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White House Press Briefing. Aired 1:30-2p ET
Aired January 25, 2021 - 13:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[13:30:00]
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Acknowledging the confusion around the lack of clarity about the vaccine availability, give us a sense of just how stunning that revelation is? What was President Biden's reaction to learning that?
JEN PSAKI, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I will say I've sat in a lot of meetings with President Biden about COVID and his efforts to get the pandemic under control.
He asks a lot of detailed questions about the status of supply, the status of distribution, the status of states, when there's reporting from all of you on states not having the information they need. Those are specific issues he raises.
We're eyes wide open, all of us, including the president, with the knowledge that we were not walking into a circumstance where there was going to be a concrete assessment or plan presented to us when we walked in. And there wasn't.
That's why he put forward his 200-page vaccine distribution plan last week. And that's why he hired an experienced and talented team to get to the bottom of exactly what we're looking at so that we can have that assessment moving forward.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: When does the administration think they'll have a better sense of the available inventory?
PSAKI: Well, as I noted at the top, we're going to be doing regular briefings, three times a week, and we'll start those on Wednesday.
I don't know what assessment they'll have on Wednesday. But what our objective is, is to provide a clear and accurate message to the public.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: And what's the White House's message to Democrats, to President Biden's supporters, who take him at his word and say, as it relates to COVID relief, we are in a national emergency and we should act like it.
They want action now. They don't want any sort of delay. They don't want to experience the opportunity costs that might come from a delay in waiting for Republicans to get on board with it.
PSAKI: You mean with the COVID package?
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Yes.
PSAKI: He agrees. He doesn't want a delay, either. And I would note that 75 percent of the public agrees with what you just said, according to the IPSO poll this weekend.
That the components of this package, funding for the vaccine distribution, but also funding to ensure people can apply for unemployment insurance, put foot on the table, money to reopen schools, the public supports that.
And we anticipate that the public will be conveying to leaders elected to represent them exactly that.
Go ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Can I ask you to clarify the travel requirement, the testing requirement? That applies to all people boarding planes, including U.S. citizens? Anyone getting on a plane needs a test --
(CROSSTALK)
PSAKI: From overseas?
(CROSSTALK)
PSAKI: Yes. Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: OK.
I also want to ask a couple things the Trump administration did in the final stages and I wonder if you folks are going to intervene.
One is they issued a license to an Israeli billionaire named Dan Gertler to allow him to access the U.S. financial system until the end of January 2022. Will the Biden administration intervene or does that stand?
The other one is, if began the delisting or he issued an executive order that triggered the delisting Chinese companies, in particular, three telecoms. Just saw a review of that.
Do you plan on keeping or rescinding that order, in other words, stopping the delisting of these three Chinese telecoms?
PSAKI: On the first question, we're about to have a treasury secretary confirmed. And I would send you to them to speak to any views they may take on those sanctions -- undertake, I should say -- in that sanctions review.
Then on the Chinese, I know there was some reporting, perhaps from your outlet this morning, on that particular issue. As we've noted in here previously, there are a number of reviews,
complex reviews, interagency reviews, I should say, that we're going to undertake as it relates to a range of our -- sorry, let me start again here.
A range of regulatory actions and a range of relationships with companies as it relates to Chinese investment and other issues as well. Those complex reviews are just starting.
As I noted, they will need to go through the interagency, so the State Department, the Treasury Department, a number of others who will review how we move forward.
We're starting from an approach of patience as it relates to our relationship with China. So that means we're going to have consultations with our allies. We're going to have consultations with Democrats and Republicans.
And we're going to allow the interagency process to work its way through to review and assess how we should move forward with our relationship.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Is it possible those reviews could lead to a change in this delisting process down the road?
PSAKI: I don't want to get ahead of any review, but certainly we're taking an overarching look at all of it. And as we have more to report, we'll report back to you.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Can I ask broadly what the president believes President Trump's legacy is with regards to China and particularly around the tariffs imposed?
Does President Biden like those tariffs? Will they remain in place on a large sum of China's goods? Is that under review at all or those appropriate at this time?
[13:35:04]
PSAKI: Well, as is the case with other areas of our relationship with China, he will take a multilateral approach to engaging with China. And that includes evaluating the tariffs currently in place.
He wants to ensure that we take any steps in coordination with our allies and partners and with Democrats and Republicans in Congress as well. So nothing to report at this point in time.
But we're committed to -- the president is committed to stopping China's economic abuses on many fronts. And the most effective way of doing that is to work in concert with our allies and partners to do exactly that.
Go ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: I wanted to follow up a little bit on some of the China issues. I know there was an executive order requiring the sale of TikTok's U.S. business. And I wondered if there were plans to revoke it or enforce it, or what is the current thinking on that?
PSAKI: It's a great question. I haven't had the opportunity to speak to our national securities team about it. I'm happy to see if I can get you something more specific.
Go ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Thank you so much.
Two questions for you. First, are we stepping back a minute on what the administration's goals are? Unity is something President Biden spoke about quite a bit on the campaign trail. He talked about it during the transition.
Could you talk a little more specifically about what unity will mean to this administration, whether there are any kind of benchmarks that you've identified to show that unity has been achieved?
It is in contrast with the Coronavirus Task Force, of course, you have detailed benchmarks of what you want to achieve moment by moment.
By with unity, are you talking bipartisanship, are you talking about something widely popular in the United States? Can you say what President Biden is thinking about when he says he wants to achieve unity?
PSAKI: Sure. The president came in to lead the country at a time when there was great division and a great need for healing. He spoke about that in his inaugural address just last week.
So unity to him means, of course, approaching our work on legislative issues through a bipartisan lens, working with Democrats and Republicans, trying to find a path forward on how we can work together to address the problems the American people are facing. That's part of it.
But it also means projecting that he is going to govern for all people and address all the issues the American people are facing.
For example, that means talking about how the COVID pandemic impacts not just Democrats, but Republicans, not just blue states but red states.
Ensuring that he is reaching out to Democratic and Republican governors, Democratic and Republican mayors, and conveying, in every opportunity he has, that this is a problem we're all facing together.
I think it's a little bit different than how you can mark, of course, achieving 100 million shots in the arms of Americans in the first 100 days.
But unity is about the country feeling that they're in it together. And we'll know that when we see it.
But he's going to be working on that and committed to that, every opportunity he has to speak to the public. UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: I have just one other question. The Obama
administration initially had wanted to put Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill. The Trump administration dragged their feet on that.
I wanted to see if the Biden administration has a view on the timeline of whether or not she should be on the paper currency.
PSAKI: I was here when we announced that, and it was very exciting. It hasn't moved forward yet, which we would have been interested in knowing at the time.
The Treasury Department is taking steps to resume efforts to put Harriet Tubman on the front of the new $20 notes.
It's important that notes, our money, if people he not know what a note is, reflect the history of our country. And Harriet Tubman gracing the $20 note would certainly express that.
So we're exploring ways to speed up that effort. But any specifics would, of course, come from the Department of Treasury.
Go ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Another one on China. China's Xi Jinping spoke earlier today. I wonder if there's any official White House reaction to his comments. He talked about unity as well and also talked about cooperation on coronavirus and other issues.
Is that kind of statement today likely to change or affect the stance that the U.S., the Biden administration has toward China on trade and technology?
PSAKI: No. I think our approach to China remains what it has been since -- for the last months, if not longer.
We're in a serious competition with China. Strategic competition with China is a defining feature of the 20th century. China is engaged in conduct that hurts American workers, blunting our technological edge, and threatens our alliances and influence in international organizations.
[13:40:04]
What we've seen over the last few years is that China is growing more authoritarian at home and more assertive abroad. And Beijing is now challenging our security, prosperity and values in significant ways that require a new U.S. approach.
This is one of the reasons, as we were talking about a little earlier, that we want to approach this with some strategic patience. And we want to conduct reviews internally with our internal agencies. I know I stumbled over that.
I needed a little more coffee before I came out here, I guess.
We want to engage with Republicans and Democrats in Congress to discuss the path forward. And most importantly, we want to discuss this with our allies.
I know that the comments don't change anything. We believe that this moment requires a strategic and a new approach forward.
Go ahead.
(CROSSTALK)
PSAKI: I'm sorry, we'll go to you next.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: I was going to pile a little more on China while we're on this topic.
But I've wondered, while he's been on the entity list for two years now, just before the Trump administration left office, they instituted a new policy to basically revoke and issue intents to deny licenses for even more innocuous items that U.S. companies were selling to Huawei.
Does the Biden plan to keep Huawei on the entity list and continue to enforce this much more stringent blanket ban on U.S. goods sells to China?
PSAKI: Technologically, I just noted, is at the center of the U.S./China competition. China is willing to do whatever it takes to gain a technical advantage, stealing intellectual property, engage industry on espionage and forcing technology transfer.
The president's view is that we need to play a better defense, which must include holding China accountable for its unfair and illegal practices and making sure American technologies are not facilitating China's military buildup.
So he's firmly committed to making sure China companies cannot misappropriate and misuse American data. We need a comprehensive strategy, as I've said, and a more systemic approach that actually addresses the full range of these issues.
There's, again, an ongoing review of a range of these issues. We want to look at them carefully. And we'll be committed to approaching them through the lens of ensuring we're protecting U.S. data and America's technological edge.
I don't have more for you on it. As we do, we're happy to share that with all of you.
Go ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Now-President Biden condemned protests and violence on the far left and the far right before he was president.
Why haven't we heard anything directly from him about riots in Portland and the Pacific Northwest since he was inaugurated?
PSAKI: Well, he's taking questions later this afternoon, so perhaps he will. I will say, from here, that President Biden condemns violence and any
violence in the strongest possible terms.
Peaceful protests are a cornerstone of our democracy. But smashing windows is not protesting and neither is looting.
And actions like these are totally unacceptable. And anyone who committed a crime should be prosecuted to the fullest extent.
Our team, of course, is monitoring it very closely.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: As he pushes for federal help to businesses affected by COVID, should we expect to see any kind of federal assistance for these businesses up there that are affected by COVID and riots?
PSAKI: Again, we've had this conversation in here already a few times since I joined the team, that his focus is on getting the American people through this period of time and pushing forward on a relief package that will get them the assistance they need as it relates to the pandemic and the impact of the pandemic.
So I don't have anything more for you on that.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Just one more about the announcement you made off the top about the travel restrictions.
When Trump was imposing travel restrictions in March, specifically on China, then-Candidate Biden called it xenophobic and fear-mongering.
Now President Biden is putting travel restrictions on people comping from other countries. What word do you use to describe that?
PSAKI: I don't think that is quite a fair articulation.
The president has been clear that he felt the Muslim ban was xenophobic. He overturned the Muslim ban.
He also has supported, himself -- even before or we did, I should say, before he was inaugurated, steps, travel restrictions in order to keep the American people safe to ensure that we're getting the pandemic under control. That has been part of his policy.
But he was critical of the former president for having a policy that was not more comprehensive than travel restrictions.
And he conveyed at the time, and more recently, the importance of having a more multi-faceted approach, mask wearing, vaccine distribution, funding to get 100 million shots into the arms of Americans in the first 100 days, not just travel restrictions.
Go ahead in the back.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Yes, two questions, one domestic, one foreign, please.
[13:45:01]
The first is that Bill Pascrell, a congressman from New Jersey, just an hour ago suggested firing the entire postal board of governors. And he sent a letter to the president to that affect.
Is there any plans to make changes, given what happened at the post office over the last couple of years, to try and remove the postmaster general?
PSAKI: It's an interesting question. We all love the mailmen and mailwomen. I don't have any more on that. I'll be happy to check with our team on it and see if we have any specifics. I'm not aware of anything, but we'll circle back with you.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: And the foreign policy question, it's my understanding that the previous administration did not release the War Powers Act resolution report before they left office.
Is there any plans for -- I know there's a new secretary of defense as of --
As of a few -- well, I guess Friday. But technically, Friday.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Friday, but ceremonially today.
PSAKI: Yes, exactly.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Is there any plan to either release the Trump administration letter on the troop levels in various countries overseas or to update that more quickly than might be required by the statute?
PSAKI: It's an excellent question. I would send you to the Department of Defense, and my old friend, John Kirby, who I'm sure would be happy to answer your question.
Go ahead in the back with the excellent mask on.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Flamingos.
PSAKI: Flamingos. All right, we're getting creative with masks.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: So just back to Russia, given the many unsolved deaths over the years of President Putin's opponents, or near death in the case of Navalny, will President Biden be holding President Putin personally responsible for Navalny's health while he's imprisoned there?
One of thing is different but related. What is this administration's position on Paul Whelan? Because his family and some of his supporters said the previous administration just forgot about him.
What's going on with Paul Whelan and what's your position? Thank you. PSAKI: Let me take the second question and talk to our national security team get you something more comprehensive. And certainly, we don't plan to follow the same pattern of the last administration.
But on the first question, I would say this is the reason why the president tasked his national security team, his intelligence team, with assessing a range of issues as it relates to our relationship with Russia.
Including the SolarWinds breach, including the poisoning of Alexei Navalny, which we have been quite outspoken about and as our national security advisor and the State Department will continue to be. We want to see that review conclude.
But as has always been the case, the president reserves the right to respond in the time and manner of his choosing. And I'm not going to take options off the table from here.
Go ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Hi. If possible, can I also ask a question for one of my colleagues who couldn't be here?
(CROSSTALK)
PSAKI: Sure.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: So I'll start with my question.
New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio announced today that the city is delaying the opening of large COVID-19 vaccination sites like Yankee Stadium, at Citi Field.
Governor Cuomo has said the state has the capacity to vaccinate up to 100,000 folks a day if there was supply.
As the administration is analyzing and reconfiguring its distribution plan, how heavily is infrastructure being weighed? In other words, does New York get first dibs because it has the capacity to do this right away?
And then the second question would be kind of on the same COVID note. There are seniors who don't have access to Web sites, don't have folks vouching for them.
Is there anything the administration is doing to ensure that seniors, who don't have anybody to assist them with scheduling these appointments, that they don't fall through the cracks?
Then I have a second question from another reporter.
PSAKI: Sure.
On the first question, this is a really important one. Infrastructure is pivotal. It's not just about the science. Scientists, medical experts, what they've done over the last year in moving this vaccine forward has been a herculean effort.
But now it's about ensuring there are more vaccinators and more places to actually distribute the vaccine.
Clearly, there care case scenarios where there are large facilities, like football fields or other places to do that, can be quite efficient.
There are other places around the country where we're seeing developments along that front, and we're certainly encouraging that.
But this is a multifaceted challenge. It's not just about having supply, which is pivotal. It's also about having more people who can physically put the shots into the arms of Americans. And it's about having places that can be done.
[13:50:04]
I don't have anything for you on the prioritization. That is something our team is working through. And we want to ensure that we are working closely with governors across the country to effectively do that.
Tell me the second part to that question.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: The second part of that question was just, will there be any federal assistance to support states and reaching out to senior who may not have access to Internet or even a phone to schedule these appointments? That's a complaint that's emerged a lot.
PSAKI: Yes. It's a really important question. Because what we have discovered and what our team discovered is that the further you get into vaccinating Americans, the harder it becomes.
For a couple of reasons. One, vaccine hesitancy, which Dr. Fauci talked about as an issue of great concern to him and other health medical experts.
And it's more predominant in communities of color. As you noted, also an issue with communicating with a range of people in the public, in rural communities, for different reasons.
But also seniors and others who aren't picking up their phone and looking at information on Instagram every day. They're not receiving information in the same way young adults would be.
So part of our effort is to use an across-the-board public communications campaign, an effort to meet people where they are.
Certainly, thinking how to reach seniors, doing it in a way it is being done locally by trusted authorities and trusted figures locally we've found this to be a key -- a key effective approach that that.
But we will continue to be working on that. And it's definitely one of the challenges we're facing. UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: This question is from Ross Palombo from ABC in
south Florida.
He asks: Florida Governor Roan DeSantis has blasted part of the president's COVID plan, specifically saying, quote, "FEMA camps are not necessary in Florida."
Has or will the president be reaching out to DeSantis? What is his reaction to comments like these?
PSAKI: Well, the president is a pretty even-keeled guy. I would say he doesn't have much a reaction other than he wants to ensure that the vaccine is distributed to people across the country, including, of course, the millions of people living in Florida.
And I will note -- because we're data-first here, facts-first -- they've only distributed about 50 percent vaccines given in Florida.
Clearly, they have a good deal of the vaccine. That supply will need to continue to increase as they are able to affectively reach people across the state.
But part of the challenge, as we were just talking about, is not just having the supply. That's pivotal.
But also having vaccinators and vaccine distribution places and doing it in a way that's reaching people where they are and meeting local communities.
The president's going to be focused on that in a bipartisan manner regardless of what any elected official has to say.
Go ahead, all the way in the back. In the back.
Then come to you, sir.
Go ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Thanks, Jen.
An executive order the president signed last week, he suspended a Trump administration executive order that was particularly aimed at keeping foreign countries, specifically China, from interfering in the U.S. power grid. But he suspended that for 90 days in that executive order last week.
Given what you said about China today, why did he do that? Especially related to something so critical or national security as the power grid?
PSAKI: I'll have to -- I think the president's view on our relationship with China, I tried to do my best to convey to all of you. I'll have to check on that specific piece and we'll circle back with you directly.
Go ahead? UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Thank you.
The administration said that the remain in Mexico policy from the prior administration would not be enforced anymore. But there are thousands of people who are stuck now as a result of that policy.
The administration has not said what you will do with them and how to process these migrants. What is the answer to that?
PSAKI: In terms of migrants at the border? Well --
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Yes, who are stuck as a result of remaining in Mexico. Many thousands of people.
PSAKI: Well, I think there's a couple of steps that we -- we're working to convey and convey more effectively to people directly living in many of countries who have large populations, who are coming to the border. One is that this is not the right time to come.
We have proposed a number of policies that we are working to implement, including a pause on deportations. You know, for people in the United States, that is something the Department of Homeland Security would be working to implement.
Also, we've proposed and immigration bill, something the president put forward on day one.
And we've also proposed funding to help address the circumstances and the challenging conditions that are on the ground in a number of these countries.
[13:55:02]
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: And I'm talking about those people who are in limbo at the moment. Not discouraging new people from coming and not applying it to new people but those specifically turned away by the Trump administration?
PSAKI: I would send you to the Department of Homeland Security on that for a more specific assessment.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Second question, I wanted to press you a little harder. You said earlier that the president had been speaking with members of the Senate.
You didn't say who they were and anything about those conversations because they were private. I mean, presumably, they were discussing the people's business.
Is that a matter -- why should those be private? Why not be more revealing about who the president is speaking with that is in the government?
PSAKI: What I said was the president is speaking with Democrats and Republicans, as are a number of senior officials from the current White House. And we'll continue to do that.
What I meant was those conversations, getting their feedback what they think about bills and legislation, how they feel about the COVID package, that the president put forward, where they have concerns, where they have agreements.
But some of those conversations are private. They can speak publicly about their conversations, of course, as many have done.
But what I was confirming is he personally is involved and will continue to be involved in moving the package forward.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: And why not release the names of the people who the president is speaking with to negotiate on this bill?
I know you want to have more transparency in this administration that. You've talked about a lot already. Why not make that a part of the transparency effort?
PSAKI: Again, he's speaking with both members of parties. A number want to have those conversations private as well. A number of them have spoken publicly about conversations they've had with the administration. That is perfectly fine by us.
Go ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Going back to COVID, do you know when Americans will be able to be widely vaccinated?
PSAKI: Of course, we defer to our health and medical experts, as you all know. And Dr. Fauci spoke to this briefly last week.
And I expect it's something our health and medical experts, who will be doing a briefing later this week, will be able to speak to more specifically.
We obviously set out our bold goal of 100 million shots in the arms of Americans in the first 100 days. We will build from there and we are looking forward to building from there.
But I don't have an assessment, a new assessment for you when a broad, a group of the population can get it.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: They can get it when they want it? What I'm asking? The [previous administration said it would be midyear. They said it regularly.
PSAKI: The CDC and medical experts from our team have given assessments, leaning towards summer and fall. But I don't have a new assessment from here.
But I encourage you to ask them that. And that's why we're putting them out to answer questions from all of you.
John, go ahead. UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: The Trump administration in its final weeks
rushed through a number of federal executions. Has the president directed a moratorium on capital punishment and the death penalty?
PSAKI: The president's position on the death penalty, I think you're probably familiar with. Other's may not be. He's opposed to the death penalty.
I don't have anything to preview to you in terms of what steps he may take.
Go ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: You said these coronavirus briefings will start. President Trump did not attend a lot of the briefings at the end. Did not attend a lot of the Coronavirus Task Force briefings.
Will President Biden attend those task force meetings with the group that's working on this?
PSAKI: He will be briefed regularly, I suspect more regularly than the past president was briefed on COVID, and the developments and progress the team is making.
I wouldn't expect he attends every task force meeting, no. But he expects and requests regular briefings from the team and I expect he'll get them.
Go ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: The whole point of impeaching somebody is basically to get rid of them and Trump is already gone. Would President Biden support maybe the Senate censuring him just so lawmakers can move on with the people's business?
PSAKI: I really appreciate your creative way of asking this question, which has come up few times in here.
The president is -- was in the Senate 36 years you all know. He's no longer in the Senate. And he will leave it to up members in the Senate, Democrats and Republicans, to determine how they will hold the form president accountable.
(CROSSTALK)
PSAKI: Last one. Go ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: I'm sorry. I wanted to ask briefly on Afghanistan. If you guys perceive further troop reductions there and what kind of numbers would we be talking about?
PSAKI: An excellent question. We're on day five. I don't have anything new on specifically Afghanistan troop reductions.
But I'm hoping to get Jake Sullivan out to the briefing room soon to answer a lot of your questions on a range of issues. (CROSSTALK)
PSAKI: Thank you, everyone.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Thank you, Jen.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Thanks, Jen.
PSAKI: All right, one more. I'm sorry about that. We don't want to leave you hanging. You were very patient in the back.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Yes. I represent the foreign press group.
I have two on foreign policy issue, one on China, one on the U.K.
PSAKI: OK.
[14:00:00]
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: On China, you just mentioned about competition (ph).
