What Did Joe Biden Do Today?
August 12, 2024 Recap
In her speech at a political event in San Francisco*, Vice President Kamala Harris emphasized the importance of the upcoming election and expressed confidence in her party's chances of victory. She began by praising Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi for her leadership, particularly highlighting her role in passing the Affordable Care Act. She acknowledged other prominent California leaders like Governor Gavin Newsom and Congresswoman Barbara Lee. Reflecting on her political journey, Harris shared personal anecdotes, including her and Newsom's simultaneous election in San Francisco in 2004 and the challenges she faced, such as her tough Attorney General race. She underscored the strong support she has received from her colleagues and friends throughout her career.
Harris highlighted the urgency of the upcoming election, noting that early voting in key states begins soon. She stressed the importance of grassroots efforts, such as knocking on doors and mobilizing voters, emphasizing the short timeline until Election Day. Contrasting her party's vision for the future with that of Donald Trump and his supporters, Harris outlined a future focused on affordable healthcare, economic opportunity, climate action, and protecting civil rights. She criticized Trump’s Project 2025 agenda, describing it as a plan to weaken the middle class, cut Social Security and Medicare, and roll back progress on climate and healthcare.
Throughout her speech, Harris passionately defended hard-won freedoms, including the right to vote, the right to be safe from gun violence, and the right to clean air and water. She expressed concern over recent state laws, such as Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law and the rollback of abortion rights following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Harris warned about the implications of a potential Trump presidency, including his plans to implement a national abortion ban and his stated intention to undermine democratic institutions. She stressed that Trump’s agenda poses a significant threat to American democracy and freedoms.
Despite these challenges, Harris conveyed optimism, citing the energy and determination she has witnessed across the country, particularly among young voters. She mentioned her recent travels to battleground states, where she saw strong support for their campaign and a commitment from people of diverse backgrounds to fight for a better future. Harris concluded her speech by urging her audience to continue fighting for freedom and the future, reiterating the belief that when they fight, they win. She called on everyone to use the remaining days before the election to ensure victory, emphasizing the collective power of the people in a democracy.
*This event took place on the afternoon of Sunday, August 11. The transcript was not made available until this morning.
The Biden-Harris Administration has launched a new initiative called "Time Is Money" aimed at reducing everyday headaches and hassles that waste Americans' time and money. This effort targets corporate practices such as excessive paperwork, long wait times, and other tactics that inconvenience consumers and increase business profits. Key actions include:
Easier Subscription Cancellations: The FTC is proposing rules to make canceling subscriptions as easy as signing up, and similar efforts are being considered for the communications industry.
Automatic Airline Refunds: The Department of Transportation now requires airlines to issue automatic cash refunds for canceled or significantly changed flights.
Online Health Claims: The HHS and DOL are working to make it easier for consumers to submit health insurance claims online and improve customer service.
Cracking Down on Customer Service Issues: Agencies are taking steps to improve access to live customer support, addressing "doom loops" where customers struggle to reach human representatives.
Combatting Fake Reviews: The FTC is working on rules to stop companies from using fake reviews and endorsements, ensuring consumers receive honest feedback.
Improving Chatbot Services: The CFPB plans to issue guidance on the appropriate use of chatbots, ensuring they do not replace effective human customer service.
Simplifying School Communications: The Department of Education will provide guidance to schools to streamline communication processes with parents.
The initiative builds on previous efforts to improve government customer service, such as online passport renewals and simplified health coverage renewals. The administration invites the public to share additional ideas for reducing time-wasting practices.
The leaders of the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Italy issued a joint statement addressing the ongoing situation in the Middle East. They expressed strong support for efforts to de-escalate tensions, reach a ceasefire, and secure a hostage release deal in Gaza. The leaders endorsed a call for renewed talks involving key regional figures to conclude the deal quickly, emphasizing the urgency of the situation. They also stressed the importance of unrestricted aid delivery. Additionally, the statement supported Israel's defense against Iranian aggression and urged Iran to cease its military threats, warning of serious regional security consequences if such threats are carried out.
Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre held a press briefing that provided a detailed overview of President Biden’s upcoming schedule and the administration’s key initiatives. The President had a call with leaders from France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom to discuss the ongoing situation in the Middle East, focusing on de-escalating tensions and pursuing a ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza. Later in the week, the President and First Lady were scheduled to travel to New Orleans for a Biden Cancer Moonshot event, followed by a trip to Prince George’s County, Maryland, where they will speak on efforts to lower costs for American families. The President is also set to spend the upcoming weekend at Camp David.
The briefing highlighted the administration’s celebration of U.S. athletes who excelled at the Olympics, winning 126 medals, including 40 golds. President Biden and other officials actively supported the athletes, and the President personally called some Olympians to congratulate them. Additionally, Jean-Pierre discussed the launch of the "Time is Money" initiative, aimed at reducing bureaucratic inefficiencies that frustrate Americans, such as simplifying the process of canceling subscriptions and improving customer service experiences. The administration also invited Americans to share ideas on how federal action can improve their lives through an online portal.
Jean-Pierre addressed Vice President Harris’s recent endorsement of eliminating taxes on tips for service and hospitality workers, affirming that President Biden supports this initiative. She linked it to the administration's broader goals of economic equity, including raising the minimum wage and supporting unionization. The press secretary contrasted these efforts with the GOP’s policies, which she criticized as favoring billionaires and corporations.
Regarding the upcoming Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Jean-Pierre indicated that President Biden would deliver a speech focusing on unity and the administration's accomplishments. When asked about Vice President Harris's policy initiatives and their alignment with President Biden’s agenda, Jean-Pierre noted the strong partnership between the two over the past three and a half years, particularly on issues like economic recovery, health care, and foreign policy.
The briefing also touched on various international and security issues. Jean-Pierre denied reports that the U.S. had offered amnesty to Venezuelan President Maduro in exchange for him stepping down, stating that no such offer had been made since the recent elections. She also reiterated the U.S. stance against the deepening security partnership between Russia and Iran, warning of severe consequences if Iran provided ballistic missiles to Russia. Additionally, Jean-Pierre dismissed allegations that the U.S. had influenced political events in Bangladesh, emphasizing that the future of Bangladesh's government is for its people to decide.
In response to questions about misinformation on social media, particularly regarding an upcoming interview between Elon Musk and Donald Trump on X (formerly Twitter), Jean-Pierre stressed the responsibility of social media platforms to combat misinformation but did not provide specific measures being taken by the administration.
When asked about Vice President Harris’s role and achievements, Jean-Pierre emphasized that the administration’s successes are a collective effort between the President and Vice President. She highlighted Harris’s involvement in key legislative victories and her critical partnership with the administration. The briefing also covered the President’s push for Supreme Court reform, including term limits and ethics requirements, with Jean-Pierre mentioning that the administration would work with Congress to pursue these reforms through a bipartisan approach.
Economic issues were also a significant topic, with Jean-Pierre addressing questions about inflation and the administration’s economic challenges. She responded by highlighting the administration’s successes in job creation, wage growth, and managing inflation and reiterated the administration’s commitment to continuing efforts to lower costs for Americans. Overall, the press briefing focused on outlining the administration's current and upcoming initiatives, responding to policy questions, and addressing both international and domestic issues.
President Joe Biden issued a proclamation that addresses the continuation and modification of safeguard measures on imports of certain crystalline silicon photovoltaic (CSPV) cells, whether or not partially or fully assembled into other products. Initially, in 2018, a safeguard measure was implemented, which included a tariff-rate quota (TRQ) and increased tariffs on CSPV cell imports, excluding certain beneficiary countries. In 2020, adjustments were made to this safeguard, including an increase in the tariff and the revocation of exemptions for bifacial modules. However, a court ruling in 2021 invalidated this modification, though the decision was later reversed in 2023.
Following these legal developments, the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) reported that the domestic solar industry had made positive adjustments due to the safeguard measures. This included increased production capacity and improvements in several economic indicators. Based on these findings and a petition from the domestic industry requesting the elimination or expansion of the TRQ, President Biden determined that it was necessary to modify the safeguard measures. Consequently, the TRQ was expanded from 5 gigawatts (GW) to 12.5 GW.
The proclamation modifies the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) to reflect these changes, with the new TRQ taking effect from August 1, 2024. This measure aims to support the domestic solar industry by allowing more imports under a higher quota without additional tariffs, thereby balancing the need to protect domestic production while accommodating increased import demands.
In a press gaggle, John Kirby, White House National Security Communications Advisor, discussed several pressing international issues. He highlighted the U.S.'s concerns about potential attacks by Iran or its proxies in the Middle East, noting the alignment of U.S. and Israeli assessments on the likelihood of such attacks. Kirby emphasized ongoing diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions and the U.S.'s readiness to defend Israel if necessary.
He also addressed questions about potential Iranian cyberattacks on the Trump campaign, declining to comment directly but reiterating U.S. condemnation of foreign interference in elections. On Ukraine, Kirby noted the continued U.S. support for Ukrainian defense but did not provide updates on specific operations.
Regarding negotiations in Gaza, Kirby stressed the importance of upcoming talks and urged all parties, including Hamas, to participate. He declined to speculate on the impact of a potential Iranian attack on these negotiations but underscored the importance of diplomacy.
Kirby also touched on U.S. concerns about the use of North Korean missiles by Russia in its war against Ukraine and rejected Russian claims that the West is at war with Russia. Finally, Kirby responded to questions about U.S. troop presence in Iraq, indicating ongoing discussions but providing no specifics.
