Jennifer Rene Psaki

“ The White House Chief of Staff, Ron Klain, pointed out this morning that at the pace of today’s jobs report, it would take until April 2023 to get back to pre-pandemic economic levels. So how much quicker does the White House believe the economy can recover to those levels with this $1.9 trillion package? ”

“ And we welcome the support of Republicans in the Senate. We’re open to answering questions, to addressing concerns they have but, at the end of the day, our focus and the President’s priority is on ensuring that almost 160 million people receive direct checks; that we are providing money to schools — by the way, polling this morning showed the majority of people supported that across the country so that they can reopen; and that we are ensuring we can get vaccines in the arms of Americans.We’re still in the middle of a crisis. We’re in the — still in the middle of a war with the pandemic. ”

“ Since the President proposed a $1.9 trillion package, the national picture has changed in a few significant ways. This jobs report today shows the economy is recovering at a faster pace than anticipated — about 16 percent of Americans have now received at least one dose of the vaccine — and yet the President hasn’t budged off that $1.9 trillion topline. ”

“ But the President has also talked about many components of his Build Back Better agenda, which we look forward to speaking to and — in the future, after we get the American Rescue Plan passed and the relief into the arms of Americans.
And he believes there are a number of additional ways that we can help put Americans back to work, including good, clean-paying infrastru- — or clean-paying — well-paying, I should say — sorry, it’s a Friday — well-paying infrastructure jobs that are good, union jobs.
He believes there are many industries of the future that can help put more people back to work. ”

“ Well, look, the President believes that infrastructure — just to keep with the theme; it is not infrastructure week, but he did just have the meeting yesterday — that infrastructure is a policy and a proposal he’s long been a supporter of, as have Democrats and Republicans in the past.Even look at immigration reform: Immigration reform is an issue that many Republicans and Democrats in the — who are elected have said and have supported in the past. The private sector has supported. ”

“ Right now, as you’ve noted, our priority is — and our focus is on ensuring the American people are vaccinated. And we have to take into account a number of factors, including the fact that we don’t know which vaccine works — is most effective with children. ”

“ So does the administration take any accountability for what’s happening? MS. PSAKI: Who are the Americans? Q Well, I know you don’t want to answer to him, but the former President just released a statement saying that, “The Biden Administration must act immediately to end the border nightmare that they have unleashed onto our nation.” MS. PSAKI: Former President Trump? Q Yes. MS. PSAKI: We don’t take our advice or counsel from former President Trump on immigration policy, which was not only inhumane but ineffective over the last four years. ”

“ So to catch people up who aren’t following exactly what you’re following: President Biden has asked senior members of his team to travel to the border region in order to provide a full briefing to him on the government response to the influx of unaccompanied minors and an assessment of additional steps that can be taken to ensure the safety and care of these children.Out of safety, security, and privacy concerns, the date and time of this visit will remain confidential, but the White House — and for now — but we will provide a full readout of the visit once it concludes. ”

“ But the President believes that trans rights are human rights, and that no one should be discriminated on the basis of sex. Not only is this the law of the land, it’s his own deeply held view.The anti-discrimination executive order the President signed is focused on children being able to learn without worrying about whether they will be discriminated against, and this means not being denied access to the restroom, the locker room, or school sports. ”

“ Well, first, bipartisanship is not determined by a single ZIP code in Washington, D.C. It’s about where the American people sit and stand. And the vast majority of the American people support the American Rescue Plan, including Republicans.And so, I think, really, the question is: Why are Republicans in Congress who aren’t supporting this package outliers in where the American public is in moving this forward? ”

“ Will the President reach out to lawmakers on the Equality Act? MS. PSAKI: It certainly is a piece of legislation the President supports, as you well know. And he discusses a range of his priorities with members of Congress, the House, and the Senate. And I’m certain, when given the opportunity, he will advocate for the passing. Q And I know you’ve been asked about the legislative filibuster in this briefing already, but I would like you to address it as it pertains to this specific bill. ”

“ Well, I would first say that we work with European countries and partners, Eurasian countries and partners, countries and partners in South America on a range of priorities and issues — whether it’s security, whether it’s addressing the threat of climate, whether it is economic partnership and relationships — and we’ll continue to do that.We also have conversations about access to COVID — access to vaccines, and we’ll continue to do that as well. ”

“ But the President believes and economists believe and experts believe that in order to get this pandemic under control, in order to get people back to work, we need an infusion of this size package because the twin crises we’re facing — that’s what would meet the moment. ”

“ You know, the President has been clear — on the campaign, and, probably, more recently — that he stands up to the abuse of power, and that includes the abuse of power from big technology companies and their executives. ”

“ And what is the message to other state and local leaders who might be considering doing the same? MS. PSAKI: Well, our message broadly is what our health and medical experts have conveyed — Dr. Fauci and all of our COVID team: There are three approved vaccines from the FDA. They all are safe. They are effective. They prevent severe disease and death. So anyone who is going to — anyone should take — everyone in this country, I should say, should take whatever vaccine they have access to.As I understand it, the mayor was going to — our team has been in touch with the mayor. ”

“ And on infrastructure, I’d certainly — I don’t have these — this in front of me, but I’m sure you have — all have lots of research assistants who can look at who has supported infrastructure in the past. And many — many have spoken to their support for infrastructure packages. Many have — Republicans, of course, and Democrats. ”

“ When they come — when these kids come in, it doesn’t mean they are ensured that they get to stay. They go through the processing system that everyone goes through, but we want to ensure that that is done by treating them humanely and with respect. ”

“ Q And then, just on some of the compromises that we’re seeing coming out of the Senate: The President agreed to limit eligibility for the stimulus checks. He is also now allowing these unemployment checks to be lowered from $400 to $300 a month, even though, of course, there is an extension there until September.But it seems like a lot of these compromises are tailored to the more moderate elements of the Democratic Caucus. Is the President concerned at all about losing progressives once this bill goes back to the House? ”

“ And the President is going to be standing right alongside him, fighting for an increase in the minimum wage to $15 an hour, because men and women who are working hard to make ends meet shouldn’t be living at the poverty level. And he will use his political capital to get that done.I don’t have anything to preview for you in terms of the order or the timeline, but it remains a priority, and it is something that the President would like to get done and will use his capital to do. ”

“ And we, of course, want to work directly with countries around the world about how we can support their efforts, moving forward.I understand that’s challenging at this moment in time because the President’s priority is ensuring every American is vaccinated. ”

“ Q Jen, a number of state legislatures are advancing legislation seen as imposing additional restrictions on transgender youth, including those that would inhibit their ability to stay in sports and access transition-related care. ”

“ By eliminating the first $10,200 of UI benefits from taxation for 2020, combined with, of course, this — the extension through September, this amendment would provide more relief to the unemployed than the current legislation. It’s different person to person, of course, but on average, it would provide more relief. ”

“ Isn’t there a reasonable expectation, if the President strongly supports this bill, that he would want to welcome the filibuster — to see it get to his desk? MS. PSAKI: The President’s position hasn’t changed. He looks forward to advocating for the passage of legislation that he supports and to working with Democrats and Republicans to get that done. Q And, finally, who at the White House is coordinating the approach to the Equality Act? ”

“ They are fleeing difficult circumstances in their home country.When they come here, all we’re talking about here is ensuring that they are treated safely, they are not trafficked, they are not sent back on a unsafe journey. ”