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Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jen Psaki, November 12,
MS. PSAKI: We certainly don't think that. The message to Americans is that we're not just closely and directly monitoring the situation - which, of course, we've been doing - but we're looking at every tool in our arsenal. You mentioned some of them.
While I don't have anything to preview today, the President is quite focused on this, as is the economic team. And I would note, again, that we have taken a range of actions. We've communicated with the FTC to crack down on illegal pricing; are engaging with countries and entities abroad, like OPEC, on increasing supply; and we're looking at a range of options we have at our disposal. But I don't have anything here to preview for you.
Q Axios reported that the President is considering appointing an infrastructure czar to oversee that program. Would that be somebody that comes in from outside the White House or the administration, or would we expect to have the Transportation Secretary or somebody like that to sort of hold this position?
MS. PSAKI: He does have an intent - he does intend to name a infrastructure coordinator and someone who could oversee the implementation of the bill. I don't have anything to preview yet on that personnel announcement. I expect we'll have something soon, and you can expect it will be someone from outside of the administration.
Q And then, last one. Senator Manchin was critical of, sort of, inflation this week. Obviously, there's a question of if it'll impact his vote on the Build Back Better issue, and I'm wondering if you've received any assurances from him that it will not.
But also, it plays into sort of a larger critique that he's had about the Fed having, at some point, ramped down - he wishes that they'd ramped down bond buying and (inaudible). So I'm wondering if that is a criticism that the White House agrees with, especially as the President is sort of evaluating this position going forward.
MS. PSAKI: I'm just not going to get into critiquing the Federal Reserve from here or their decisions, given they make independent decisions. I would note that - and I'll let Senator Manchin, of course, speak for himself and his support or concerns he may have.
You know, what we're focused on is getting this bill passed through the House next week. And we have every intention of working with leadership to get exactly - to get that done. And we will remain, at a senior-staff level, at this point, engaged closely with Senator Manchin and answer any questions he has.
I will note that most - the vast majority of outside economists agree that this is not a bill that will add to inflationary pressure, and in fact, over the longer term, it will ease inflationary pressure.
And I would note just a couple of people who, at times, haven't always been positive about our proposals. Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers said about Build Back Better, "I don't think that's an inflation problem." He said if he was in Congress, he would vote for it.
Moody's Analytics chief economist, Mark Zandi: "I don't think the Build Back Better agenda will be inflationary. I think it's designed to lift long-term economic growth by improving productivity. That's public infrastructure, roads, bridges, broadband. That will make us more productive. That should ease inflation." As we know, increased economic productivity and growth eases inflationary pressure.
And, of course, our favorite, the 17 winners of the Nobel Prize in Economics, who wrote that "because this agenda invests in long-term economic capacity and will enhance the ability of more Americans to participate, it will ease longer-term inflationary pressure."
I would also note, and then I will keep cooking around here, but that one of the reasons they don't have concerns, as they've said in many of these interviews that I was just pulling out components of, is because it's fully paid for. And the reason it's fully paid for is because we're asking corporations, the wealthiest Americans to pay more in taxes.
That is something - I don't - you don't need to be kind of a sleuth here to understand why some Republicans are speaking out against this package. Is it because they're opposed to lowering childcare costs? Is it because they're opposed to making sure that preschool is available for families? Is it because they're opposed to lowering healthcare costs? No, it's because they don't want to raise taxes on corporations. We all know that. Hope people will ask them those questions.
Go ahead.
Q Jen, can I ask you about COVID very quickly?
MS. PSAKI: Sure.
Q And welcome back, by the way.
MS. PSAKI: Thank you.
Q The Colorado governor just signed an executive order making everyone 18 and older eligible for a booster shot, which defies guidance from the FDA and from the CDC, which says that the booster shot should only go to those who are at higher risk or seniors. What does the White House make of that decision and move?
MS. PSAKI: Well, we, here in the federal government, are guided by science and our country's public health officials who are constantly reviewing the data to make their own independent, evidence-based decisions.
As you noted, this isn't currently the guidance that's being projected by our health and medical experts because they are looking at and understanding the data. So, we would certainly continue to advise leaders across the country to abide by public health guidelines coming from the federal government.
Q If I can, quickly, just to detail your own experience: Do you have any lingering symptoms? Have you had anything that stuck with you?
MS. PSAKI: I do not, fortunately. And as I noted earlier, I was - experienced a little bit of light fatigue in the first couple of days but none that prevented me from participating in meetings here, engaging with the President and the team on the road, and certainly probably calling members of my team so many times they were tired of hearing from me.
Q As it relates to the White House, has the White House determined whether it is safe to hold holiday parties, and will the White House do so this year?
MS. PSAKI: You know, it's going to look a little bit different, Peter, and I don't have anything to outline for you at this point in time. But certainly we expect to celebrate the holiday season. And we'll have more details, I expect, in the coming weeks on that for you.
Q So, for clarity, when you say it's going to look different, that means there will be holiday parties and they will look different but you're not going to detail how they'll look different yet?
MS. PSAKI: We'll have more to convey to all of you about what it will look like, and I just don't have those details at this point in time.
Q Let me ask one last question if I can, quickly. Across this country, we've seen this new phenomenon lately chanted at sporting events and on signs. The phrase is, "Let's go, Brandon." A sort of code for a profane slogan attacking President Biden. What does the President make of that?
MS. PSAKI: I don't think he spends much time focused on it or thinking about it.
Q The President said when he came into office on Inauguration Day - he said he was going to help get rid of the "uncivil war" in this country. So I guess, through that lens right now, does the President think there are things that he can do differently? Or how does he react to the stuff he sees out there when it is one of his primary promises or desires to help bring Americans together?
MS. PSAKI: Well, it takes two to move towards a more civil engagement and discourse in this country. And the President is going to continue to operate, as you said, from the promise he made early on, which is that he wants to govern for all Americans.
He's going to deliver for all Americans, as is evidenced by the infrastructure bill that he's going to sign on Monday, that's going to help expand broadband to everyone, no matter your political party, no matter whether you voted for him or not. That's going to replace lead pipes, make sure kids have clean drinking water, whether you're a Democrat or Republican or not political at all.
That's how he's going to govern. And certainly we're hopeful we'll have partners to move toward more civil discourse with in the future.
Q Thank you.
MS. PSAKI: Go ahead, Jacqui.
Q Thanks, Jen. Welcome back.
MS. PSAKI: Thank you.
Q Democrats are calling for the President to release barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to bring down costs. And that would be somewhat of an immediate action to mitigate these high gas prices as opposed to waiting for the BIF money to be implemented to address the long-term supply chain issues or the Build Back Better to be passed. Why has the President not yet done that? Does he plan to do that soon?
MS. PSAKI: I don't have anything to preview for you. I can just reiterate what I conveyed a little bit earlier: is that certainly the cost of gas is on the minds of the - on the mind of the President, as it is on the mind of many Americans across the country.
And there are several steps we've taken, including pushing the FTC, or asking the FTC to look into price gouging - something we've seen and we have concerns has been an issue over the past few months as the availability and supply of oil has gone up and prices have not come down; pushing OPEC to release more supply to meet the demand. And certainly there are a range of other domestic options, but I just don't have anything to preview at this point in time.
Q And then, can I get your response to this report from the Tax Policy Center that under the Build Back Better plan, most millionaires would get a tax cut; two thirds of people making over a million dollars would get a cut on average of $16,800, mostly because of SALT?
Separately, it finds that 20 to 30 percent of middle-class households would pay more in taxes - granted, it's a small amount - between $100 and $230 depending on income levels. But how does the White House frame this reconciliation plan as a tax cut for the middle class, paid for by the rich, when this analysis is showing the opposite?
MS. PSAKI: It actually doesn't. Just to give a little bit more context of what the report showed, it also showed that the average family with children making $75,000 to $100,000 per year will get an income tax cut of about $2,230. It also showed the average -
Q Isn't that not until last year though?
MS. PSAKI: It showed the average taxpayer with income above $1 million per year will see their income taxes go up by $65,000. Seventy-five percent of the tax cuts go to families making less than $200,000 per year, with 54 million families making less than $200,000 a year getting a tax cut.
What we also don't buy into, which is part of your second part of this, is that any tax that dares touch big corporations - many of whom are making record profits and not paying any taxes at all - is somehow a tax on the middle class.
Most economists agree with us: Build Back Better will clearly lower taxes, lower costs, raise wages, and economic growth - increase economic growth for the middle class.
The strategy - and just look at the 2017 tax cuts - that was argued at the time, that giving tax cuts to big corporations would trickle down to lower income people - it didn't. None of that happened. So we're just not buying into that notion
Q But doesn't that not take effect - that cut that you're referencing - until 2023?
Go Back
While I don't have anything to preview today, the President is quite focused on this, as is the economic team. And I would note, again, that we have taken a range of actions. We've communicated with the FTC to crack down on illegal pricing; are engaging with countries and entities abroad, like OPEC, on increasing supply; and we're looking at a range of options we have at our disposal. But I don't have anything here to preview for you.
Q Axios reported that the President is considering appointing an infrastructure czar to oversee that program. Would that be somebody that comes in from outside the White House or the administration, or would we expect to have the Transportation Secretary or somebody like that to sort of hold this position?
MS. PSAKI: He does have an intent - he does intend to name a infrastructure coordinator and someone who could oversee the implementation of the bill. I don't have anything to preview yet on that personnel announcement. I expect we'll have something soon, and you can expect it will be someone from outside of the administration.
Q And then, last one. Senator Manchin was critical of, sort of, inflation this week. Obviously, there's a question of if it'll impact his vote on the Build Back Better issue, and I'm wondering if you've received any assurances from him that it will not.
But also, it plays into sort of a larger critique that he's had about the Fed having, at some point, ramped down - he wishes that they'd ramped down bond buying and (inaudible). So I'm wondering if that is a criticism that the White House agrees with, especially as the President is sort of evaluating this position going forward.
MS. PSAKI: I'm just not going to get into critiquing the Federal Reserve from here or their decisions, given they make independent decisions. I would note that - and I'll let Senator Manchin, of course, speak for himself and his support or concerns he may have.
You know, what we're focused on is getting this bill passed through the House next week. And we have every intention of working with leadership to get exactly - to get that done. And we will remain, at a senior-staff level, at this point, engaged closely with Senator Manchin and answer any questions he has.
I will note that most - the vast majority of outside economists agree that this is not a bill that will add to inflationary pressure, and in fact, over the longer term, it will ease inflationary pressure.
And I would note just a couple of people who, at times, haven't always been positive about our proposals. Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers said about Build Back Better, "I don't think that's an inflation problem." He said if he was in Congress, he would vote for it.
Moody's Analytics chief economist, Mark Zandi: "I don't think the Build Back Better agenda will be inflationary. I think it's designed to lift long-term economic growth by improving productivity. That's public infrastructure, roads, bridges, broadband. That will make us more productive. That should ease inflation." As we know, increased economic productivity and growth eases inflationary pressure.
And, of course, our favorite, the 17 winners of the Nobel Prize in Economics, who wrote that "because this agenda invests in long-term economic capacity and will enhance the ability of more Americans to participate, it will ease longer-term inflationary pressure."
I would also note, and then I will keep cooking around here, but that one of the reasons they don't have concerns, as they've said in many of these interviews that I was just pulling out components of, is because it's fully paid for. And the reason it's fully paid for is because we're asking corporations, the wealthiest Americans to pay more in taxes.
That is something - I don't - you don't need to be kind of a sleuth here to understand why some Republicans are speaking out against this package. Is it because they're opposed to lowering childcare costs? Is it because they're opposed to making sure that preschool is available for families? Is it because they're opposed to lowering healthcare costs? No, it's because they don't want to raise taxes on corporations. We all know that. Hope people will ask them those questions.
Go ahead.
Q Jen, can I ask you about COVID very quickly?
MS. PSAKI: Sure.
Q And welcome back, by the way.
MS. PSAKI: Thank you.
Q The Colorado governor just signed an executive order making everyone 18 and older eligible for a booster shot, which defies guidance from the FDA and from the CDC, which says that the booster shot should only go to those who are at higher risk or seniors. What does the White House make of that decision and move?
MS. PSAKI: Well, we, here in the federal government, are guided by science and our country's public health officials who are constantly reviewing the data to make their own independent, evidence-based decisions.
As you noted, this isn't currently the guidance that's being projected by our health and medical experts because they are looking at and understanding the data. So, we would certainly continue to advise leaders across the country to abide by public health guidelines coming from the federal government.
Q If I can, quickly, just to detail your own experience: Do you have any lingering symptoms? Have you had anything that stuck with you?
MS. PSAKI: I do not, fortunately. And as I noted earlier, I was - experienced a little bit of light fatigue in the first couple of days but none that prevented me from participating in meetings here, engaging with the President and the team on the road, and certainly probably calling members of my team so many times they were tired of hearing from me.
Q As it relates to the White House, has the White House determined whether it is safe to hold holiday parties, and will the White House do so this year?
MS. PSAKI: You know, it's going to look a little bit different, Peter, and I don't have anything to outline for you at this point in time. But certainly we expect to celebrate the holiday season. And we'll have more details, I expect, in the coming weeks on that for you.
Q So, for clarity, when you say it's going to look different, that means there will be holiday parties and they will look different but you're not going to detail how they'll look different yet?
MS. PSAKI: We'll have more to convey to all of you about what it will look like, and I just don't have those details at this point in time.
Q Let me ask one last question if I can, quickly. Across this country, we've seen this new phenomenon lately chanted at sporting events and on signs. The phrase is, "Let's go, Brandon." A sort of code for a profane slogan attacking President Biden. What does the President make of that?
MS. PSAKI: I don't think he spends much time focused on it or thinking about it.
Q The President said when he came into office on Inauguration Day - he said he was going to help get rid of the "uncivil war" in this country. So I guess, through that lens right now, does the President think there are things that he can do differently? Or how does he react to the stuff he sees out there when it is one of his primary promises or desires to help bring Americans together?
MS. PSAKI: Well, it takes two to move towards a more civil engagement and discourse in this country. And the President is going to continue to operate, as you said, from the promise he made early on, which is that he wants to govern for all Americans.
He's going to deliver for all Americans, as is evidenced by the infrastructure bill that he's going to sign on Monday, that's going to help expand broadband to everyone, no matter your political party, no matter whether you voted for him or not. That's going to replace lead pipes, make sure kids have clean drinking water, whether you're a Democrat or Republican or not political at all.
That's how he's going to govern. And certainly we're hopeful we'll have partners to move toward more civil discourse with in the future.
Q Thank you.
MS. PSAKI: Go ahead, Jacqui.
Q Thanks, Jen. Welcome back.
MS. PSAKI: Thank you.
Q Democrats are calling for the President to release barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to bring down costs. And that would be somewhat of an immediate action to mitigate these high gas prices as opposed to waiting for the BIF money to be implemented to address the long-term supply chain issues or the Build Back Better to be passed. Why has the President not yet done that? Does he plan to do that soon?
MS. PSAKI: I don't have anything to preview for you. I can just reiterate what I conveyed a little bit earlier: is that certainly the cost of gas is on the minds of the - on the mind of the President, as it is on the mind of many Americans across the country.
And there are several steps we've taken, including pushing the FTC, or asking the FTC to look into price gouging - something we've seen and we have concerns has been an issue over the past few months as the availability and supply of oil has gone up and prices have not come down; pushing OPEC to release more supply to meet the demand. And certainly there are a range of other domestic options, but I just don't have anything to preview at this point in time.
Q And then, can I get your response to this report from the Tax Policy Center that under the Build Back Better plan, most millionaires would get a tax cut; two thirds of people making over a million dollars would get a cut on average of $16,800, mostly because of SALT?
Separately, it finds that 20 to 30 percent of middle-class households would pay more in taxes - granted, it's a small amount - between $100 and $230 depending on income levels. But how does the White House frame this reconciliation plan as a tax cut for the middle class, paid for by the rich, when this analysis is showing the opposite?
MS. PSAKI: It actually doesn't. Just to give a little bit more context of what the report showed, it also showed that the average family with children making $75,000 to $100,000 per year will get an income tax cut of about $2,230. It also showed the average -
Q Isn't that not until last year though?
MS. PSAKI: It showed the average taxpayer with income above $1 million per year will see their income taxes go up by $65,000. Seventy-five percent of the tax cuts go to families making less than $200,000 per year, with 54 million families making less than $200,000 a year getting a tax cut.
What we also don't buy into, which is part of your second part of this, is that any tax that dares touch big corporations - many of whom are making record profits and not paying any taxes at all - is somehow a tax on the middle class.
Most economists agree with us: Build Back Better will clearly lower taxes, lower costs, raise wages, and economic growth - increase economic growth for the middle class.
The strategy - and just look at the 2017 tax cuts - that was argued at the time, that giving tax cuts to big corporations would trickle down to lower income people - it didn't. None of that happened. So we're just not buying into that notion
Q But doesn't that not take effect - that cut that you're referencing - until 2023?
| Beaufort County Covid19 Update for November 13, 2021 | News Services, Government, State and Federal | Still In the Age of Covid: The Beaufort County Health Director's Update - November 1, 2021 |
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