First Lady Pool Reports of August 31, 2023

FLOTUS Pool Report #1 - Arrival

First Lady Jill Biden touched down at Dane County Regional Airport at approximately 1:13 p.m.

She was greeted by Sen. Tammy Baldwin, Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway and other local officials. She did not take questions from pool reporters.

Dr. Biden is wearing a white dress and light blue blazer.

The motorcade left at 1:30 p.m. en route to Exact Sciences, where Baldwin will join Dr. Biden for a tour of the laboratory.

Background on today's visit from the East Wing:

Background | First Lady Jill Biden Visit to Madison Wisconsin Thursday 8/31
Today, Thursday, August 31st, the First Lady will travel to Madison, Wisconsin to participate in a tour and listening session as part of the Biden Cancer Moonshot, and attend a back-to-school event with the National Education Association and American Federation of Teachers. In the evening, the First Lady will attend and deliver remarks at a political finance event with Governor Tony Evers and Senator Tammy Baldwin in Madison.

Airport Arrival
At 1:10 PM, the First Lady will arrive at Dane County Regional Airport in Madison, Wisconsin. The First Lady will be greeted by:

• Senator Tammy Baldwin
• Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway, City of Madison
• Joe Parisi, Dane County Executive
• Patrick Miles, Dane County Board of Supervisors

Biden Cancer Moonshot Engagement #1 – Tour of Exact Sciences
At 2:00 PM, as part of the Biden Cancer Moonshot, the First Lady will participate in a tour of Exact Sciences' laboratory in Madison, Wisconsin with Senator Tammy Baldwin to highlight the importance of early detection and making it easier for patients to get screened for cancer.
Upon arrival, the First Lady, Mayor Satya-Rhodes Conway, and Senator Tammy Baldwin will greet with leaders from Exact Sciences, and then tour the company's laboratory. The tour will follow the journey of a completed Cologuard test, from the laboratory receiving the kit to the processing and determining of its results.
Tour participants:

• First Lady Jill Biden
• Senator Tammy Baldwin
• Mayor Satya-Rhodes Conway
• Kevin Conroy, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Exact Sciences
• Ana Hooker, Senior Vice President and Chief Laboratory Officer, Exact Sciences
• Pang Kue-Polyakov, Specimen Processing Lead, Exact Sciences (Tour Stop #2)
• Megan Grejczyk, Clinical Laboratory Scientist at Exact Sciences (Tour Stop #3)

Biden Cancer Moonshot Engagement #2 – Listening Session at the Foundation for Black Women's Wellness

At 2:45 PM, as part of the Biden Cancer Moonshot, the First Lady will participate in a listening session at the Foundation for Black Women's Wellness in Madison, Wisconsin with Senator Tammy Baldwin and several Wisconsin health care and community leaders to highlight the importance of improving access to cancer screenings. The Foundation for Black Women's Wellness is a non-profit organization that works to improve the health and wellness of Black women. It provides cancer-focused programs and services, including a support group called "Cancer Thriver Circle," cancer prevention and screening educational events, and referrals to the Wisconsin Well Woman Program.

Listening session participants:

• First Lady Jill Biden
• Senator Tammy Baldwin
• Lisa Peyton-Caire, Chief Executive Officer and President, Foundation for Black Women's Wellness
• Christine Russell, Director of Health and Wellness Programs, Foundation for Black Women's Wellness
• Gale Johnson, Director, Wisconsin Well Woman Program
• Dr. Patricia Tellez-Giron, Associate Professor at University of Wisconsin (UW) Health and Family Medicine Physician at Access Community Health Centers (ACHC), Wingra Family Medical Center
• Carole Johnson, Administrator of the Health Services and Resources Administration (HRSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
• Gaulien "Gee" Smith, Owner, Gee's Clippers

Background on the Cancer Moonshot:

As Vice President, in 2016, Joe Biden led the Cancer Moonshot with the mission to accelerate the rate of progress against cancer. The cancer advocacy, patient, research and health care communities responded with tremendous energy and ingenuity. In February 2022, President Biden and Dr. Biden reignited the Cancer Moonshot and set a new national goal: if we work together, we can cut the death rate from cancer by at least 50 percent over the next 25 years, and improve the experience of people and their families living with and surviving cancer. As the President has said, "Cancer does not discriminate red and blue; it doesn't care if you're a Republican or a Democrat. Beating cancer is something we can do together."

Background on Dr. Biden's Cancer Advocacy Efforts:
The First Lady has been a tireless champion of the Cancer Moonshot, traveling the country and the world to hear from cancer patients and their families, as well as those who support them. She has focused on the importance of early detection and improving the experience of patients, families, and caregivers.
Since the start of the Biden Administration, the First Lady has participated in Cancer Moonshot engagements across nearly a dozen states and two countries. Earlier this year, the First Lady visited the Louisiana Cancer Research Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, with Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. and his spouse Dr. Laura Cassidy to highlight the importance of colorectal cancer screening and investing in cancer research.
Dr. Biden's advocacy for cancer education and prevention began in 1993, when four of her friends were diagnosed with breast cancer. Following that year, she launched the Biden Breast Health Initiative to educate Delaware high school girls about the importance of cancer prevention. In 2015, after Dr. Biden and then-Vice President Joe Biden lost their son Beau to brain cancer, they helped push for a national commitment to ending cancer as we know it through the White House Cancer Moonshot. Following the Obama-Biden Administration, then-former Vice President Biden and Dr. Biden continued their cancer work through the Biden Cancer Initiative.

Back-to-School Educator Appreciation Event with the National Education Association and American Federation of Teachers

At 4:15 PM, as part of the First Lady's series of back-to-school engagements, the First Lady will deliver remarks at an ice cream social with educators and union members from across Wisconsin to celebrate the start of the new school year. The event, hosted by the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and National Education Association (NEA), will take place at Glacier Edge Elementary School, a public school in Verona, Wisconsin. Randi Weingarten, President of AFT, and Becky Pringle, President of NEA will also be in attendance.

Remarks Program:

• Senator Tammy Baldwin
• Governor Tony Evers
• Kabby Hong, 2022 Wisconsin Teacher of the Year
• First Lady Jill Biden

Additional background on First Lady Jill Biden:
A lifelong educator, Dr. Biden is a proud member of the NEA. She continues to teach English and writing at Northern Virginia Community College, where she has been a professor since 2009. As a classroom teacher for more than 30 years, the First Lady continues to shine a spotlight on educators and the teaching profession.

The First Lady's event today is a continuation of a series of engagements this week to mark the start of the new school year:

• On Saturday, August 26th, the President and the First Lady welcomed hundreds of educators, school staff, families, and students to the White House for a special tour to celebrate the new school year. Notable attendees who participated in the tour includes State Teachers of Year from D.C., Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Delaware, Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, and Arizona, as well as members from the NEA, AFT, SEIU, AFSCME, DC Public Schools, YMCA, Boys & Girls Club, among others.
• On Monday, August 28th, the President and First Lady visited students and educators at Eliot-Hine Middle School in Washington, D.C. to celebrate the first day of school and highlight how the school promotes student success through its commitment to learning recovery and supporting student well-being and mental health.
• On Wednesday, August 30th,the First Lady and Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy visited Westfield High School in Westfield, IN to highlight the importance of mental health resources for schools.

Additionally in October 2022, the Dr. Biden visited Milwaukee, WI to engage educators, students, and families. During her visit, she participated in the following events:

• The First Lady joined students, families, educators at the first "Homework Diner" at Westside Academy, a public school in Milwaukee, WI, with Governor Tony Evers and First Lady Kathy Evers to showcase the powerful partnership between teachers and parents in supporting student success.
• The First Lady delivered remarks to MTEA of the NEA at Washington Park Senior Center as part of the First Lady's continued efforts to spotlight teachers, showcase respect for the profession, and build the excitement for future teachers.

Biden-Harris Administrations Efforts to Support Growing an Effective Teacher and School Leadership Workforce:

• Since Day One, President Biden has worked to help every school open safely for in-person instruction, accelerate academic achievement, and build communities where all students feel they belong.
• The President has prioritized building an effective, diverse teacher pipeline, including by expanding high-quality and affordable programs that prepare and support teachers, including teacher Registered
• Apprenticeships. Registered Apprenticeship can be an effective, high-quality "earn and learn" model that allows prospective teachers to earn their credential while earning a salary by combining coursework with structured, paid on-the-job learning experiences with a mentor teacher. The Administration has worked closely with States to grow the number of registered apprenticeship programs for teachers from 2 to 23, with bipartisan Governors across the country scaling this effective model.
• The Department of Education has also advanced teacher diversity by including priorities focused on educator diversity in 14 grant programs, totaling over $470 million and funding; for the first time, funding a teacher preparation program for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges or Universities (TCUs), and Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) to help accelerate the pace of preparing teachers of color for America's schools. The Department of Education's Raise the Bar Policy Brief highlights progress by states across the country, with the support of the Administration, in advancing key strategies to eliminate educator shortages in the long term.
• For a complete summary of the Biden-Harris Administration efforts to Support K-12 Education, you can view the White House Fact Sheet HERE.

Political Event:

At 5:15 PM, the First Lady will attend and deliver remarks at a political finance event with Governor Tony Evers and Senator Tammy Baldwin in Madison, WI. This event will be covered by a print pooler only.

FLOTUS Pool Report #2 - Tour

First Lady Jill Biden arrived at Exact Sciences at 2:03 p.m. for a tour of the laboratory. Baldwin and Rhodes-Conway were also present.

Exact Sciences are the makers of Cologuard, an at-home test to detect colorectal cancer. The tour and listening session are part of White House Cancer Moonshot.

Cancer Moonshot "has energized our whole field," CEO Kevin Conroy said.

Pool was unable to hear most of Dr. Biden's conversations with Exact Sciences' CEO and senior VP. Reporters could later hear the CEO discussing Exact Sciences' research and DNA analysis process with Dr. Biden.

Dr. Biden saw equipment, including specimen processing machinery. She spoke with Exact Sciences employees, including a scientist who said both her grandfathers were diagnosed with colon cancer and recovered.

Dr. Biden agreed with the senior VP's statement that "we are" all connected to cancer.

Dr. Biden said she was thinking about workforce development while observing unpackaging equipment, and Rhodes-Conway highlighted the company's job creation in Madison.

The motorcade left Exact Sciences at 2:43 p.m. for the next stop at the Foundation for Black Women's Wellness, where Dr. Biden will be joined by Baldwin.

FLOTUS Pool Report #3 - Listening Session

First Lady Jill Biden arrived at the nonprofit Foundation for Black Women's Wellness in Madison at approximately 2:50 p.m. for a listening session. Baldwin was also present.

Dr. Biden talked with six health care and community leaders, who discussed their work and their own or their relatives' cancer diagnoses. They noted cancer is the leading cause of death in Dane County.

"Cancer touches us all, and it changes everyone it touches," Dr. Biden said, referencing Beau Biden's death from brain cancer. "Joe and I knew that we had to find purpose to deal with the grief that we felt after his death. So this is very personal to us."

Baldwin discussed leading an effort to reauthorize the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Detection Program. Dr. Biden said screenings and treatments are often out of reach for communities of color.

A UW Health professor encouraged Dr. Biden to "talk to your husband tonight" about the "wonderful people" she met in Madison, and to discuss immigration and health care equity.

Dr. Biden began meeting and taking photos with the about 20-member audience as the pool departed.

The motorcade departed at 3:40 p.m. for the next stop at a Verona elementary school, where Dr. Biden will give remarks to teachers and union members.

FLOTUS Pool Report #4 - Education Event

First Lady Jill Biden delivered remarks at 4:41 p.m. to an audience of over 500 teachers and union members at Glacier Edge Elementary School in Verona. Her remarks followed speeches from Baldwin and Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers.

Students at the school and a nearby day care center watched and waved as the motorcade drove in around 4:00 p.m.

The gymnasium was filled with back-to-school signs and colorfully-decorated lunch tables. The event was hosted by the National Education Association and American Federation of Teachers.

"You have a friend in the White House. Two, in fact," Biden told teachers' unions. "I always knew Joe would be an education president. And he's delivered on his promises, from addressing the mental health and academic needs of our students to signing the bipartisan gun safety bill."

Baldwin called Evers the "one of the most pro-union, pro-education governors in Wisconsin history."

"Let's get you reelected," Evers said of Baldwin.

Dr. Biden spoke of educators' resilience and recounted meeting teachers following wildfires in Maui.

"Lately, when I turn on the TV, I see pundits attacking our public schools and saying that parents and educators are at odds. But that's not what I see," Biden said Thursday. "I visited schools where parents and educators are working hand-in-hand to help kids overcome challenges and make learning better for everyone."

Dr. Biden took photos with teachers after speaking for about eight minutes.

As the motorcade departed at 5:05 p.m., Dr. Biden made unplanned stops to visit with students outside the school and nearby day care center.

Dr. Biden is now headed to a fundraiser with Baldwin, where Evers will also join. That event is covered by print pool only.

FLOTUS Pool Report #5 - Fundraiser with Sen. Baldwin [last report]

First Lady Jill Biden arrived at Tinsmith in Madison at approximately 5:42 p.m. to speak at a fundraiser for Baldwin, Biden and the state Democratic Party.

Evers delivered remarks first in support of Baldwin's reelection, stating "Republicans are looking for the most extreme candidate to challenge her."

Dr. Biden and Baldwin then took the stage together. Baldwin recapped the day's earlier stops to an audience of about 200 supporters.

Baldwin mentioned her effort with Dr. Biden to bring a women's suffrage monument to the National Mall, citing Wisconsin as the first state to ratify the 19th amendment.

Dr. Biden began her remarks at 6:15 p.m. and spoke for about 10 minutes. She discussed Wisconsin's 1849 law that effectively banned abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

"Wisconsin Republicans, like their national counterparts, want to drag us back to a past that we thought was long over. But we won't let them," Dr. Biden said.

Dr. Biden did not greet or take photos with supporters after her remarks.

The motorcade departed Tinsmith at 6:27 p.m. and arrived at Dane County Regional Airport at approximately 6:45 p.m. Dr. Biden boarded at 6:50 p.m.

Dr. Biden was wheels up at approximately 7:12 p.m. en route to D.C.