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White House Press Briefing. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired January 28, 2021 - 15:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[15:00:00]

JEN PSAKI, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Well, the president talked about his commitment to putting together a commission for reunifying families. He remains committed to that.

And we will have more to share on that soon.

Go ahead, all the way in back.

QUESTION: Thank you so much, Jen. Raquel Krahenbuhl From TV Global Brazil.

I have two questions.

Going back to the climate crisis, during the campaign, President Biden warn of economic consequences if Brazil did not reduce deforestation on the Amazon. I'm wondering what kind of consequences he's considering, if it could hurt, for example, the trading negotiations with Brazil or the OECD support?

PSAKI: Well, we just announced yesterday that we're going to be doing a climate summit coming up in the next couple of months.

And, of course, this is a big priority for President Biden. And that's why he asked his good friend former Secretary Kerry to lead our climate international effort. And, certainly, Brazil will be a key partner in that.

But in terms of what those negotiations and discussions look like, it's a little too early for that at this point. And I'd certainly send you to the State Department and Secretary Kerry's office for more details.

QUESTION: OK, so just a follow-up. Did he invite the Brazilian president, will he invite for the summit?

And is also President Biden still planning to label countries as climate outlaws? And if so, would Brazil be part of this list?

PSAKI: Well, we're not quite there yet, given we just announced it. There haven't been invites or anything that went out. But we're happy to keep everybody updated. And, certainly, as the United States is a large emitter, so is Brazil, so is China, so are many large countries and large economies, and we all have a role to play in addressing this crisis.

QUESTION: One more question, Jen.

When does President Biden think he will be able to start doing -- or he will do his first international trip? And where it would be the first place he would go?

PSAKI: I don't have anything to preview or predict for you at this point. As you know, we haven't done any domestic travel yet, given COVID. So I certainly don't have any predictions about a foreign trip.

Go ahead, Sabrina.

QUESTION: I had a question.

At her confirmation hearing yesterday, U.N. ambassador-designate Linda Thomas-Greenfield said she believed that BDS, the boycott, divestment, sanctions movement to pressure Israel, is unacceptable and borders on -- or verges on anti-Semitism.

Is that a characterization that the White House shares when it comes to the BDS movement?

PSAKI: I don't have anything more for you on kind of our position. It's, I think, been -- the president has spoken to this as a candidate and prior as vice president, but I don't have anything new. And I'm happy to get back to you if there's anything I can get to you from the national security team.

Go ahead.

QUESTION: Thank you. (OFF-MIKE) with The Washington Examiner.

Just to actually follow up on that, Linda Thomas-Greenfield also said she would be standing against the unfair targeting of Israel, the (INAUDIBLE) resolutions that are proposed against Israel (OFF-MIKE). Is that the position of the White House?

Israel, after all, is in violation of international law, illegally occupies the West Bank and Gaza. Do you believe it's unfairly targeted?

PSAKI: You know, I didn't see her full hearing yesterday. Actually, I didn't see any of her hearing. I'm happy to review it and take a look and see if there's more we can speak to from our end.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) back to the executive orders, the questions we were discussing at the start.

So, I'm still trying to sort of reconcile this daily -- what are we at? I think we're at 26 orders now and reconcile that with the campaign rhetoric, because, in October, Joe Biden said there were limitations on the use of executive actions, things he can't do by executive order, unless you're a dictator. We're a democracy. We need consensus.

I think you said earlier that some of these executive orders were being used to rollback some of the immoral things that the previous administration had done.

If you're calling these things immoral, is that seeking consensus and unity? And then also, does it suggest that President Biden sees himself as perhaps a benevolent dictator?

PSAKI: Well, Rob, I'm sure this wasn't your intention, but I think you took the president's comments a bit out of context.

He was asked about tax reform, and whether that could be done via executive order during the interview with George Stephanopoulos, which you're referring to.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) question, but I think the answer--

(CROSSTALK)

PSAKI: well, I think the question is pretty important context for everybody. And he said no.

And the president also said during an interview with columnists back in December that he didn't think executive action should be used for everything. And that certainly is his point of view.

But there are steps, including overturning some of the harmful, detrimental and, yes, immoral actions of the prior administration that he felt he could not wait to overturn. And that's exactly what he did.

Now, any historian will tell you that he walked into the presidency at one of the most difficult moments in history. That required additional executive action in order to take -- get immediate relief to the American people.

But he believes, as is law -- as everybody knows how a bill becomes a law, is that, in order to make action and policy permanent, you need to work with Congress. That's why he's also proposed COVID relief package, a big, bold package. Some say very big -- I agree with that -- and also an immigration bill.

[15:05:08]

He has not held back or delayed putting forth legislation either. So, he is going to use the levers that every president in history has used, executive actions.

But he also feels it is important to work Congress, and not just one party, but both parties to get things done.

Go ahead in the back.

QUESTION: Thank you, Jen.

A couple of questions. One technical question on the E.O. signed today. Does the E.O. on ACA open the marketplace to noncitizens, to legal residents or undocumented immigrants that may be able to benefit from the extra care?

PSAKI: It doesn't change the requirements for qualifying for the Affordable Care Act. It opens it up for three months for people who would already be eligible for the Affordable Care Act.

So -- but, obviously, there are -- the Health and Human Services team will continue to look for ways to expand access. I will say -- you didn't ask this, but this is a common question, so I'm just going to proactively answer it -- that we do feel, as an administration, that ensuring that all people in the United States, undocumented immigrants as well, of course, should receive access to a vaccine, because that one is morally right, but also ensures that people in the country are also safe.

QUESTION: And that was my second question. How are you guiding the states--

PSAKI: Oh, all right, good.

QUESTION: Actually, yes.

(CROSSTALK)

PSAKI: OK. It's a common one.

QUESTION: Yes. How are you guiding the states, if any -- in any way to get those undocumented communities to come forward to get vaccinated?

Many of them in the states don't have any way to prove that they're residents of those states in order to go to their local clinics and prove residency to get the vaccine. So, how are you working with the states to get that done?

PSAKI: It's challenging.

We have talked about this a little bit in here. I mean, there's obviously vaccine hesitancy, which certainly exists in communities of undocumented immigrants and the concern of what it will mean for their status.

And -- but we are focused on ensuring we get the vaccine out broadly into communities across the country, because that will make the American people safer. And it's something we have to be both creative about, aggressive about, ambitious about. It's one of the reasons we need additional funding through the American Rescue Plan, but one -- also one of the reasons why we plan to have an aggressive public education campaign to help embolden and empower local doctors and authorities.

QUESTION: Let me ask one more on Cuba. Do you guys plan on starting -- walking back all of those restrictions that were put into place under the Trump administration, after the Obama administration had opened things up with Cuba? PSAKI: Well, our Cuba policy is governed by two principles, first,

support for democracy and human rights. That will be at the core of our efforts.

Second is Americans, especially Cuban Americans, are the best ambassadors for freedom in Cuba. So, we will review the Trump administration policies, as we are in a number of other areas of national security, with an eye to ensuring that our approach is aligned with that.

But we will take our own path. I don't have anything to predict for you at this point in time.

Go ahead, Alex.

QUESTION: I wanted to clarify something. You talked a little bit about the administration's stance on school reopenings yesterday.

PSAKI: Sure.

(CROSSTALK)

PSAKI: I wasn't really clear on that. So, I got a little better information.

(LAUGHTER)

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) indicated that he believes, that the administration believes that schools need more funding for them to be safe enough to reopen for students to go back.

But there's been a number of studies, including the recent one out of the CDC, that have shown evidence that schools are perfectly safe for students to go back. And there were recommendations that they should go back.

So, this seems like a bit of a dispute between teachers unions and sort of data and the science. So, where does the administration stand in that dispute?

PSAKI: Well, first, let me be absolutely clear. President Biden want schools to open and he wants them to stay open, because it's obviously very disruptive for families -- I'm a mother -- for anyone has kids, for kids to come in and out of school.

But that means making sure, as you said, that every school is able to have the equipment and resources to open safely, not just rural schools or private schools, which often is where a lot of the school reopenings and schools staying open is happening. It's more of a challenge in public schools, where they don't have that funding from tuition or smaller populations, where it's easier to put in place the actions needed to keep the schools open.

But the CDC study, which I know has gotten -- received a lot of attention, was based on kind of an area that was more rural in Wisconsin. It was not -- and I think what Dr. Walensky has said is that -- I think she said this on CNN last night -- is that for areas where they are more populated, where schools where there is a lot more foot traffic, that there are going to need to be a lot of steps put in place in order to make the schools reopening safe.

But we are committed to doing that. That's why the president signed an executive order last week supporting the safe reopening of schools. It requires the Departments of Education and CDC to provide evidence- based guidance. So, that will include things like testing, smaller class sizes, more ventilation, better cleaning, PPE, strong state and local public health guidance.

[15:10:09]

But we want to provide that clarity from the federal government, because there's a lot of confusion. And public schools especially don't know what steps they need to take, how to ensure they're safe. Those are all decisions that are going to be made locally. But we want to give them the guidance. That's in process.

Our team is working on that, Dr. Walensky at the CDC and our health experts. And we hope to have more specifics soon.

QUESTION: Maybe two more questions.

PSAKI: Go ahead.

QUESTION: So, Americans' savings rate is -- has been up throughout the pandemic.

And so I'm wondering, why give all Americans a $1,400 check? And why not means-test for the relief that your administration is talking about?

PSAKI: Well, first, the proposed checks, I mean, the -- have the same criteria as the package that received broad bipartisan support in December, right?

So, approximately -- the $1,400 checks would go to families making approximately $150,000 a year. There's a scaling up, as I think you're referencing, up to about $300,000. I think you all are aware of this, but just for everybody else.

And there has been some questions about that. President Biden, our economic team, we're open to discussing that. But we want to ensure that the families that need relief, that need assistance get it.

And I would say, at a time where we saw the economic data today -- and this was reflected in Brian Deese's statement -- it was worse than any week -- I don't want to misquote myself here -- that we saw during the Great Recession.

I mean, people are suffering. Thousands -- millions of people are out of work. People don't know how to put food on the table. These challenges are real. We -- the data shows it, but we also see long lines for food pantries. We see people who are out of work and don't know what they're going to do to make ends meet. And so that's tangible. That's real. And we want the package -- the

package is going to need to be big and bold to address that.

QUESTION: And then since we have been talking about women's health and access to abortion today, does the administration plan to suspend the requirement that the medication abortion pill be picked up in person?

I know that that's something that advocates have been pushing for after the reversal under the Trump administration.

PSAKI: Yes, I have certainly seen some reporting and questions about that. I will have to talk to our health team about that specifically.

QUESTION: Can I ask one more about the travel restrictions?

PSAKI: Sure. Go ahead.

And, Kaitlan, then I will go to you.

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION: A lot of our viewers are asking if there will be any kind of consideration for waivers for students or unmarried couple like fiances, since there is now the requirement for testing and quarantine?

PSAKI: Well, I know there's been a lot of coverage of this and questions, because this is -- these are people's lives and human beings who are missing their loved ones and their family members.

And just to restate what the requirements are now, so spouses of American citizens and lawful permanent residents are able to travel under these restrictions we have put in place on international travel, although they have to take part in the mandatory pre-departure testing that applies to everyone.

And we are reviewing and assessing, I should say, how students and unmarried couples -- and how we can proceed with that moving forward. I don't have anything to preview for you. But we're certainly -- our team is looking into that.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) criteria. Why countries with high numbers like Russia or India or Mexico are not on the list?

PSAKI: Well, our health and medical team takes a close look at what restrictions we need to put in place in order to keep the American people safe. And that's how we review it. It's not about geopolitics.

It was at times in the prior administration. That's not how we approach things. It's about where we need to put restrictions in place to keep the American people safe.

I promised Kaitlan she would get the next one.

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: So, just to get some clarification on the CDC study about schools being good to reopen if precautions are taking, is the White House position that it needs to be further studied, since you're citing just the one school in Wisconsin, or does the White House agree with the recommendations from the CDC about schools reopening?

PSAKI: Well, the CDC hasn't issued the formal recommendations or requirements on how all schools across the country can open.

They did a report, as they do reports frequently, based on an area in Wisconsin, important and interesting data, no doubt. But that is not reflective of every school district and community in the country.

And so they will be coming out with more specific requirements -- or more specific, I should say, guidelines for the public, because there are schools that are in much more highly populated areas. There are schools that have far more kids in classrooms, far more kids walking into the school. And they want to ensure that there's clarity on testing needs, class size needs, public health guidance that people can abide by.

But their recommendation is that K-12 schools should be the last settings to close after all of these mitigation measures have been employed and the first to reopen.

[15:15:08]

So, we all want schools to open and be open for good. What I'm reflecting on -- or what I'm trying to clarify, I guess, is that schools in cities are dealing with different challenges than schools in rural communities, and schools in Wisconsin may be dealing in different challenges than schools in downtown Atlanta, right?

So, there needs to be kind of -- the CDC will issue more specific guidelines soon. They're focused on it now.

COLLINS: OK.

And last question on this. So, President Biden has said he wants all schools to reopen in his first 100 days. Is that still the goal if Congress does not pass this proposal, which has the money for schools, which Ron Klain and others have said is what they believe schools need to reopen?

PSAKI: I sense skepticism about the bill getting passed. We don't feel that.

Look, I think the reason--

COLLINS: (OFF-MIKE) everything.

PSAKI: I know. That's your job.

(LAUGHTER)

PSAKI: Look, I think, Kaitlan, one of the reasons why we're so focused on the American Rescue Plan and getting it urgently passed through Congress is because we need this funding in order for schools to reopen and for them to have the support to ensure that they have proper ventilation, better cleaning, testing, PPE.

That's a key component of the package. And that's one of the reasons we're not going to negotiate out that vs. vaccine funding or unemployment insurance, because that's a key component. And we need that to ensure that schools will have the resources across the country to be able to reopen.

And that's exactly what the president wants to happen.

QUESTION: Thank you, Jen.

PSAKI: Thank you. Oh, OK, we're good. She was very patient.

Go ahead.

QUESTION: Thank you.

I just wonder if there is a general sense of frustration just about the pace of things, given the vaccine distribution, some of what you inherited from the Trump administration, trying to roll out executive orders, working with Congress, and sort of having some lawmakers raise concerns.

Is it harder to change things than you all thought it would be?

(LAUGHTER)

PSAKI: I'm only laughing because we're on our eighth day here.

So -- and in that period of time, the president has signed multiple executive orders. He has proposed several comprehensive bills. He's had many conversations with members of Congress about the urgency of getting things done.

And I will say, in those conversations, there is an understanding and agreement about the urgency of addressing these issues. So, no, we're actually pretty hopeful and optimistic about the opportunity and the ability to work with Democrats and Republicans to get packages through to help bring relief to the American public.

But we also recognize that members of Congress have -- they're not wallflowers. They have different points of view. They have lots of ideas. They're going to bring those forward. We're hearing them. And we're just eager to move things forward as quickly as we can.

But we're on day eight. So we are confident we're still on a pretty rapid pace here.

Thanks, everyone.

I appreciate all of you. I will be in my office. Thanks for your time, and we will do this again tomorrow.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN HOST: All right, let's take from here. You have been watching today's White House press briefing there. I'm

Brooke Baldwin. You're watching CNN. Thanks for being with me.

Press Secretary there Jen Psaki insisting that, despite the large number of executive orders the Biden administration has signed in his first eight days in office, right -- she keeps reiterating, we have only been here eight days. More than 40 E.O.s. She insists the president is working across the aisle and that these packages will have bipartisan support.

She also said that the White House is not looking to split his $1.9 trillion COVID relief package.

And that's where I want to begin, Dana Bash, with you, our CNN chief political correspondent, because the crux of all of this -- and we will get into the schools reopening -- is, this is all sort of contingent upon this bill passing.

And the question is, would they have to force this thing, would Democrats have to force this thing through without Republican support? And even you -- I think of you over the weekend, on your show talking to a moderate Republican, Mitt Romney, saying to you, yes, we will discuss this, but it's too soon for another stimulus.

Like, how do they make this happen in a bipartisan way? It's a big number.

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: It is a big number. I mean, and that is really the open question here in Washington. How do you make it happen in a bipartisan way, but also stick to the promises that you made, if you are Joe Biden, to progressives that you're going to stay big and bold?

I mean, how many times do we hear Jen Psaki say bold and big? It happens to have the benefit of being true that it is very, very big, but she's also trying to send a message to the members of Congress in -- who are increasingly progressive, as I said, but also the base, to say, we're not giving up on day eight, and we're not going to start to compromise on day eight.

[15:20:05]

The other side of that coin is the other promise that Joe Biden made, which is to work across the aisle and to compromise. And we don't know how he is going to fall, maybe somewhere in the middle there, but it's not going to be easy.

And we knew that this was going to be his big challenge, and it is presenting itself in the very beginning of his administration.

BALDWIN: Laura, I'm going to come to you in just a second, Laura Barron-Lopez, White House correspondent with Politico.

Do we have -- does Kaitlan have her earpiece in?

OK, let's go to Kaitlan, Kaitlan Collins, our chief White House correspondent there, pushing back, appropriately so, on Jen Psaki on this COVID relief bill, on how this thing will happen in a bipartisan way.

And I want to start, actually, with how it ended where you were really pushing her on, how are they supposed to make good on the promise of reopening all these schools, which parents, so many parents wants, at the same time, if they can't get this COVID relief package passed?

What did you think of her answer?

COLLINS: I think, Brooke, it's a natural question, because, of course, they have tied opening schools to what they have for funding in this proposal that President Biden has put out.

And, of course, there are still a ton of questions about what's going to happen to this bill on Capitol Hill. You have heard Nancy -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi saying today that they would be moving forward with or without Republican support. She talked about reconciliation.

Of course, that is not a term that most people know. It's a process to where they could use it, basically, though. And so it raises the questions of whether or not it would only get Democratic support, this bill, this proposal from President Biden.

And so, of course, it has far reaching repercussions. There's a lot in this package that President Biden has put forward. But one of the biggest questions is how it's going to affect schools, because his goal has been to get schools open within the first 100 days of his presidency.

BALDWIN: Yes.

COLLINS: They have tied the funding in this package to opening schools.

And another big aspect of this is that study that you recently saw from the CDC. They looked at a school in Wisconsin and said that schools, they believe, can reopen if proper precautions are taken, and that they are not what's contributing to community spread, like you have seen with things like meatpacking plants, those processing plants, things like that.

And so the White House was saying that guidelines or further guidelines are coming from the CDC. It's not really clear when those guidelines are going to happen, but they believe they will be able to provide more, I guess, guidance on what it's going to look like for schools reopening.

They kept stressing the difference of schools in urban vs. rural areas. But those are the guidelines for -- or that's the study that was published by the CDC. You saw people like Dr. Anthony Fauci saying he backs those -- that study from the CDC about schools being safe to reopen.

So it's just going to raise so many questions about whether or not President Biden is sticking by that 100-day timeline for schools reopening if this package doesn't get passed.

The other big question is, of course, there is -- there was a ton of questions in here about unity and about this bipartisan effort, which we know that his aides here at the White House are talking to senators from both sides of the aisle, trying to get a sense of what their feeling is on this package.

But the question is, would he sign a bill that only Democrats voted to get through? Now, if it does get passed through reconciliation, would President Biden sign something only Democrats have passed? The White House said they were not ready to go there yet. Of course, we're still a ways away from that, Brooke, but that could be a reality that they are facing not too long from now.

BALDWIN: It could. That's exactly what I was talking to Dana about.

Kaitlan, thank you so much for jumping up for me in the Briefing Room.

Laura, to you, because she was also asked -- Jen Psaki was asked, would President Biden be open to a smaller package? And she said -- quote -- "We are not looking to split the package on COVID COVID relief."

But Biden has said -- how many times did she say, we know members of Congress aren't wallflowers, right? We know that this is just a proposal. Translate that for me, Laura. Is she basically saying, listen, we know we're throwing this huge number out there, but we also know this is a negotiation?

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes, that's pretty much what she's saying, I mean, especially because right now, Democrats -- the Senate Democratic Caucus is really itching for action as early as they can possibly get it.

The sense of the Congress from the senators that I spoke to after the meeting with White House officials today is that they actually support that -- a lot of them support the top-line number, the $1.9 trillion. They want to know how the White House got to it. They want to know the details and the data, and some of them are still waiting on that.

But they do want fast action. And a number of them feel like breaking it up could be potentially hurting their play before they're even getting started. Now, they are going to negotiate and they are going to -- Biden, as you said, Brooke, is definitely talking to Republican senators.

Whether or not he gets 10, though, that's why so many Democrats think that ultimately this is just going to head to reconciliation and that they have one big shot at this to get it through.

And as Jen Psaki said during the meeting -- during the press briefing, she said, Republicans can go ahead and vote for that after it goes through reconciliation. So, there's nothing stopping them doing that.

BALDWIN: Laura, thank you. Dana, thank you. And, Kaitlan, again at the White House, thank you all so much. [15:25:02]

I want to move on.

Breaking news this afternoon. A man has been arrested near the U.S. Capitol armed with a gun and 20 rounds of ammunition. We have those new details coming in next.

Also ahead, the backlash is growing over Republican lawmaker Marjorie Taylor Greene and her violent comments and bizarre behavior. But here's the thing. Republicans are still largely silent about what they plan to do about her.

And anger erupts after stock trading apps step in to stop this small group of investors from buying shares in GameStop, interfering with a massive stock rally that has sparked a big debate between Wall Street and Main Street.

You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin. We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Got some breaking news for you out of Washington, D.C., where this West Virginia man was just arrested by U.S. Capitol Police.