James S. Brady Press Briefing Room
2:06 P.M. EDT
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Good afternoon, everyone.
Q Good afternoon.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, today is a solemn day and a day of remembrance.
One year ago, on October 7th, Hamas launched a heinous attack against Israel. On a day that was supposed to be a joyous Jewish holiday of singing and dancing, Hamas terr- –terrorists streamed across the border from Gaza into Israel and massacred more than 1,200 innocent people, including 46 Americans, at a music festival.
They committed horrific acts of sexual violence. In many cases, these terrorists recorded their acts of barbarity and carnage, chilling, documenting the unspeakable atrocities they committed for others to see.
This morning, the president and the first lady lit a yahrzeit candle to remember all those who were massacred by Hamas in what was the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust.
The president and the first lady were joined by Rabbi Aaron Alexander of Adas Israel Congregation for the candle lighting in remembrance of the victims of the October 7th attacks.
The rabbi recited "God Full of Mercy," a Jewish prayer for the soul of a person who has died. It is recited during bur- — burial services and memorial services.
Rabbi Alexander is a family friend of the Goldberg-Polin family. Hersh Goldberg-Polin was abducted by Hamas on October 7th and held hostage for almost 11 months until he was murdered by Hamas.
The president also issued a statement mourning those who were killed and recognizing the more than 250 innocents, including 12 Americans, who were taken hostage. The president has met with many of their families and grieved with them. As he said this morning, "They have been through hell." So many families have lost loved ones on October 7th and will never be the same.
President Biden and Vice President Harris have stood strongly in support of the people of Israel and they made clear again today they fully — they fully co- — they are fully committed to the safety of the Jewish people, the security of Israel, and its right to exist.
As both the president and the vice president said, we must bring the hostages home that are being — who are being held in Gaza.
President Biden continues to work around the clock to try to reach a ceasefire and hostage release deal that would not only bring the hostages held by Hamas home to their families, but also end the fighting and alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people in Gaza, many of whom have been living in hellish conditions, and enable a much-needed surge of humanitarian aid in Gaza.
As we reflect on the past year and all that has happened since October 7th, we also mourn the loss of innocent life in Gaza where tens of thousands of Palestinians have lost their lives as a result of the conflict that Hamas' terro- — terrorism has unleashed.
President Biden will never stop working to end the suffering of all people. And he continues the work to build the conditions for a lasting peace in the region so that after this conflict is over, Israelis and Palestinians can live securely, side by side, in a lasting peace with equal measures of safety, opportunity, and dignity.
Now, moving on to the hurricane — Hurricane Helene.
President Biden and Vice President Harris continue to s- — to use every tool available to help communities devastated by Hurricane Helene.
Over the weekend, President Biden ordered another 500 active-duty troops to move into western north Cali- — Car- — Carolina — North Carolina, pardon me, in addition to the 1,000 troops the president previously ordered to deploy to the state. This is on top of the more than 6- — 6,100 National Guardsmen and over 7,000 federal personnel all working together with their state and local counterparts to help people begin their road to rebuilding.
Over the last few days, the administration has contracted — contacted nearly 450 state and local officials across the region to offer further support.
And, to date, the president — the president — this administration has helped thousands of Helene survivors — Helene survivors just — jump-start their recoveries, providing over $210 million in direct financial assistance, with more coming every day. As the president has said, when it comes to this whole-of-government response, we are sparring no — sparing no — no resource here.
Unfortunately, scam artists and bad-faith actors and others who are putting politics over people are promoting misinformation about our efforts, including falsehoods about federal assistance. This is wrong, dangerous, and must stop immediately.
Elected officials at every level and on both side of the aisle have also called for an end to these conspiracy theories.
False information following a disaster can discourage people from seeking critical assistance when they need it the most. Everyone, especially those in positions of power, must do everything they can to encourage survivors to register for assistance, not discourage them by allowing these falsehoods to fester.
And finally, the president was briefed yesterday and again today on the potential impacts of Hurricane Milton, which forecasts to become a Category 5 storm and make landform — landfall Wednesday on the western coast of Florida.
As with Helene, FEMA and other federal agencies are actively pre-positioning lifesaving resources in advance of the storm.
And earlier today, the president approved the governor of Florida's request for an emergency disaster declaration, which unlocks additional federal resources to help the state respond to the storm.
To everyone in the path of Milton: The time to prepare is right now. Visit Ready.gov or — or go download the FEMA — the FEMA app to make a plan today. The time is right now.
Please, please, please listen to local officials. It could save your life.
Now, the Biden-Harris administration is committed to preventing, detecting, and responding to health emergencies globally.
On Sep- — on September 27th, Rwanda's Ministry of Health announced an outbreak of Marburg virus disease — MVD — and the Biden-Harris administration is working closely with the government of Rwanda to end the outbreak as quickly as possible.
As we have all experienced in recent years, health emergencies are a global issue we must address together.
CDC assesses that the risk of the infection with this virus in the United States is low, and there are currently no confirmed MVD — MVD cases outside of Rwanda.
Since learning of this outbreak, the United States has committed to ma- — to making nearly $11 million available to address urgent health needs in Rwanda and surrounding countries, and although there are currently no FDA-approved vaccines or drugs against MVD, the United States also contributed investigational vaccine and therapeutic doses, which arrived in Rwanda this weekend, just one week after we learned of the outbreak.
In addition, to keep Americans safe, we are implementing additional precautions for a small, select group of travelers arriving in the United States from Rwanda, including additional health screenings. These measur- — measures will advance ongoing efforts to protect public health and reassure the traveling public that the risk of MVD spreading during air travel is minimized.
And today, we saw the Supreme Court decision and what it means that women in Texas could still be denied critical emergency medical care because of the state's dangerous and extreme abortion bans. We have been — we have seen and have heard the horrific stories of women being denied the care they need because of these laws.
Also today, in Georgia, the state Supreme Court reinstated an even more extreme abortion ban.
All of these laws were made possible when the former president han- — handicapped [handpicked] three Supreme Court justices to overturn Roe v. Wade. They are creating chaos and confusion for women and doctors.
The administration has been clear that all patients, including women experiencing pregnancy loss and other pregnancy-related emergency, must be able to access the emergency medical care they need, and that is required by federal law.
The stories we hear of women being denied care they need in emergency situation is completely unacceptable. That's why the Biden-Harris administration has taken a number of important steps to make it easier for women to file complaints if they are denied this essential care and investigate and enforce federal protections under EMTALA.
But our fight is not over. After the Supreme Court's order earlier this year, HHS issued a letter reminding hospitals and provider associations of their obligations under EMTALA, including providing abortion care as a necessary, stabilizing treatment.
We will continue to make those obligations clear. We will also continue to fight Republican elected officials' extreme, extreme agenda. And we will continue to enforce federal law, support hospitals complying with the obligations, and defend the administration's long-standing view that women have the right to access the emergency medicar- — medical care that they need.
And with that, Aamer. Thank you for your patience, you all.
Q Sure. If I could just follow up on two of your toppers.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q First on the abortion access rulings today. Not much is going to change with the shape of the courts immediately after November. So, what — what other avenues can the administration pursue —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q — in the little time that you have left?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: As you know, when Roe v. Wade was originally overturned because of the Dobbs decision that was done more than two years ago, the president and the vice president took action. The president, on that same day, made — announced some executive actions that he was moving forward with — obviously, with a whole-of-go- — -of-government approach here.
And so, we've taken actions. We've taken this very seriously. I don't have anything to preview — preview to you right this time, at — at this moment, but we're going to take this very seriously, as we have — as we have for the past two — two years.
And, look, it is important. It is important for people to be very aware of what's at stake here. It is important for us to continue to voice what we're seeing here: women being denied care and their lives putting — being put at risk. And so, we're going to continue to fight.
As you know, there's EMTALA. There's other measures that the DOJ is using to protect doctors and also women who are looking for that care that they should be making on — about their own body themselves.
And we're going to continue to call out these extreme agendas that we're seeing from — from the other side, from Republicans.
Look, we're going to — don't have anything to preview today, but it is important to call this out. It is important to say how dangerous this is and how this is a freedom that has been taken away from women.
Q If I could just follow on the storms.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q What's the confidence that FEMA is prepared to handle what could be two major disasters at the same time? And can you talk a little bit more about what's — what they're doing, specifically —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q — with Milton, while they're still handling Helene?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q And then, finally, there was a report — I believe it was NBC — just as we were coming out, that Governor DeSantis is dodging calls with Vice President Harris and President Biden.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I mean, look —
Q Is that an issue? Is —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So —
Q Is politics starting to sink into this?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I mean, that's really for the governor to speak to, right? I — we've — I — you've heard me mention — I believe in the gaggle last week when we were heading to Florida and Georgia — we invited the governor — right? — to come and survey the damaged areas with the president. Obviously, we were in Florida. We invited the — the governor of Florida to come. It was his decision to — to not — to not attend or not be there with the president.
The president has reached out around Hurricane Helene. He reached out. It is up to the governor. It is really up to the governor.
We know, I can say — and I think you've heard this from the FEMA administrator — she has been able to — to speak with the governor. She spoke with him yesterday in regards to Milton, that hurricane coming shortly. And so, we have been in touch with state — state and local officials — we — in order to be able to help the people of Florida who are dealing — who are going to be impacted, who were — who were impacted, certainly, by Helene.
And we're going to continue to certainly pre-position on the ground. And we're going to support — we're going to con- — support the communities with whatever and — whatever they need and when- — whenever. That is our commitment. That is our commitment to the folks who are going to be impacted.
So, we've been in touch with state and local officials in Florida, and we're going to ensure that we meet in advance what their needs are going to be. And FEMA is — and FEMA is on the ground supporting that — supporting that. So, that's important.
It's up to the governor. It is up to him. We are doing our part in — in the Biden-Harris administration, working –obviously, FEMA is work- — is on the ground, all-hands-on-deck, whole-of-government, robu- — robust approach here.
And so, again, that's for Governor DeSantis to speak to.
Q Is it — but is it accurate that the president and the vice president have made outreach efforts —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: We — we — I mean — you —
Q — and they have not been answered?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: — you have — you — you've asked us. We have made outreach and — regarding, certainly, Hurricane Helene. And as I mentioned, the good thing is the FEMA administration — administrator, pardon me, was able to connect with the governor yesterday. I think that's important.
But, look, we're going to — we're going to do the work. We're going to continue to talk to local and state officials. That is important as well. We're going to pre-position as this hurricane, Hurricane Milton, is com- — coming — coming towards, as it — as it seems, towards Florida.
Category 5 — that's nothing to joke about. That is very, very serious. And so, we're taking this serious, as the president has done many, many times when we've seen these types of storms coming — coming our way. So, we're going to do our job, do our work here.
Go ahead.
Q Thanks, Karine. We're learning that DeSantis refused to take a call from Vice President Harris specifically around Hurricane Milton. Can you just talk about that and any communication —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I — this —
Q — around this —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: This is —
Q — new hurricane?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Look, that is something for the governor to speak to himself.
If you have the president and you have the vice president reaching out to offer up assistance, provided to the pe- — your constituents, the people who live in your state, to make sure we are doing everything that we need to do, from federal response, and we're reaching out, offering our support. That's for the governor. And the governor — it's up for — to him if he wants to respond to us or not.
But what we're doing is we're working with state and local officials to make sure that we are pre-positioned, to make sure that we are r- — ready to be there for the communities that are going to be impacted. We are doing the job that is needed — that we believe is needed for — to protect the communities and to make sure that they have everything that is needed.
You heard me talk about the declaration. We approved that for Florida. That's moving forward. And so, we're taking this very, very seriously. That's for the governor to speak to. That is.
Q Trump and some of his Republican allies have been spreading misinformation about the federal response to Hurricane Helene. So, what exactly is the White House doing to combat that misinformation? And can you just talk about the impact it's already having on the ground?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I — it's a great question. Combating misinformation and disinformation is always, always critically important. It is.
You s- — you heard the lay down that I gave at the top. The reason I did that at the top is because we wanted to make clear that things are available to — to the public, folks who are impacted, and that misinformation, disinformation is indeed dangerous. It gets in the way in what we're trying to do here. It does.
And there has been a lot of falsehoods. And let me just fact-check a couple of things, because it's really important. It is — again, it is wrong; it is dangerous. And I also called out the — there are important people, people who have power, privilege, who are spreading these — these falsehoods, and they need to stop. They need to stop doing that.
So, disaster relief — this is a falsehood: disaster relief funds used on immigrants illegally in the U.S. The fact is no money is being diverted from response needs. That's the fact.
Another falsehood: FEMA confiscating Helene survivor property. That's false. That is not true. The fact is FEMA cannot seize your property or land, period.
Another falsehood that's out there: FEMA will only provide $750 to disaster survivors to support their recovery. That is a falsehood. That is not true. The fact is this is an upfront payment for urgent needs like food and medication. Many survivors — many survivors will qualify for more assista- — assistance.
Another falsehood: FEMA, FAA are restricting airspace in North Carolina. That is not true. That's false. The fact is there are no airspace restrictions in North Carolina.
So, we're going to continue to combat these. It's important to combat them. But people of — people who have a microphone and a podium should not continue to spread this falsehood. It is dangerous. It is incredibly dangerous.
Q But is the administration tracking that having an impact on the ground in terms of people being — people not seeking the aid they need because —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: That's a concern.
Q Is that — is that happening?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: But — but that's a concern. That is a concern. And it — you know, people who need help should seek help from the federal government. There is assistance out there. I talked about hundreds of millions of dollars are ready — already being provided to impacted areas.
And now we have Hurricane Milton coming. We can't have this. We cannot. This needs to stop. This needs to stop.
If you care about your constituents, if you care about the people, if you care about Americans, you shouldn't do this. You shouldn't spread these falsehoods. It is dangerous.
Go ahead.
Q Thank you, Karine. Did the president get an update from President Herzog when they spoke this morning about the Iranian response?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, just a couple of things on that. And, look, the president — what you saw the president do is honor and commerme- — commer- — commemorate lives that were lost, as I sted — said at the top. And the president called President Herzog because he believed it was appropriate person for the president to call to express his condolences. It was a meaningful and important conversation.
And so, that's what they spoke about. It — it was focused on commemorating this incredibly sad day.
Q Okay. So, there was not a detailed conversation about Iran?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I don't have anything beyond that. It was about offering up his condolences and what — and what the Israeli people must be going through right now.
Q Hama- — Hamas reiterated over the weekend that they see Netanyahu as being the stumbling block to a ceasefire deal. It seemed like the president's own remarks recently in the briefing room here kind of left open the — the opportunity for taking that analysis away as well. Do — does the president feel like he needs speak with Prime Minister Netanyahu?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: As the president said himself, there will be — he's going to — there will be a call shortly, soon. I don't have anything to preview for you at this time. As you know — you hear us say this many, many times — they have decades-long relationship. And in those conversations that they do have, it's very honest; it's very frank. And that will continue.
I don't have anything else beyond what the president stated at this podium on Friday or many times before about this particular issue.
Look, we believe the best chance at getting these hostages home is through a ceasefire deal. That's what the president is directing his team to continue to work on, and that's going to be our focus.
Go ahead.
Q Karine, just given the projected path and strength of Milton that you were talking about, is any consideration being given to the president perhaps skipping his trip to Germany and Angola?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, the president is monitoring this very, very closely. I just talked about how he's gotten updates about the hurricane and, obviously, continuing to get updates on what is happening on the ground as af- — after — after the horrible hurricane, Hurricane Helene.
And so, that will continue. I don't have anything to share about a change in travels or his schedule. And so, certainly, if that — if that were to be, we would cert- — share that with all of you.
Q Is that something that has been discussed at all, the possibility —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: What I — what I —
Q — of a schedule change?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: — can say is that we are monitoring the — the hurricane, Hurricane Milton. As you just — as you just heard me at the top, it's going to be a Category 5. Our — our job right now is to make sure we make it very, very clear to folks who are on the ground to please listen to local officials, to please be ready and take this very, very seriously.
And FEMA and other federal — federal agencies are preparing or pre-positioning on the ground to offer up assistant and to be ready — to be ready for the — when the hurricane hits. I just don't have anything to share about any change in schedule.
Q Just a quick question on the Middle East. Is the White House currently doing anything to actively push the Lebanon ceasefire proposal that you all announced a couple weeks ago?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, look, what I can say is that — look, when it comes to — when it comes to the proposal that you just stated, the — the 21-day proposal, what we believe is ultimately — ultimately — and the — the Isr- — the Israelis have said this themselves as well — is that it needs — there needs to be an agreement that allows civilians to safely return to their homes on both sides of the border over the long term.
So, we're going to be having regular consultations with the Israelis, with the Lebanese, and others regarding the right moment to — to press for such an agreement. But ultimately, that's where we need to be in order for both sides — both — civilians on both sides to return home.
Q When you say you're looking for the right moment to make a push for that proposal, are you saying that moment is not now, that you're not actively pushing for that right now?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I mean, we are in regular conversations. As I said, we continue to have those discussions with the Israelis and the Lebanese on this particular issue. We believe that we need this. We need to have a space — I mean, you tal- — you heard me speak about this — to have some space, some diplomatic dialogue in order to get there.
And so, you know, that's what you would need, is a ceasefire, in order to get there. We're going to have those conversations, and we're certainly — when the right moment to press for such an agreement, we will do so. But the conversation — those dis- — discussions continue.
Q Okay. But it would be correct to say that the White House is not currently, actively pushing on that proposal?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: What I can tell you is we continue those consultations with the Israelis and the Lebanese. That's what I can share.
Go ahead.
Q Thanks, Karine. Following up on the president's trip, can you just explain a little bit why the president is taking these trips now when there's less than a month before the election? What is he trying to accomplish?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I mean, look, you've heard us talk about the importance of this travel. As you — he's going to be going to Germany, obviously, and also Angola. The president is certainly looking forward to that travel. And I would say that — you know, we — as it relates to — I mean, each of them is very different than — than the other.
But we think it serves as a powerful symbol — a powerful symbol of the U.S.-Germany re- — partnership, as you think about the German piece of this trip, and our close cooperation on the world's most pressing challenges, and so — and to ensure our people have every opportunity for safety and prosperity.
And what this visit is going to do, it's going — it's going to underscore the deep commitment and that transatlantic security resolute support. If you think about Ukraine and the self-defense of Ukraine, that's going to be a big part of this visit — and continuing that support, continuing to do everything that we can to stop the Russian aggression. And so, that is going to be certainly a big part of that.
Continuing contributions to — to meet the NATO pledge also is going to be a big component of that.
And so, this is important, as we see what's going on in Ukraine, as we continue to see Russia's aggression, to have that conversation. You have seen the president's leadership when it comes to Ukraine and what he's been able to do to make NATO stronger, to have more than 50 — 50 countries' support to support Ukraine in their fight against that aggression of Russia. And so, that's a big part — certainly, it will be a big part of that — of that trip.
And when it comes to Angola, there's going to be a bilateral meeting that the president will have, and this speaks to the U.S.-Africa relationship that we want to continue, that we want to strengthen. And so, that's what you're going to see. They're very — two important relationships that is very much connected to what this president has done over the three and a half years, if you look at his global leadership. And the president is loo- — very much looking forward to it.
Q But let me put this way.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah. Sure.
Q He cou- — he could have taken these trips after the election. I mean, he could have taken them in — in December or January before he leaves office. So, what is so urgent about this moment —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: There's not —
Q — that he needed to do it in October?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I appreciate that, but there's not a lot of time. There really isn't. Three months is going to fly by. There's not a lot of time. And so, the president wanted to get this done. We had said when it — as it relates to Ang- — Angola and going to the continent, the president had made a commitment and a promise to go to Africa, to continue to show his commitment to that relationship. And that's what — the president wanted to keep that promise.
And so, three months is not a lot of time. And so, this was the right period of time to go to get that done.
And we're also going to go to Germany. As I talked about, that NATO — the — the — continuing that NATO pledge, continuing what we're doing on — for Ukraine as they're fighting against Russia's aggression — all of these things are really important to our — yes, to our — to our relationships with those — with those partners but also to what we're trying to do on behalf of this country, on behalf of Americans.
And so, it's — three months is not a long time. As you know, that's going to fly by. That's going to fly by.
Go ahead.
Q Karine, the other day, the president said that if the Israelis strike back in Iran, they ought to do so in a proportionate fashion. He said that he did not believe they should strike nuclear sites, and then he seemed to suggest he didn't think they should strike energy sites either. So, what, in the president's view, would be proportionate?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: (Laughs.) I'm not going to get into — (laughs) — I appreciate the question. I'm not going to get into what's proportionate, not proportionate — get into that back and forth.
What I can say is we are continuing to have discussions with the Israelis about their response, obviously, responding to Iran's attack — almost 200 missiles — right? — that went flying into Israel — that we were able to, obviously, at the president's direction, with the military being — the U.S. military aiding in — in the defense of Israel, which the president was really proud to be able to have done that. Our se- — our commitment continues to be very clear on Israel's security. That's ironclad.
Those conversations continue. I just don't have anything to — to add beyond what the president stated.
Q From the best we can tell, the president hasn't spoken with Prime Minister Netanyahu since around August 21st. That's a long time given the degree of — of high activity the Israeli forces have been involved in. And it would seem to suggest that, at this point, they don't have a whole lot to say to each other. But tell us why you think they've gone that long.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: (Laughs.) So, look, I would say this: In the past year, the president and the prime minister have spoken more than a dozen times — in the past year, and they've seen each other, as you know. I think you might have been with us at those moments when they've seen each other. And — and we have said — the national security advisor has said this, the president said this himself during — especially, as you said, during these past week or so, in these high-stake moments, if you will, the president's team has been in touch regularly — regularly — practically daily — with the Israelis' government.
And so, we've been in close communication and close contact, and that continues. That has been the case for the past year. And so, that's certainly going to continue.
And, look, the president is going to say — is going to speak to the prime minister. He has said that. And once we have a — a call to speak to, we will certainly do that.
Go ahead, Jon.
Q Thanks, Karine. When the president came here into the briefing room late last week, he said that he expects the election will be "free and fair," but he also said, "I don't know whether it will be peaceful." What can the administration do — what is the administration doing proactively to prevent that possibility of the election not being peaceful in any way, either leading up to —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q — November the 5th or in the aftermath?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, look, I'm not going to get into specifics from here. I think the president was asked a question, and he answered it very straightforward and very directly. And I think the president and myself and many others have spoken to what we saw on January 6th of 2021.
And so, obviously, we are — there's always concerns, but — and — and not only that, you know that Americans care about our democracy. They care. They care about preserving and protecting the democracy. And I think that's something a — this president has promised to do and will continue to do this in his remaining couple of months of — in this term.
I'm not going to get into specifics here. I think the president, as I said, was asked a question. He answered it directly, but he also said this is going to — I think this is really important — that this — he believes this is going to be a free and fair election. And so, I'm going to leave it there. I'm not going to get into details.
Q Separately — separately, in regards to the relationship or — or lack of a relationship between the governor of Florida and the leadership of this administration, does it make a coordinated response to tropical weather that much more difficult if the governor is not speaking to the vice president or to the president?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, here's what I can say. We have been talking to state and local officials on the ground, and I think that's important — over 15 local officials from communities along the likely path of the storm as we think about Hurricane Milton. And so, we have FEMA on the ground. Administrator Criswell is going to be in Florida — if she's not there already — assisting, guiding, providing that help. She has spoken — she spoke to the governor yesterday.
And so, look, we're going to do our job. We're going to do what we need to do to make sure communities have what they need as this hurricane is coming our way at Category — potentially Category 5. And so, that's not going to stop the federal assistance. That's not going to stop the job that this president wants to see his team do. We're going to have a robust — robust, all-of-government, if you will, federal response to this.
And you have seen that. You have seen that over the last three and a half years. When it comes to these natural disasters, we are going to make sure that we are there for the American people.
And anything else, I would have to leave it to the governor, to his actions, to how he wants to move forward in this. That is for him. That is a question for the governor.
Go ahead, Karen.
Q Thanks, Karine. You used the phrase "incredibly dangerous" a couple times, talking about the misinformation on —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q — the hurricane.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: It is.
Q And given how widespread it has been over the past few days and how much of an effort FEMA and the administration has made to combat that, how concerned is the president that what we're seeing now with this storm is perhaps a preview of the misinformation we might have on Election Day or in the days following that?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, look, misinformation, disinformation is a problem across the board, and we have to combat it. It is. It is — it is something — whether it's the election, whether what we're seeing currently right now with Hurricane — Hurricane Helene that just came through — and obviously, Milton is on its way, sadly — we have to combat that.
And you're — and I'm saying they're dangerous, yes, because they are. They're critically dangerous to have this misinformation, disinformation. And that's why, at the top, I called out — you know, you have some powerful people out there who continue to — to spread conspiracy theories.
It is not helpful. It is not helpful to what we're trying to do as we're trying to assist Americans on the ground and trying to figure out how the best way to respond, what they ne- — what their needs are. And so, yeah, it's not — it's not ideal. It is dangerous, in fact.
And let's not forget — I do want to say this — when dealing with Hurricane Helene, you heard from Republican governors, Democratic governors say — speak to their response. South Carolina Governor McMaster: Federal assistance has "been superb," we "were asking for everything we need." And Virginia Governor Youngkin: incredible — "incredibly appreciative of the rapid response." Governor of Georgia, Governor Kemp, appreciated the president's call offering any "other things we need"; thanked the president for giving aid to more counties.
I mean, this is — there's a bipartisan response to Hurricane Helene, and you see that, you hear that from elected officials on both sides of the aisle. They're very thankful for what the federal government has done and continues to do. But you have this misinformation, disinformation that wants to tear it apart. And this is a time for communities to come together, for all of us to come together. It doesn't matter if you have an "R" or a "D" behind your name; it is a time to come together to actually deliver for these impacted communities.
So, yeah, it's dangerous.
Go ahead.
Q Thanks, Karine. On the Boeing strike. Boeing is returning to wage talks, and just wanted to see if the White House is participating in any of those conversations, if there's anything you can share on —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, look, as we've always stated, collective bargaining is something that this president believes in. It has worked. You have seen that work over the past couple of years in — in — under this administration, when we've called for it. I don't have anything to share beyond — beyond that.
We always believe that it is important for both sides to come to the table in good faith and to make sure that the workers — right? — the workers certainly get their fair share.
Q And on the upcoming foreign travel. You — you mentioned that the trip Bi- — that Biden is going to — to Germany and Angola, but you were asked if it was being — you know, talked about maybe being pulled down. Just wanted to clarify that the trip is happening.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I don't have any changes to the president's schedule. That's what I've said. And the president is looking forward to going on the trip, certainly — certainly. And you all know, you all will be the first to know — one of the first to know if any — if that changes.
Q And do you expect a call with Bibi before the election, or is Biden holding out until — or is the president holding out until after the election?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: The president said he was going to call the prime minister. I don't have anything else to share on timing.
Go ahead, Nadia.
Q Thank you, Karine. I was wondering whether you could comment on remarks that former President Trump made this morning linking migration, crime, and genetics and, more specifically, this sentence, quote, "We've got a lot of bad genes in our country right now," end quote.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Ugh. Well, that type of language is hateful, it's disgusting, it's inappropriate and has no place in our country. I just talked about misinformation, disinformation, and how we have seen a bipartisan response when it came to Hurricane Helene and how we're trying to bring our country together. It is important to bring people together.
And tearing people apart, tearing communities apart is dangerous. And this comes from the same vile statements that we've ha- — that we've heard about im- — migrants being poisoned — poison the blood. That's disgusting.
And so, this president, this vice president, we're going to continue to forcefully reject this kind of vile, disturbing, hateful, hateful speech. It has no place — no place in this country. And we have to respect the rights of all — respect the rights of — of all of us coming together. That's what we want to see — not tearing communities apart; bringing it together.
Go ahead.
Q Thank you, Karine. A few questions on China. Could you please share what message President Biden sent to President Xi on China's National Day in the past weekend? And are they planning to talk by phone very soon? What's the main purpose of this phone call, gi- — considering the upcoming government transition in the United States?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, to your question, on the National Day, the president certainly conveyed the same message that he has done in the past — the past couple of years, which is congratulating the Chinese people on — on occasion of PRC National Day on October 1st.
As it relates to a call, I just don't have anything to share with you at this time.
Go ahead.
Q The president wrote a letter to congressional leadership asking them to add additional funding to the disaster relief effort, and I wondered if there was any more conversations behind the scenes happening to bring them back early.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, look, first, the letter is focused on SBA's disaster loan program, which is — could soon run out of funding. And so, the president wanted to alert Congress on that. That's what the letter primarily focused on. And in addition, the FEMA Disaster Relief Fund faces a shortfall at the end of the year.
And so, the president's letter was urging Congress to — to speed up and provide that funding. And that's what the president wants to see, and that's what the president was calling for.
We want Congress to move appropriately, at appropriate speed to get this done. And here's the thing: In the past, Congress has been able to take quick action even when there is a recess to address urgent problems, so this is nothing new. This is nothing new at all.
And so, the president wanted to be very, very clear about where we are and what the needs are and — and wanted to show — show to Congress by — in this letter the urgency of them acting.
They need to act.
Q Does he believe they should come back early?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: As I stated, this is not the first time Congress has been able to take action and to act on — when it comes to urgent problems, urgent matter. They've been able to do that during recess.
What we are going to continue to do is lay out the urgency of this getting done. We're talking about SBA disaster loan program. This is important — important to communities, especially communities that are impacted.
Go ahead, in the back.
Q Thank you. I have questions on two topics. The first one, you mentioned the Supreme Court case regarding emergencies and abortions.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.
Q The administration has not done much to enforce its interpretation of that law that hospitals have to provide abortions in medical emergencies, particularly for hospitals that patients have reported that's not happening. Can you talk about the administration's efforts to ramp up enforcement in that area in the next couple months?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah. So, I would refer you to HHS. This is under their — their purview. So, I would refer you to them.
Q And on the storms that are coming, and also on Helene. Florida and Georgia both have voter registration deadlines today. Some of the states that are in the path of the storm have them upcoming. Is the administration going to ask the states to extend those deadlines, or are you doing anything to prepare for storm damage to exist around Election Day —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, look —
Q — making it difficult for people to go vote?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: No. Understand. And I've gotten this question multiple times, in var- — in variations. So, look, what we — this is why it's important to do this type of response that we're doing. We want to make sure that these — the communities are getting the response, they're getting the recovery from this disaster, and we want to make sure that their voices can be heard in November.
So, I would certainly refer you to state el- — state election officials, and certainly CISA as well, to speak to that specifically. I just don't have anything else to share.
But this is why — this is why what we're trying to do, trying to combat this misinformation, disinformation, workly — working closely with local and state officials to make sure these communities have what they need so that we can get them back on their feet is so critical — is so, so critical.
As it relates to that specific question, I would have to refer you to the state though.
Q Are you seeing misinformation about the storm and voting, or just the storm response —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: What I am saying —
Q — in general?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: — is that misinformation, disinformation — I'm speaking to our response on the ground. Right? We're trying to get funding on the ground. We're trying to make sure that people who have been affected can reach out to FEMA, can reach out to federal — federal government asking for assistance. And that is something that's really important, and that's the misinformation, disinformation that I'm speaking to.
And so, what our focus is is making sure that that recovery, that response is getting to communities, because we do want to make sure — we want to make sure that communities, they're able to have their voices heard in November.
Q Thank you, Karine.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Okay. Go ahead.
Q Thank you, Karine. Congratulations on the promotion.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Thank you.
Q You're not leaving us in the briefing room, are you?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Unless you want me to. Do you want me to leave the briefing room?
Q No, sure don't.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: All right. Okay.
Q So, the arms dealer that President Biden freed in a prisoner swap, Viktor Bout, is now, according to the Wall Street Journal, selling weapons to the Houthis. Does President Biden think that is a problem?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, look, a couple of things. I can't confirm that report today, in — I believe, in the Wall Street Journal.
I do want to put out a couple of facts here that is important to note. Look, securing the release of Americans who are being held hostage and wrongfully detained is a big priority — is a priority for this administration. And I would note that we have been extraordinarily successful in getting that done. It is a top priority to get these Americans, again, wrongfully detained and held hostage.
And so, that is something — and it's not easy. It is not an easy de- — easy thing to do. It is not — there are some difficult decisions that we have to make. We've been very transparent about that — very transparent.
As you're talking about Viktor Bout, that was in rele- — in — related to Brittney — Brittney's release. And so, even then, a year and a half ago, we were clear about decisions that have to be made on a number of occasions. And it's — it's incredibly difficult. And we've been transparent about it. We've been very transparent.
So, look, we're going to continue to do what we can — do everything that we can to bring Americans home who are wrongfully detained and held hostage. And, again, frankly, we have had an extraordinary record of doing just that, and that's going to be the president's top priority.
Q And on this issue of funding, the administration has money to send to Lebanon without Congress coming back, but Congress does have to come back to approve money to send to people in North Carolina. Do I have that right?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Here's what I'm going to be very clear about: The president and the vice president has had a — a robust, whole-of-government response to this. Hundreds of millions of dollars — I said it at the top, more than $200 million — that we have directly put towards survivors here for the di- — for disaster help, and that's because of this president's commitment to make sure that we are there for communities that are impacted.
We take this very seriously. Again, we take this very seriously. And before — before the hurricane hit, we pre-positioned more — more than 1,500 federal — federal folks on the ground to help.
And so, we have made sure that every state has gotten their storm — requested emergency declaration. They requested it, and we made sure they received it. We've taken this very seriously — more than $200 million that we have provided to the impacted areas.
And — but instead, people want to do disinformation, misinformation, which is dangerous — which is dangerous, because then it — what that — when — when folks on the ground hear that, they may not want to ask for the help that they need that is there for them — that is there for them. That's our focus here.
Q But President Biden is fond of saying, "Show me your budget, and I will tell you what you value." If he has got money for people in Lebanon right now, without Congress having to come back, what does it say about his values that there is not enough money right now for people —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: His values —
Q — in North Carolina who need it?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: His —
Q That's not misinformation.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Wait. No, that is. Wait, your whole — your whole premise of the question is misinformation, sir.
Q Excuse me.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: What you don't — yes, yes.
Q Which part?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: It's misinformation.
Q Did — is there money —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I just — I just mentioned —
Q — to send to Lebanon right now?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I just mentioned — I just mentioned to you that we provided more than $200 million to folks who are impacted in the area, and I just shared with you that people are deciding not to —
Q $157 million is not (inaudible) —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: — not — no — but people are deciding not to —
Q 157 million is not (inaudible) —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: — no — no, but people are deciding not to —
Q President Biden sent a letter to —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: — not — wait —
Q — Congress that there's not enough money to help people in North Carolina —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: We're talking about the SBA disaster loan. Yes.
Q That's money for people in North Carolina.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: And that's important. And people in North Carolina need that. Con- —
Q The president is the —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Wait. This is nothing new.
Q — one saying it's running out.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Peter, this is nothing new. Congress comes together. They provide money — millions of dollars for disaster relief. We're asking them to do the job that they have been doing for some time.
Q And I'm reading from a letter that President Biden sent to —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Been doing for some time.
Q — Johnson, McConnell, Schumer, and Jeffries. The president's letter is not misinformation. Would you agree?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: No, the way you're asking me the question is misinformation. There is money that we are allocating to the impacted areas, and there's money there to help people who truly need it. There are survivors who need the funding — who need the funding, and it's there.
Q You can't call a question that you don't like "misinformation."
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I said that —
Q That's very unfair.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I actually said we have the money available to help survivors of Hurricane Helene and also Hurricane Milton.
Now, we're — now, there's going to be a shortfall — right? — because we don't know how bad it's — Hurricane Milton is going to be, and so we're going to need additional funding. We're going to need additional funding.
Q That's exactly what I just asked about, and you said it —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: No —
Q — was misinformation.
Yes.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: What you're asking me is why Congress needs to come back and do their job. That's what you're asking me.
Congress needs to come back and do their job and provide extra assistance, extra funding to Disaster Relief Fund. That's what Congress needs to do, and we're going to continue to urge that.
You may not want that, but that's okay. That's what this president wants, and that's what the vice president wants.
Thanks, everybody.
2:55 P.M. EDT
