What Did Joe Biden Do Today?
December 7 Recap
National Economic Advisor Lael Brainard gave remarks addressing the challenge of housing affordability at the National Housing Conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. She spoke of the efforts on behalf of the Biden Administration to reduce housing costs nationwide, including The president’s budget proposes housing tax credits that increase the number of households that have access to affordable rents by 1.2 million over the next decade so that rents set at less than 24% of area median income, with rent increases tied to area income gains. These provisions are also in the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act.
On top of this, the Neighborhood Homes Investment Act proposal in the president’s budget would promote homeownership for an additional 500,000 households while increasing neighborhood revitalization investments. Read more…
A Fact Sheet was released regarding the Biden-Harris Administration’s announcement of new actions to lower health care and prescription drug costs by promoting competition, including the release of a proposed framework for agencies on the exercise of march-in rights on taxpayer-funded drugs and other inventions, which specifies that price can be a factor in considering whether a drug is accessible to the public. The Biden-Harris Administration announced new efforts to stop anticompetitive mergers and anticompetitive practices by dominant corporations in healthcare markets, including launching a cross-government public inquiry into corporate greed in healthcare, identifying anticompetitive “rollups” that currently evade antitrust review, increasing ownership transparency, and increasing Medicare Advantage transparency. Read the fact sheet.
As part of his travel to Israel and the West Bank, National Security Advisor to the Vice President Dr. Phil Gordon met in Israel on December 6 with families of Israeli hostages currently held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza. Dr. Gordon heard about the agonizing ordeal of the hostages and their families and expressed the steadfast support of President Biden, Vice President Harris, and the entire Biden-Harris Administration. Dr. Gordon emphasized that the Biden-Harris Administration will relentlessly pursue every effort to secure the release of all hostages. He assured the families that the well-being of the hostages remains front and center in their diplomatic conversations and emphasized our continued commitment to work with Israel, Qatar, and Egypt to reach a new deal to secure the release of hostages.
Assistant to the President and Director of the Gender Policy Council Jennifer Klein, as well as other senior officials from the Gender Policy Council and the National Security Council, met with Dr. Cochav Elyakam-Levy, Chair of Israel’s Civil Commission on October 7 Crimes by Hamas Against Women and Children. From the earliest days of the conflict, the Biden-Harris Administration has been deeply concerned by the horrific reports of sexual violence used by Hamas against Israeli women and children as part of the October 7 attacks. As President Biden has again underscored, the world cannot look away from the accounts by survivors and witnesses detailing the brutality of that day. Read more…
(Reported by The White House on December 7)
On Tuesday, senior Biden-Harris Administration officials met again with manufacturers and partners of RSV immunizations, including Sanofi, AstraZeneca, and Thermo Fisher. They urged them to work expeditiously to meet the demand for immunizations through the commercial market this winter. This meeting follows numerous in-person and virtual meetings, including last week, to continue identifying ways manufacturers can make more RSV available for infants. Last month, manufacturers released 77,000 additional doses of RSV immunizations for infants following Administration efforts urging the manufacturers to expedite the availability of doses.
During the meeting, manufacturers and senior administration officials also continued to discuss manufacturers' efforts to increase RSV immunizations' availability for the 2024-25 viral season.
The Biden-Harris Administration continues to prioritize access to safe and effective vaccines for all Americans who want them and encourages Americans to protect themselves and their loved ones by getting vaccinated.
The president issued a Memorandum on the Delegation of Certain Functions and Authorities Under the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020 and Public Law 117-78.
President Biden sent a Letter to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and President pro tempore of the Senate regarding the War Powers Report.
President Biden spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel. The leaders discussed developments in Gaza. The President expressed his deep concern for the hostages that remain in Gaza. He reiterated that the ICRC must be permitted to access remaining hostages held by Hamas terrorists. He noted that it was Hamas’s refusal to release young women civilian hostages that led to a breakdown in the humanitarian pause. The leaders agreed to remain deeply engaged, pursuing every possible opportunity to free the remaining hostages. Read more…
The president also spoke with His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan. The leaders discussed the latest developments in Gaza. The President reiterated his commitment to facilitating the increased, sustained delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza. He thanked His Majesty for Jordan’s critical partnership in this effort. The President and King Abdullah affirmed their commitment to work together and with other regional partners to set the conditions for a durable and sustainable peace in the Middle East including the establishment of a Palestinian state. The President expressed appreciation to the King for Jordan’s role in promoting regional stability and confirmed unwavering U.S. support for Jordan and the Jordanian people.
National Economic Advisor Lael Brainard
