What Did Joe Biden Do Today?
December 21 Recap
President Biden issued a statement on the 35th anniversary of the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, when a bomb was detonated while it was flying over Lockerbie, Scotland. This tragic event resulted in the loss of 270 lives, including 190 Americans, both on the aircraft and on the ground. Among the victims were students from Syracuse University, spouses returning to their families after business travels, parents accompanying their children, and individuals from 21 nations, each with unique dreams and ambitions for their futures.
The President signed the following bills into law:
H.J.Res. 62, which reappoints Michael Govan as a citizen regent of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution;
H.J.Res. 63, which appoints Antoinette Bush as a citizen regent of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution; and
H.J.Res. 64, which reappoints Roger W. Ferguson as a citizen regent of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution.
The Department of Labor has proposed a rule that would strengthen safety standards for emergency responder equipment, training, and vehicle operations for the first time in more than 40 years. These new standards would prevent thousands of injuries for more than one million brave emergency responders nationwide. Read President Biden’s statement.
President Biden issued Letters to Certain Congressional Committees Providing Notice of Changes to the Legal and Policy Frameworks for the United States’ Use of Military Force.
Lael Brainard, the National Economic Advisor, has released a statement regarding the state of the U.S. steel industry. Under President Biden's administration, a noteworthy achievement of creating 800,000 manufacturing jobs has been realized. This success is attributed to the President's policies, which have facilitated the resurgence of domestic factories and the repatriation of jobs, fostering a renewed emphasis on American-made products by domestic companies. Key legislative initiatives, such as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Inflation Reduction Act, and Chips and Science Act, are actively contributing to the revitalization of the Made in America manufacturing sector. Additionally, President Biden has taken decisive measures to safeguard U.S. steel companies from unfair trade practices and market distortions emanating from China and other nations.
The President issued an Executive Order on Adjustments of Certain Rates of Pay.
President Biden and President Andrés Manuel López Obrador of Mexico spoke this morning about ongoing efforts to manage migratory flows in the Western Hemisphere, building on the Los Angeles Declaration for Migration and Protection that President Biden launched in Los Angeles in June 2022. The President and President López Obrador agreed that additional enforcement actions are urgently needed so that key ports of entry can be reopened across our shared border. President Biden has asked Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, and White House Homeland Security Advisor Liz Sherwood-Randall to travel to Mexico in the coming days to meet with President López Obrador to discuss further actions that can be taken together to address current border challenges.
A press briefing was held by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and NSC Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby. Watch the briefing and read the transcript.
