Press Release
☷Press Gaggle by Principal Deputy Press Secretary Olivia Dalton En Route Manchester NH
White House ( By Press Release office)
Mar 13,2024
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Hey there , sorry for the long intro but I ' ve got some updates to share . The President ' s budget was released today and it reflects his values by investing in all Americans and reducing costs for things like housing , healthcare , and college . It also aims to lower the deficit by making the wealthy and big corporations pay their fair share . Meanwhile , Congressional Republicans have different priorities , pushing for tax cuts for the rich and big corporations . We ' re heading to New Hampshire where the President will talk about his efforts to lower healthcare costs , including negotiating lower drug prices and expanding ACA coverage . He ' ll be calling on Congress to take action on these issues . Overall , the President ' s approach differs from that of Republican officials who are aligned with Big Pharma and want to repeal the ACA . They ' re still talking about changes to Medicare that would cut benefits and kick people off the program . President Biden has made it clear that he won ' t let any Republican official repeal the ACA or cut Social Security or Medicare . He ' s determined to keep fighting against these attacks and Big Pharma ' s lobbying efforts to keep costs down . Today , the President will address these issues . Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Marcia Fudge will be leaving the administration soon , but her accomplishments , including increasing homeownership and affordable housing , will continue to be recognized . President Biden ' s plan to lower housing costs for working families by building and renovating homes and providing tax credits for first - time homebuyers was also discussed . Regarding Secretary Fudge ' s departure , details can be obtained from HUD . She has informed the President of her last day . Q The other day , he said that going into Rafah would be a red line . And then , I believe the Prime Minister said , "Well , we ' re doing that anyway . " What are his thoughts on the Prime Minister not caring much about what the President said? Q Do you have a plan for replacing her? I mean , it ' s kind of late in the fourth year of a fourth term . What - or , excuse me , first term . Will he nominate a replacement? MS . DALTON: I don ' t have any details to give about the President ' s plans tomorrow . MS . DALTON: I think they spoke in mid - February , just a couple of weeks ago . They have spoken many times since the October 7th attacks . Our teams are in contact daily as well . We don ' t typically announce calls between heads of state , so I won ' t do that here . But our teams have been in regular contact , as have they . Q How does the President describe his current relationship with Prime Minister Netanyahu , given the exchange of some tense comments they ' ve had in the last few days? MS . DALTON: Yeah , he ' ll nominate a replacement . But I don ' t have any information about that to share with you today . Q Does the President plan to watch the House Judiciary hearing on the Hur report tomorrow? Q Does the White House plan to have a Ramadan event this year , considering the Muslim community ' s stance on the war and ( inaudible ) ? MS . DALTON: That ' s a good question . Obviously , the President will issue a statement , as he usually does , to mark the occasion of Ramadan . I don ' t have any information about events to share . But it ' s a holy time of year , and the President will extend his well wishes to the Muslim community . Q On Israel , can you say when was the last time the President spoke to Prime Minister Netanyahu? And are they planning to talk in the next couple of days? MS . DALTON: Well , the President was clear this weekend that Israel has the right to defend itself against the existential threat posed by Hamas . MS . DALTON: We have consistently said that the President has had a constructive and productive relationship with Prime Minister Netanyahu for decades . The length of their relationship allows them to be direct and honest when necessary . But their strong relationship hasn ' t changed . He also mentioned that he thinks Israel should do it in a way that follows the laws of war and pay more attention to the suffering and high number of civilian casualties that we are seeing . The President also mentioned in the interview that we believe no military operation should happen in Rafah unless there is a credible and doable plan to take care of the safety and security of the over a million civilians who are seeking shelter there . And we haven ' t seen such a plan . So , the President was very clear in his remarks . I don ' t think it ' s helpful for me to speculate one way or another . He has been very clear about our overall position and we won ' t engage in hypotheticals . And as for the President ' s use of the term "illegal" in his interview , he didn ' t actually apologize for it . He used a different word . But let ' s focus on the facts here . The President spoke about this in his recent State of the Union Address and expressed his condolences to Laken Riley ' s family . Regarding the President ' s speeches , he has been addressing a range of issues from drug costs to defending democracy . It ' s not a disconnect , but rather a comprehensive approach . In his State of the Union address , he focused on defending democracy , freedom , and expanding his economic agenda . We ' ve been able to create 15 million new jobs in the first three years of this administration by rebuilding the economy from the ground up . Our post - pandemic recovery is also the strongest among major economies worldwide . The President has been talking about various proposals , including the one we ' ll discuss in New Hampshire today , to further strengthen our economic progress . He ' s also been addressing the threats to our democracy , recognizing that it ' s not just a problem in the United States but also in countries like Ukraine and Israel . He believes it ' s important to keep making economic progress for the American people . As for his trip to New Hampshire , it ' s not an official speech . The President frequently travels across the country , red and blue states alike , to talk about his agenda and how it benefits the American people . Connecting with communities is a top priority for him as Commander - in - Chief . We ' re proud to have a New Hampshire delegation that has been leading the way on healthcare proposals that have made healthcare more affordable and saved Americans money . Regarding the meeting with the Polish leader tomorrow , I don ' t have any details to share at the moment , but my colleagues from the NSC will provide more information later . I ' m not familiar with the specific comments made by former President Trump about a 10% tariff and tax cuts extension , so I ' ll defer to the campaign for a response . Lastly , my last day at the White House is Wednesday , and it has been a tremendous honor to work with all of you . Despite being in this town for 20 years , I haven ' t become jaded . I ' m proud of that . And you know , for me , I ' m trying not to get all emotional , but being a part of these White House press briefings and gaggles , it really shows how committed the world ' s greatest democracy is to the American people and a free press . It ' s been such an honor to be a small part of that during this administration and with this President . And maybe that ' s a good note to end on . Congrats! Can you tell us where you ' re headed next , Ms . Dalton? I don ' t have any news to share right now , but I ' ll keep you updated . Thanks and congrats again! ( Applause ) It ' s 12:40 PM EDT .
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