Jennifer Rene Psaki

“ It was — I asked him what his message was — was for the Floyd family, not what his — what he thought the verdict should be. MS. PSAKI: Well, I think, Kaitlan, you know, he, obviously, has been following this trial quite closely, as many Americans have been. He has been — was obviously impacted by his conversation with the Floyd family yesterday, as somebody who has lived through loss and trauma himself.And he certainly has his mind and his heart on — on what is happening around the country, as people are digesting and watching these videos and watching this trial go forward. ”

“ Well, I think it’s important for any large economy and developed nation to participate in a climate summit because the world’s largest emitters are of- — also, for the most part, aligned with the world’s largest economies or the most populated countries. ”

“ Does the White House condone the Congresswoman’s comments? MS. PSAKI: Well, first, I would say, again, that the Congresswoman clarified her own comments. And what I can do is speak for the President’s view, which is that it’s important to provide a space and an opportunity for peaceful protest. But protesting should be peaceful; that’s something he has consistently advocated for, and he will regardless of the outcome of the trial. Q But she was calling on some protesters to perhaps get more confrontational on the streets. MS. PSAKI: And she’s had additional comments since then, right? ”

“ Q May I ask for an update on the President’s goal to reopen schools? Is his goal still, by the end of this month, to have a majority of K-to-8 schools open at least one day a week? And if so, does he think he’ll hit that goal? And to what extent is the administration worried by some of the more recent outbreaks we’ve seen among older-age students tied to these new variants of the virus? MS. PSAKI: Sure. Well, our goal remains to have the majority of schools open five days a week. ”

“ And so — hence, those are the people who are invited.And it just sends a message about the recognition that addressing climate is — addressing the climate crisis is something that, even when you have agreement — disagreements about other areas, you can — we can agree on that. ”

“ That he understands that people are exhausted, that they are tired, that — this type of violence and trauma we’ve seen around the country and continue to see over the past couple of weeks. And hopefully, that’s what they take away from his comments. Q And apart from what the verdict might be, I wonder if you could speak a little bit to Americans who feel on edge, especially African Americans who have seen so many verdicts, so many trials happen. No matter — whatever the outcome is, I wonder if the White House has a message for people just feeling anxious about what comes after this verdict? ”

“ The American Jobs Plan includes a total of $45 billion to accelerate the adoption of zero-emission transit buses and school buses to achieve the President’s goal for all U.S.-made buses to be zero-emissions by 2030. ”

“ Well, we’re going to allow Democrats and Republicans in the Senate to negotiate amongst themselves about what they think a final outcome or a final agreement could be. And we’re certainly hopeful that they’ll make progress in that, and the President is eager to sign policing reform legislation into law.And, certainly, we recognize it stalled last year. ”

“ Most oftentimes throughout history, you don’t reach the cap. The cap is just a number. We could set the cap at 100,000 or a million.It doesn’t really — we’re trying to send a message to the world that we are — want to welcome in refugees, and that’s who we are as an administration. ”

“ It’s clear the dividing lines on the traditional infrastructure portions of the President’s job and infrastructure package are the payfors. And the President says he’s willing and open to compromise. Republicans seem willing to support new, higher — new and higher user fees on — for Americans to use roads, bridges, and airports.But the President has insisted that such fees violate his campaign pledge not to raise taxes on Americans earning less than $400,000. ”

“ Taking care of children and doing it in humane way is — costs money, and that’s something that has certainly had an impact.
But a big part of — as we looked at and assessed challenges here, the primary obstacle to reaching the goal has been the decimation of the Refugee Admission Program under the prior administration. ”

“ Q Democratic lawmakers are calling on the Biden administration to scrutinize potential back — bank mergers more aggressively, arguing the Justice Department has approved too many, leading to higher fees for consumers and reduced access. Is the White House looking at this issue? And does it share those lawmakers’ comments, concerns? MS. PSAKI: We’ve certainly seen the comments, and the President supports competitive markets and thinks robust competition is good for consumers and for innovation. ”

“ And these mitigation measures — including wearing masks, including taking steps to provide social distancing opportunities, the money that’s going out the door to schools and school districts that need that assistance — are going to help us continue to make progress. ”

“ Obviously, the world’s larger economies, as you all know, have — have a sometimes greater responsibility for themselves, but also in — for some other econ- — for economies that are not as economically advanced in helping address these issues. ”

“ We’re not going to get ahead of the outcome. I expect when there is a verdict, he will have more to say. Q And will you — as you say, the President made note that he only spoke out today because the jury was sequestered. But, of course, everyone else in Minneapolis and around the country could hear what he said; they’d be in a position to hear what he said today. We know there are worries about unrest. Is there now concern that the President’s words could add to that if the, quote, “right verdict” is not reached? ”

“ He would love to sign the George Floyd bill into law. And that he also is here as a human being, and he sees their pain, he recognizes their loss and their trauma, and he wants to put reforms in place to help address it moving forward.
Q And Speaker Nancy Pelosi came to the defense of Representative Waters. Representative Waters, as you said, clarified — she said, my actual “words don’t matter.”I wonder why the White House isn’t also coming to the defense of Representative Waters, given the fact that she’s now facing an onslaught of attacks, especially by — I would say — Republicans. ”

“ This includes $25 billion for zero-emissions transit vehicles and $20 billion for electric school buses.
There are currently 475,000 yellow school buses — that sounded like a lot to me — that serve 25 million children, and 95 percent of them are powered by diesel. ”

“ And our focus is on encouraging — continuing to encourage people to get shots in their arms.
Q And, sort of, one other quick one. There was a report yesterday in the Journal that the administration is considering reducing the amount of nicotine that could be in cigarettes and also restricting or banning menthol cigarettes altogether. Is that something you can update us on, about whether the administration favors either of these positions? MS. PSAKI: I don’t — I have seen the report, of course. I don’t have any policy previews — proposals to preview today. ”

“ He also reminded the governors that there is a significant amount of vaccine supply in the system and the federal government stands ready to help states put shots into arms as quickly as possible.
With that, Jonathan, why don’t you get us started.
Q Thank you, Jen. Just a few minutes ago in the Oval Office, the President spoke about the trial of the Minneapolis Police officer, Derek Chauvin. And he says, quote, “I’m praying the verdict is the right verdict.” And then he says, “I think it’s,” quote, “overwhelming, in my view.” ”