Jennifer Rene Psaki

“ Going back to the vaccine: I know you say the goal is to vaccinate Americans first. But I want to go back to the AstraZeneca supply sitting here in the U.S. without approval. Many countries are seeking — Brazil is also seeking access to the supply. Brazil is in urgent need. Scientists around the world are saying that Brazil is a threat to the world right now — the situation there, the crisis there. Dr. Fauci said last week that the most important thing to do in Brazil is to get more people vaccinated as soon as possible. ”

“ Just quickly, on immigrationGiven the FEMA deployment to the border, I wanted to see if the administration is going to ask Congress for any additional emergency money to secure the border or fund resources to house or provide additional care for children who are there. MS. PSAKI: The problems, as I’ve — one, there’s an immigration bill that we’ve certainly proposed that we hope that members of both parties will take seriously and engage in a constructive conversation about. The issues and challenges we’re facing are not fully — are not solely about funding at all. ”

“ First question is back on the border. There were lawyers who interviewed some children that were in facilities. The children described sleeping on the floor, being hungry, not being — not seeing the sun for days. How is that acceptable for the Biden administration to keep children in those sorts of conditions given the fact that you said you — you were going to be the administration that was going to be more humane than the previous one? MS. PSAKI: Well, these — let me first say this is heartbreaking. It’s a very emotional issue for a lot of people, and it’s very difficult and challenging. ”

“ But also, doctors and local healthcare providers are — we see, poll after poll, are the most — one of the most trusted authorities in communities, regardless of people’s political affiliation, as are religious leaders and local leaders as well.So we are very mindful of that and thinking of ways to support, empower, you know, help fund those efforts. We’re also meeting regularly with conservative groups, faith leaders, and rural stakeholders to partner with them in boosting vaccine confidence. ”

“ Q And then, on immigration, does FEMA’s arrival at the border mean that the administration feels what is happening down at the border is a disaster? MS. PSAKI: I know that we always get into the fun of labels around here, but I would say our focus is on solutions. And this is one of the steps that the President felt would help not become a final solution, but help expedite processing; help ensure that people who are coming across the border are — have access to health and medical care. Clearly, the numbers are enormous. ”

“ A big focus is we want to take a moment — or take some time, more than a moment — to engage directly with the American people and make sure they understand the benefits of the package, how they can benefit from the package ”

“ Q You know, as money is coming into states and localities — and, in some cases, it hasn’t been as disastrous it was maybe earlier thought it might be, and the shortfall isn’t as great — some of the states and localities could find themselves with surpluses.And so, I guess what you’re saying here is that the President and Gene, by extension, would be opposed to any tax cuts that any states or localities would pass through, that they’d rather have it be more on the building front or more on the hiring front. ”

“ We recognize that signing the bill is just a first step. And getting the money out the door, ensuring people know how they can benefit, how it will help their local communities is an important part as well. ”

“ Q But what do you make of black leaders — some black experts saying that there was too much focus on the hesitancy in the African American community and that might be used as an excuse for not having enough access to black — to black people in this country; that this administration and others focus too much on black people and their hesitancy for the vaccine? ”

“ Q So, a new poll from NPR and Marist said that nearly half of Republican men won’t get the vaccine when it’s available to them. And I know that last week you said that the Democratic administration might not always be the best messenger to communicate to everyone, kind of, the importance and the benefits of getting the vaccine.So I just wanted to ask if the White House is making plans to try to boost Republican receptivity to the vaccine. ”

“ What I’m conveying is that there is a shared view that those at the top are not doing their part — obviously, that corporations could be paying higher taxes. That continues to be consistent with what the President talked about.He had a different proposal he put forward than the one Senator Warren has put forward, but, you know, as is always the case with democracy in action, when it’s the appropriate time, I’m sure they’ll discuss and he will discuss with others what their views are of how to address this moving forward. ”

“ Governor Cuomo is still the head of the National Governors Association; usually he attends. Is he still welcome on the White House-convened call?
MS. PSAKI: Well, let me first say that, like everyone who continues to read stories, new developments seem to happen every day. We find them troubling. The President finds them troubling, hard to read. And every woman who steps forward needs to be treated with dignity and respect.{{pgraph|The New York Attorney General is pursuing of course an independent investigation against Governor Cuomo, and that is appropriate. ”

“ And I know there is a hard out here for a gather time, so we’ll work to get through as many people as possible. And if our friends in the front row could help with that so we can get to the back row, we’ll come circle back around if that works. ”

“ As we’ve talked about a bit in here, there are a number of economic officials who will be playing roles in implementation, so he has especially an interesting and relevant background in help pull all those levers.
Gene also played a key role in helping steer Detroit out of bankruptcy and on the path to renewal, and he quarterbacked support for small businesses and economic assistance for unemployed Americans. ”

“ He’s asked the American people to do their part to help quickly beat the virus, and he’s directed OSHA to determine if any emergency — if an emergency temporary standard was necessary to protect workers from COVID.So his objective is actually to protect workers and members of the workforce. ”

“ You know, I think we are — we work extremely closely with the country of Mexico on — on addressing what is a challenge for us and certainly a challenge for them.There’s always more that can be done, Steve, and I think part of our engagement is having those diplomatic conversations and having discussions about what more can be done at all the borders. ”

“ But also, we want to ensure that people are treated with humanity — who are children, who are unaccompanied children. That’s who we are as a country, and so we are doing both.Go ahead.
Q Thanks, Jen. Given what we’re seeing at state legislatures, in terms of tightening voting restrictions, some groups are saying that the White House should consider reprioritizing voting rights over infrastructure. Is that something that’s under consideration here at the White House — to reprioritizing and focus on voting rights next — now that the ARP is out? ”

“ Send the kids back on the journey, send them to unvetted homes, or work to expedite moving them into shelters where they can get health treatment by medical doctors, by — educational resources, legal counseling, mental health counseling. ”

“ Well, I would say that his focus is on developing solutions — pushing his team, encouraging his team to develop solutions that will expedite processing at the border, that will open more facilities, that will ensure kids are treated with humanity and also treated safely. ”

“ So one of the reasons — or a driving reason why the President has pushed to take all of the actions that I outlined earlier when Phil asked the question is because we want to expedite getting these kids out of these CBP facilities as quickly as possible — and that’s our goal and our objective — and into shelters as quickly as possible, then into sponsored homes while their cases are being considered and adjudicated.We are trying to work through what was a dismantled and unprepared system because of the eff- — the role of the last administration. ”

“ And so we’re focusing on how to make it as convenient and accessible for Americans as possible.{{pgraph|And I talked about this very briefly last week, but we know we need to meet everyone where they are, and that includes conservatives and ensure there are trusted messengers who lead the way in those engagements. ”

“ And, obviously, the President will have more to say about what he wants to pursue next as part of his Build Back Better agenda.The President remains committed to his pledge from the campaign that nobody making under $400,000 a year will have their taxes increased. ”

“ His priority and focus has always been on people paying their fair share and also focusing on corporations that may not be paying their fair share either. So that remains his overarching approach, but there isn’t a package yet where we’re talking about payfors yet, so I expect we can have more conversations about that down the road.
Go ahead.
Q Jen, thanks. Two questions. One, the Treasury Secretary said yesterday that a wealth tax is something you haven’t decided on yet and can look at. ”