Pool Reports of April 29, 2022

WH Pool Report #1: checking in

Good afternoon from your pooler. The press briefing is expected to start at 2 p.m. and the president's remarks to inspectors general at 3:15. Will send along a readout on the call with the president of Mexico when/if I get one.

WH Pool Report #2: López Obrador call update

Passing this along from the White House:

"President Biden's call with President of Mexico López Obrador convened at 1:06 PM EDT."

WH Pool report #3: Lopez Obrador call over

Update from the White House:

"President Biden's call with President of Mexico López Obrador ended at 1:58 PM EDT."

WH Pool Report #4: 2 min warning to briefing

2 minute warning

WH pool report #5: background on inspectors general meeting

Pool is waiting for the spray for the Biden event. Here is background from the White House.

Participants in the President's Meeting with Agency Inspectors General include:
Shalanda Young, Director of the Office of Management and Budget
Mitch Landrieu, Senior Advisor & Infrastructure Act Implementation Coordinator
Gene Sperling, Senior Advisor to the President & White House American Rescue Plan Coordinator
Michael Horowitz, Inspector General, Department of Justice, and Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) Chair
Allison Lerner, Inspector General, National Science Foundation, and Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) Chair
Mark Greenblatt, Inspector General, Department of the Interior, and Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) Vice Chair
Larry Turner, Inspector General, Department of Labor
Hannibal "Mike" Ware, Inspector General, Small Business Administration
Christi Grimm, Inspector General, Department of Health and Human Services
Teri Donaldson, Inspector General, Department of Energy
Eric Soskin, Inspector General, Department of Transportation
Phyllis Fong, Inspector General, Department of Agriculture
Peggy "Peg" Gustafson, Inspector General, Department of Commerce
Sean O'Donnell, Inspector General, Environmental Protection Agency, and Acting Inspector General, Department of Defense
Paul Martin, Inspector General, NASA, and Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) Vice Chair
Robert "Bob" Westbrooks, Executive Director, Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC)
Jason Miller, Deputy Director for Management of the Office of Management and Budget(virtual)
Samantha Silverberg, Deputy Infrastructure Implementation Coordinator
Asma Mirza, Deputy for Infrastructure Implementation Management
Cristin Dorgelo, Senior Advisor for Management, Office of Management and Budget
Jodie Morse, Senior Counselor and Chief Oversight Officer, American Rescue Plan Implementation Team
Deidre Harrison, Acting Controller, Office of Federal Financial Management, OMB

Speaking program:
Mitch Landrieu, Senior Advisor & Infrastructure Act Implementation Coordinator
Shalanda Young, Director of the Office of Management and Budget
Gene Sperling, Senior Advisor to the President & White House American Rescue Plan Coordinator
Michael Horowitz, Inspector General, Department of Justice, and Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) Chair
The President

WH pool report #6: Biden on American killed fighting Ukraine

The spray just ended at 3:45 pm. Biden answered one question at end about the American killed fighting in Ukraine. Check against transcript

"It's very sad. He left a little baby behind."

Will send event feed shortly

WH pool report #6b inspectors general meeting details

Pool was taken into the State Dining Room around 3:25pm, where Biden was seated at the center of the table, with Mitch Landrieu on his right and Shalanda Young on his left, and inspectors general gathered around them.

Landrieu, the infrastructure act implementation coordinator, talked about the importance of preventing waste and fraud in the infrastructure act funds and introduced Young, who said she had released guidance to federal agencies about how to implement the infrastructure plan. Gene Sperling and Inspector General Michael Horowitz also spoke briefly about preventing fraud and abuse, as Biden listened and paged through a binder in front of him.

Biden then told the group that Obama called him "Sheriff Joe" when the Recovery Act passed and that "less than 2/10ths of one percent" of that bill was lost to waste or fraud. He contrasted that to President Trump's handling of the CARES Act. "The first thing the president did at the time was fire the inspector general…what the hell happened?" He said that "an awful lot of people were getting unemployment checks" and there was "an awful lot of fraud."

He looked around the table and said, "In my administration the watchdogs are back and look at them … I really mean it."

"I want to make it clear to the press who's here—no one in my administration is telling the inspectors general what to do."

His remarks ended and reporters were hustled out, but Biden answered one question about whether he had a comment on the American killed fighting in Ukraine. "It's very sad. He left a little baby behind."

Check quotes against transcript. thanks

WH Pool Report #7: Lid called at 3:52pm

Lid called. I'm still sending a few belated details from the spray