Pool Reports of December 16, 2022

Out-of-town travel pool #1 - Holding near POTUS residence

Pool has been swept and is holding near POTUS' Wilmington residence as of 10:56 a.m.

A livestream of today's event can be found here:

https://youtu.be/WUEC-_JcdX4

As a reminder, this is today's schedule:

EST

9:30 AM THE PRESIDENT receives the Presidential Daily Briefing
Closed Press

10:00 AM Out-of-Town Pool Call Time

11:45 AM In-Town Pool Call Time

12:00 PM THE PRESIDENT participates in a town hall and speaks with veterans and veteran survivors to discuss the historic expansion of benefits and services resulting from the PACT Act
Major Joseph R. "Beau" Biden III National Guard/Reserve Center, New Castle, Delaware
Out-of-Town Pool

12:55 PM THE PRESIDENT departs New Castle, Delaware en route Joint Base Andrews
Delaware Air National Guard Base, New Castle, Delaware
Out-of-Town Pool

1:45 PM THE PRESIDENT departs Joint Base Andrews en route the White House
Delaware Air National Guard Base, New Castle, Delaware
Out-of-Town Pool

1:55 PM THE PRESIDENT arrives at the White House
South Lawn
Open Press (Gather 1:45 PM – Palm Room Doors)

8:55 PM THE PRESIDENT and THE FIRST LADY depart the White House en route New Castle, Delaware
South Lawn
Open Press (Gather 8:45 PM – Palm Room Doors)

9:50 PM THE PRESIDENT and THE FIRST LADY arrive in New Castle, Delaware
Delaware Air National Guard Base, New Castle, Delaware
Supplemental Pool

Out-of-town travel pool #2 - Rolling to event

The motorcade started rolling to the Major Joseph R. "Beau" Biden III National Guard/Reserve Center at 11:48 a.m. It's a roughly 12-minute drive with traffic lights.

Pool did not see POTUS hopping into the Beast.

From the WH:

Traveling with the President via motorcade en route Major Joseph R. "Beau" Biden III National Guard / Reserve Center, New Castle, Delaware:

Bruce Reed, Assistant to the President & Deputy Chief of Staff
Annie Tomasini, Assistant to the President & Director of Oval Office Operations
Ryan Harper, Special Assistant to the President & National Security Council Deputy Chief of Staff
Travis Dredd, Special Assistant to the President & Trip Director
Sheila Grant, Special Assistant to the President & Senior Presidential Speechwriter
Terri Tanielian, Special Assistant to the President for Veterans Affairs
Jimmy Anderson, Director of Veterans Engagement

Out-of-town travel pool #3 - Event arrival

The motorcade arrived at the Major Joseph R. "Beau" Biden III National Guard/Reserve Center at 11:58 a.m.

Out-of-town travel pool #4 - Event starts

POTUS entered the room at 12:12 p.m.

There are three speakers before his remarks.

The stage is set with two American flags and another two with the presidential seal. There are two signs in front of the podium that says "Supporting our veterans" and "va.gov/pact."

In front of the president, roughly 100 seats are filled.

From the WH:

The President is participating in a town hall and speaking with veterans and veteran survivors to discuss the historic expansion of benefits and services resulting from the PACT Act.

Attendees

John Carney, Governor of Delaware
Secretary Denis McDonough, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Senator Tom Carper (DE)
Senator Chris Coons (DE)
Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (DE-At-large District)
Major General Michael Berry, Delaware National Guard
Veterans and families

Speaking Program

Major General Michael Berry, Delaware National Guard
Secretary Denis McDonough, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Senator Tom Carper (DE)
The President

Background on PACT Act progress to date:

• PACT claims filed: Since President Biden signed it into law Aug. 10, more than 185,000 Veterans have applied for PACT Act-related benefits.
• Toxic exposure screening: More than 730,000Veterans have received the new PACT ACT VA toxic exposure screenings, with nearly 39% reporting a concern of exposure.
• Expedited claims for terminally ill Veterans:From the moment that the PACT Act was signed into law VA's priority has been getting Veterans the benefits they deserve as quickly as possible.VA and the Biden Administration sped up the timeline for Veterans to get their PACT Act benefits by several years by deciding not to phase in PACT Act benefits through 2026, as written into the legislation, and instead made all conditions in the PACT Act presumptive on Aug. 10, the date President Biden signed it into law. VA also announced it would begin processing PACT Act related claims from terminally ill veterans early, beginning on December 12, 2022.
  
  • Release: https://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=5848
  • Latest numbers: Approximately 2,500 of the PACT Act claims filed to-date were filed by Veterans who self-identified as terminally ill.
• Week of action overview: Between Dec. 10 and the 17, VA is hosting more than 90 Week of Action events across all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
  
  • These events have featured veterans, veteran families and survivors, VA leaders, members of Congress, local elected officials, Veterans Service Organizations, state directors of Veterans Affairs and more — all of whom are working together to spread awareness about the new health care and benefits available to veterans and survivors.
  • Many of these events will have VA staff present to help Veterans apply for benefits, get screened for toxic exposures and enroll in VA health care.
  • The PACT Act Week of Action is just one component of VA's nationwide PACT Act veteran outreach campaign, which is the largest coordinated outreach campaign in VA history (details in the release). The campaign has one goal: ensuring every eligible Veteran and survivor gets the PACT Act-related health care and benefits they have earned.

Participating in a photoline with the President at Major Joseph R. "Beau" Biden III National Guard / Reserve Center, New Castle, Delaware:

John Carney, Governor of Delaware
Secretary Denis McDonough, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Senator Tom Carper (DE)
Senator Chris Coons (DE)
Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (DE-At-large District)
Dr. Shereef Elnahal, Under Secretary of Health for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Bethany Hall Long, Lieutenant Governor of Delaware
Major General Michael Berry, Delaware National Guard

Out-of-town travel pool #5 - POTUS speaking

POTUS started speaking at 12:30 p.m.

Here is an Otter link in case there are issues with the livestream:

https://otter.ai/u/6al4tTkS41dpQHmMpFCeqtNMPYk

VA Secy McDonough mentioned POTUS' "sacred obligation" to military service members and veterans, including through the PACT Act:

"You serve us, we will serve you. Our nation as a whole makes that promise, but it's our mission here in Delaware and across the country to keep that promise to all veterans, their families, their caregivers."

"President Biden is leading the way in keeping that promise. We will not rest until every single veteran and survivor knows about this new law, understands what it means for them, and gets the care and benefits."

Sen. Carper spoke of the personal nature of the legislation. Carper is the last serving Vietnam War veteran in the U.S. Senate:

"To put it bluntly, this bill is going to save lives."

Out-of-town travel pool #6 - POTUS concludes

POTUS finished speaking at 12:52 p.m.

Photo:

https://twitter.com/naomitlim/status/1603810479880781835?s=46&t=sG3AbJbr...

POTUS said arriving and leaving at/from DANG and the nearby Major Joseph R. "Beau" Biden III National Guard/Reserve Center, named for his late son, leaves him with "a lump in his throat." He added FLOTUS, who remained at the White House for another holiday reception, warned him not to get "emotional."

POTUS spoke of the "greatest generation," adding their sacrifices do not go "unnoticed."

POTUS left the podium to roam with a handheld microphone for some of his remarks:

"As Americans, we only have one sacred obligation."

At one point, he raised his voice when he mentioned military suicides, underscoring his increase in VA funding and investment in resources:

"I think we're making progress. I think we're making genuine progress."

Of burn pits, POTUS thanked former late night TV host Jon Stewart for his advocacy of the cause. He said he would have pushed Congress to pass the PACT Act, "come hell or high water." He also referenced his numerous trips to Iraq, while amplifying how the law streamlines the benefit qualification process:

"We also need to pass the bipartisan government funding bill, so we can deliver on the last promise as well."

Out-of-town travel pool #7 - Rolling to DANG

The motorcade started rolling to DANG at 12:57 p.m.

Please note this key quote from POTUS' remarks:

"I made it real clear the United States Congress, if they didn't pass this damn burn pit bill, I was going to go on holy war. Not a joke."

Out-of-town travel pool #8 - Wheels up at DANG/Comment on Ukraine

The motorcade arrived at DANG at 1:01 p.m. and POTUS stepped out of the Beast at 1:02 p.m.

POTUS boarded AF1 at 1:03 p.m. He responded to a question about sending air support to Ukraine and said: "You'll hear in a few minutes."

We'll be wheels up shortly. It's a roughly 35-minute flight to JBA.

Out-of-town travel pool #9 - Wheels down at JBA/POTUS signing the CR

Wheels were up at DANG at 1:12 p.m. Wheels down at JBA at 1:37 p.m.

To clarify the question from DANG, CNN's DJ Judd asked POTUS whether he's sending Patriot Air Defense Missile Systems to Ukraine.

POTUS is also signing the one-week continuing resolution this afternoon, which is why he flew back to the White House this afternoon before returning to Delaware tonight for the 50th anniversary of the deaths of his first wife Neilia and their one-year-old daughter, Naomi.

Out-of-town travel pool #10 - M1 liftoff

POTUS deplaned AF1 at 1:49 p.m. He spoke with the greeter as they walked toward M1, but did not respond to shouted questions about the border or to clarify his position on sending Patriot Air Defense Missile Systems to Ukraine.

POTUS boarded M1 at 1:50 p.m. M1 lifted off at 1:56 p.m.

From the WH:

Greeting the President upon arrival at Joint Base Andrews:

Colonel Matthew Jones, Commander, 89th Airlift Wing

Traveling with the President aboard Marine One en route the White House:

Bruce Reed, Assistant to the President & Deputy Chief of Staff
Annie Tomasini, Assistant to the President & Director of Oval Office Operations
Ryan Harper, Special Assistant to the President & National Security Council Deputy Chief of Staff

In-Town Pool Report #1 -- WH Arrival

Good Afternoon,

Marine One landed on the South Lawn at 2:06pm

POTUS walked over to the Oval and entered at 2:10pm without stopping to take questions.

Side note: Actress Sophia Bush was on hand to watch the president's arrival. She was off to the side and captured the M1 arrival on her phone.

In-Town Pool Report #2 -- Dinner lid until 8:30p.m.

The press office has called a dinner lid until 8:30p.m.

In-Town Pool Report 3 -- POTUS meeting w/ new mayors

Via the WH Press Office:

The President dropped by a meeting of newly elected mayors in the Roosevelt Room hosted by the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs.

Attendees

Secretary Marcia Fudge, U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development
Julie Rodriguez, Assistant to the President & Senior Advisor to the President & Director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs
Gabe Amo, Special Assistant to the President & Deputy Director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs
Ashleigh Aitken, Mayor of Anaheim, California
Chris Hoy, Mayor of Salem, Oregon
Becky Daggett, Mayor-elect of Flagstaff, Arizona
Pamela Goynes-Brown, Mayor of North Las Vegas, Nevada
Craig Greenberg, Mayor-elect of Louisville, Kentucky
Garnett Johnson, Mayor-elect of Augusta, Georgia
Phillip Jones, Mayor-elect of Newport News, Virginia
Matt Mahan, Mayor-elect of San Jose, California
Rex Richardson, Mayor-elect of Long Beach, California
Brett Smiley, Mayor-elect of Providence, Rhode Island
Sheng Thao, Mayor-elect of Oakland, California
Harvey Ward, Mayor-elect of Gainesville, Florida
Hollies Winston, Mayor-elect of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota

Pool Report 4- WH Departure

POTUS exited the WH at 8:22p, joined by FLOTUS and walking hand in hand with his grandson Baby Beau.

He did not stop for questions.

M1 was wheels up at 8:26p.

Via WH Press Office:

Traveling with the President and the First Lady aboard Marine One en route Delaware Air National Guard Base, New Castle, Delaware:

Annie Tomasini, Assistant to the President & Director of Oval Office Operations
Anthony Bernal, Assistant to the President & Advisor to the First Lady

Supplemental pool #1 / POTUS arrival

POTUS arrived back in Delaware at 9:12pm, landing at DANG less than 8 hours after he left for an afternoon and early evening at the White House.

On a crisp and partly cloudy night, he got off Marine One followed by First Lady Jill Biden. Also spotted getting off and boarding one of the cars was Hunter Biden and his wife, Melissa Cohen, and their young son Beau.

POTUS did not hear, or respond to, shouts from the pool to come over and speak.

Motorcade started rolling at 9:19pm.

Supplemental pool #2 / residence and lid

After a swift and uneventful motorcade, POTUS arrived at his residence around 9:32pm.

A few minutes later, at 9:35pm, a lid was called.