Jennifer Rene Psaki and Alejandro Nicholas Mayorkas

“ There are also websites in many states that provide access and provide guideline — or guidance for people looking for where they can get a vaccine and access. So that is true in different states across the country as well.But one of the things we’ve also found — and the prism at which we’re looking at this through — is that it’s not just about people being able to go on websites; people also don’t all have access to the Internet, including many people who are in communities where there’s higher level of vaccine hesitancy or rural communities. ”

“ Later today, President Biden will deliver remarks on the status of our COVID-19 response, and he will announce an unprecedented, historic step: The two largest healthcare and pharmaceutical companies, Merck and Johnson & Johnson — usually competitors — are coming together to expand production of the vaccine — Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine drug substance, as well as increase its fill-finish capacity. They will enter into a historic manufacturing partnership to expand that, I should say. ”

“ Well, one of the steps that you could certainly advocate for is the — or any of these folks could advocate for is the signing of the American Rescue Plan, which has $160 billion in it to help ensure schools can make the changes to their facilities, can hire enough teachers so that they can have socially distant kids in classrooms, so that they can have enough bus drivers. ”

“ If there are state, local governments, hospital systems who are having real problems with their websites and their implementation of vaccine registration systems, is the federal government offering assistance — technical contractor support, maybe using the Defense Production Act, to require a federal contractor in the technology space to help them out? ”

“ And so we’ve also taken a number of steps — call centers, proactive outreach to communities from health centers — to get people to come and take the vaccine, because a website is not going to be the silver bullet that solves everything. ”

“ As I’ve noted in here before, the President is committed to moving forward on the rest of his Build Back Better agenda, and we’re going to wait until we’re through the American Rescue Plan and that is signed into law, direct checks are going out to the American people, more money to get vaccines into arms, schools are starting to reopen with money.So that’s our focus now, but he believes that we can invest in areas like infrastructure and do that in a way that creates good-paying green jobs that are good-paying union jobs. ”

“ And we have emphasized time and time again, we want to keep them safe, we want to treat them with humanity. They are not guaranteed to stay in the United States; they still go through the processing. We just don’t want to send them back — and the consideration of whether they can stay here through what is possible through our laws.It is still a difficult time. It’s a difficult journey. We are not encouraging people to come, but we also believe, differently from the past administration, that we are not going to turn away kids who are under 18. ”

“ Also today, the Biden-Harris administration is announcing key conclusions from an intelligence community assessment on the poisoning of Aleksey Navalny, as well as measures to hold Russia accountable for this action.
The intelligence community assesses with “high confidence” that officers of Russia’s Federal Security Service used a nerve agent to poison Russian opposition leader Aleksey Navalny on August 20, 2020. The use of any chemical weapon directly violates international legal obligations and norms of civilized conduct. ”

“ It is a challenge. We have more than 7,000 unaccompanied kids who have come into the United States, and that is certainly a lot of children that we are trying to treat humanely and safely and process through the system as quickly as we can. That’s — that’s not easy. That is a challenge.Certainly, the President receives briefings and regular updates from his team. And, you know, we typically don’t confirm those publicly, but he is — he is briefed regularly by his team, the Domestic Policy Council, and other members of his policy team. ”

“ Every day that goes by — some kids are in school year round; have been, for example, in Nebraska. Kids have been in the schools since day one, back in August. In other states, strictly virtually. The education gap is widening; no doubt about that. When fall rolls around, if some schools are still not in person, full time, will the President accept that, or will he have a firm deadline in mind that gets kids back in the classroom? MS. PSAKI: Well, the President wants schools to be back in the classroom. ”

“ Interior announced yesterday it’s giving out more than $260 million in grants to help coal production states create green energy jobs. Is the White House launching any programs to help those states transition to fossil fuel workers into green tech, or are they leaving that up to the governors? ”

“ One is fill-finish capacity, which is actually kind of the bottle — the top that’s put on these bottles of vaccines, and the other is drug substance availability, which is some of the components that make up the ingredients in the vaccine. So those were pieces that — or steps — we invoked the DPA in order to implement those particular pieces. But the other piece that we are focused on here is ensuring that the Merck facilities are up to capacity of what’s needed to manufacture the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. ”

“ We’re seeing a couple of questions on COVID. We’re seeing reports out of Kansas and Missouri that small rural areas are receiving large quantities of doses and that larger urban areas are receiving smaller shipments of doses relative to their populations. So I’m wondering if the White House is satisfied that local — state and local governments are doing what they need to do in terms of ensuring vaccine equity. ”

“ And that is an example of where engagement is in the interest of the United States — in our national security interests.There are also areas, some of which you touched on — of course, depending on where things land with the invitation for diplomatic talks on Iran — Russia is a P5+1 partner. They were, as we pursued the JCPOA, under the Obama-Biden administration, and they certainly would be a key — a key partner if that diplomatic process were to move forward.
So, the point is: There are areas where we disagree. There are areas where there is significant challenge. ”

“ We’re also involved and engaged with local and state leaders on a regular basis. And certainly mobile vaccination sites, and the implementation of those and where they can most effectively be utilized, is something that is part of that discussion. Q And I’m wondering what the administration is doing to avoid some of the problems that might arise with the J&J vaccine that have plagued the AstraZeneca vaccine in Europe, where in Germany and France, the AstraZeneca vaccine seems to be treated as a secondary vaccine or the second choice because of the perception that it has a lower efficacy rate. ”

“ And as we celebrate the love of reading and uplift diverse and representative authors, it is especially important that we ensure all children can see themselves represented and celebrated in the books that they read. ”

“ And, of course, all of these vaccines are being distributed in communities across the country.As we’ve talked about a little bit here, we’re going to have more than enough vaccine doses to distribute to communities across the country and to the American people, and we expect to have that done at an expedited pace from what we had been predicting previously. ”

“ Q We see that China and Russia, by the tens of millions, are giving vaccine to African and South American countries. We understand, because you repeat this every day, that the President wants first every American to be vaccinated. ”

“ And the benefit of doing a briefing every day is that I can certainly speak on behalf of the President and the Vice President, and so let me reiterate that they both believe that every woman coming forward should be heard, should be treated with dignity, and treated with respect.As you all know, the New York Attorney General will oversee an independent investigation with subpoena power, and the governor’s office said he will fully cooperate. ”

“ And — but the President did not make any commitments, nor did he give a timeline.His focus is on ensuring the American people are vaccinated. And, yes, now we have more than enough doses — we will have more than enough doses to vaccinate the American people, but there are a couple of factors that our team looks at, including the fact that we don’t know which vaccine will be most effective on children. ”

“ And so we took steps to ensure we could capitalize on the scientific breakthrough. Q No, but this was necessary for the company to meet its commitments to the federal government? MS. PSAKI: I wouldn’t put it in those terms, Zeke. I would just say that it was a step that helps ensure that Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine can be — the production of it can be expedited, that the manufacturing of it can be expedited, and that’s, of course, good news for the American people. ”

“ Q Jen, on Russia, Navalny, and the sanctions that you just announced at the top of this briefing here: The Biden administration didn’t punish Mohammed bin Salman directly for Khashoggi’s death; you’re not punishing Vladimir Putin directly for Navalny’s imprisonment — only those around them. ”

“ Q So, for clarity, it sounds like, even if unintentionally, you’re sending the message that these migrants can come; they just got to wait a little bit longer. Is that the message you’re sending? MS. PSAKI: Well, we’ve been also clear, as he was yesterday, the majority of people who come to the border are turned away, even — even undocumented — even kids who come in at the border — unaccompanied minors who come in. ”

“ It’s getting warmer out there. More people are getting vaccinated. People feel better; that’s a good thing. But we need to remain vigilant. We are still at war with the virus. The President, of course, will continue to convey that publicly and also privately in his conversations.
Let me see. Go ahead.
Q Thank you, Jen. Just a couple questions on the partnership. Can we expect — and, you know, what is the timeline by when we can expect the first vaccine to roll off of the lines of Merck’s facilities? ”

“ The U.S. government will facilitate this partnership in several key ways, including invoking the Defense Production Act to equip two Merck facilities to the standards necessary to safely manufacture the vaccine, and asking the Department of Defense to provide daily logistical support to strengthen Johnson & Johnson’s efforts. ”

“ Q Thanks. First, on this Merck-J&J deal, what role did the President and the White House have in making this partnership happen? The DPA is (inaudible) the details of it. How did these two companies come together? MS. PSAKI: Well, as I noted in the opening, these obviously are two companies that are — historically been competitors. So the fact that they are coming together speaks to the ability of this administration, broadly, to bring them to the table and work together to address the pandemic in the country.It was an across-the-administration effort. ”

“ Secretary Cardona — his number one priority is reopening schools. And so, certainly, taking a trip with the First Lady is an indication of his commitment to that.
Go ahead.
Q Thanks, Jen. A question about Governor Andrew Cuomo. Vice President Kamala Harris was one of the most vocal critics of Justice Brett Kavanaugh, of Senator Al Franken, when they faced similar allegations. She said repeatedly, “I believe them” — the women. But she hasn’t said anything about the three women who are accusing Governor Andrew Cuomo. ”