine , you have to leave soon . MS . JEAN - PIERRE: Oh , my goodness . Go ahead . Q Thank you . First , you guys started draining the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to try and help with the Putin price hike a few years ago , said you were going to refill it , but now it doesn ' t seem like that ' s happening . Why? MS . JEAN - PIERRE: Well , I think the Department of Energy is responsible for that particular component and refilling it . So , I would refer you to the Department of Energy . I know there were certain plans on how they were going to move forward in refilling it . They would have more specifics for you . Q Okay . And why isn ' t federal immigration law tougher on border crossers who come here and are accused of serious crimes? MS . JEAN - PIERRE: So , are you talking about a specific case? Q There ' s a story in New York: an eight - person crew of border crossers found with drugs and guns , and six of them are now out on bail . Does President Biden think policies like that are making the country safer? MS . JEAN - PIERRE: So , I want to be really careful . That ' s an active case , so I don ' t want to comment on it . But anyone found guilty should be held accountable . We ' ve been very clear about that . And if a person poses a danger to a community , they should be detained pretrial . Q So , more generally , then , do you guys think that some big cities in this country have liberal DAs that are too lenient on crime? MS . JEAN - PIERRE: Look , what I will say is that we ' ve been very clear about this: Anyone who commits a crime and is found guilty needs to be held accountable . That ' s what the President believes . And we welcome local law enforcement support and cooperation in apprehending and removing individuals in this country who pose a risk to our national security or public safety . If they are found guilty , they should be held accountable . That ' s where we stand on this . Q In the back , maybe . MS . JEAN - PIERRE: Go ahead . Hey Karine , thanks for that . Just a couple of quick questions . The President seemed pretty upset about the strike on aid workers . He ' s mentioned indiscriminate bombing in the past too . Can you explain why there haven ' t been any consequences for these actions? Just curious about that . And yeah , I know you ' re just relaying the President ' s statement from last night .
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