Jennifer Rene Psaki

“ And so, from our perspective, putting the middle class and working people at the center of our foreign policy isn’t just good from a strategic perspective, it’s just good common sense and good, decent values as well.
So, these are some of the things you’ll hear from President Biden today. And we will also have the opportunity to put out a set of executive orders that establish regular order in our national security decision making; that revitalize our workforce, both in terms of the skills they have and to reflect the diversity, equity, and inclusion priorities of this administration ”

“ So what options specifically, in terms of sanctions, is the administration considering? And does it include declaring, like, a new national emergency via an executive order to impose sanctions on more generals or the military or government as a whole? MR. SULLIVAN: Without getting too far ahead of ourselves, we are reviewing the possibility of a new executive order, and we are also looking at specific targeted sanctions both on individuals and on entities controlled by the military — that enrich the military. ”

“ Now, our view is that once we have established this position of strength, we will be able to compete more effectively with our competitors across the board and especially with China, in every domain — economic, diplomatic, technological, security, you name it. We’ll be able to counter Russia more effectively. And we’ll be better equipped to address threats from climate change to pandemics to nuclear proliferation.
We will also be able to more effectively pursue a foreign policy for the middle class. ”

“ Kristen, who’s back today again, asked a great question about the Artemis program, which I dug into, and I’m very excited about it now to tell my daughter all about it.
So, for those of you who have not been following it as closely: Through the Artemis program, the United States government will work with industry and international partners to send astronauts to the surface of the Moon — another man and a woman to the Moon, which is very exciting; conduct new and exciting science; prepare for future missions to Mars; and demonstrate America’s values. ”

“ And the President has taken steps that is — that are possible through his federal authorities, including mandating them on public lands, on airplanes.But part of what we’re also trying to do is make our health and medical experts available to ensure people understand — and I’ll reiterate it here today: It’s not just a vaccine; it’s obviously an incredible medical breakthrough, and we want every American to have one. But even if you’re vaccinated, social distancing, wearing masks are going to be essential, and we’ll need to continue communicating about that through health and medical experts. ”

“ And, you’re right, there are — there’s a large swath of Americans who are struggling through this moment in time because they fear about their health, the health of their grandparents, of their cousins, of their parents, and also people who worry about their kids going back to school and, you know, their desire to get their kids back in school and continue learning.The package itself, again, is of course a priority of the President. It is not the end of our work or the end of his efforts to help bring relief to the American public. ”

“ This is going to be the first in a series of visits he makes to the national security workforce at the Pentagon, at the intelligence community, and across the U.S. government.
His remarks are not going to be the totality of his foreign policy; they’re going to be focused on his early decisions and actions. And those early moves, the core strategic thrust of them, is to establish a position of strength for the United States to be able to deal with both great power competition and the transnational threats that the American people face. ”

“ Today he will announce that Secretary Austin will lead a global force posture review and, during the pendency of that review, will freeze any troop redeployments from Germany.
Now, of course, establishing a position of strength also means building a national security team that’s fit for purpose. And here at the National Security Council, not only have we reinforced and reinvigorated every element of our regional and functional work, we’ve added a new deputy for cyber and emerging technology; we’ve elevated democracy as a key part of the National Security Council’s work ”

“ We’ve rejoined the Paris Climate Accord, and President Biden will be hosting a climate leaders’ summit in April. We’ve reversed the decision to leave the World Health Organization. We’ve, just yesterday, extended the New START Treaty to maintain strategic nuclear stability with Russia for the next five years.
Four, reasserting our values. The President, in the first two weeks, has reversed the Muslim ban, the ban on transgender service members serving in our military. And today, he will announce an end to American support for offensive operations in Yemen. ”

“ Teachers want schools to be open. Families want schools to be open. But we want to do it safely. And I’m not sure that any parent in this country would disagree with wanting their kids to go to school in a safe environment, where there’s ventilation, where proper precautions are taken — whether it’s masks or social distancing. And that’s his priority.But there should be no confusion: The President of the United States wants schools to open ”

“ Q Texas is expected to cut Planned Parenthood out of its Medicaid program imminently after a federal appeals court ruled it could do so. Does the Biden administration plan to step in and take action, as was done under the Obama administration, to prevent states from cutting Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers from Medicaid programs? MS. PSAKI: Well the President’s views are clear and consistent on this issue. Just last week, in an executive order, he reissued guidance specifying that states cannot refuse Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood and other providers. ”

“ I’m happy to talk to our health team, and you’ll have another briefing with them tomorrow. Obviously, a number of options are under consideration to both make sure Americans are safer and that we’re doing everything necessary to communicate with them accurately how to keep themselves and their families safe, but also how to better communicate with governors and mayors.Some of that is reopening the line of communication, which was somewhat shut at times, according to governors, during the last administration ”

“ And then it’s about the set of issues that working families in this country are facing every day that are challenging their lives and livelihoods: the pandemic, climate change, the threat of domestic violent extremism. ”

“ It’s great to have the opportunity to be here. As Jen just mentioned, President Biden is going to be going over to the State Department to give remarks on foreign policy and national security today. It’s not an action [accident] that he’s chosen the State Department as the venue for these first remarks that he will make on this subject. He wants to send a clear message that our national security strategy will lead with diplomacy. ”

“ President Biden, in his remarks today, will talk about some of the outreach he has done to Republicans on the issue. And we believe we can work with the Congress on a package of sanctions to impose consequences in — in response to this coup. We will also be working with allies and partners around the world. ”

“ On the one hand, pulling our country together, revitalizing our own democratic foundation, building more unity, as President Biden has talked about — that will be an important part of us operating effectively in the world.But when it comes to Burma specifically, this is an area where there is genuine bipartisan agreement. ”

“ A CBO report found that without any additional stimulus, our economy wouldn’t reach pre-pandemic levels until 2025, and it would take just as long to get back to full employment. This week was the 46th consecutive week that jobless claims have exceeded the pre-pandemic record high. ”

“ It’s quite — and it’s steps they’re taking to protect themselves.I mean, we know statistically — or from our health experts, I should say — that if Americans wear a mask for 100 days, 50,000 lives would be saved. ”

“ They’re looking for a space where they can have great capacity to bring people in and vaccinate as many people as possible, but it’s ongoing, and I’m sure the health and — health team will be able to provide an update on the specific numbers.
Go ahead.
Q Thank you. I just wanted to ask if President Biden will sign the refugee executive order today. And then a follow-up on that. MS. PSAKI: He — the President is certainly committed to looking for ways to ensure more refugees are welcomed into the United States; it’s a priority to him personally. ”

“ I’ll have to talk to our national security team about that.Go ahead.
Q Thanks, Jen. Republican — some Republicans and some centrist Democrats have said that a minimum wage increase does not belong in a COVID relief bill. So is President Biden willing to drop the $15 minimum wage in order to get bipartisan support for that package? MS. PSAKI: Well, the President feels strongly that we need to raise the minimum wage — and many economists agree with him — and looks forward to working with Congress to do it. ”

“ The reality is, we see it every single day. A sur- — a new survey from Navigator Research out this morning shows 72 percent of Americans support the Rescue Plan, including 53 percent of Republicans. A Quinnipiac Poll, yesterday, found that 68 percent of Americans back the Rescue Plan. A Yahoo/YouGov survey on Monday showed that over two thirds support the package. ”

“ That work is not done, but I don’t have a meeting to announce for you here today. Q So to be clear, though, has he spoken or has he met with Kevin McCarthy yet, the leader of the — MS. PSAKI: I don’t have any calls to read out for you. Our team remains in touch, again, with Democrats and Republicans, members of our economic team, members of our political teams. We are certainly engaged with all offices that have an interest in engaging with us. Q And last question, if I can. Hunter Biden has a memoir to be published in April. ”