Pool Reports of May 31, 2023

In-town pool report #1/ brunch lid

White House has called a brunch lid until 11:45am

In-town pool report #2/pool gathering for spray before Summer Hazards briefing

Pool is gathering in the Brady Press Briefing Room now for spray followed by Summer Hazards briefing that is scheduled to begin in the Roosevelt Room at noon.

In-town pool report #3/spray moved to after Summer Hazards briefing

Pool spray has now been moved to the bottom of the summer hazard briefing. Pool standing by.

In-town pool report #4/pool gathering for spray

Gathered outside the Roosevelt Room.

In-town pool report #5/summer hazard briefing attendees

Per the WH, see below for list of federal emergency preparedness officials who attended briefing:

In-Person Attendees:
Secretary Debra Haaland, Department of the Interior
Jeff Zients, Assistant to the President & Chief of Staff
Arati Prabhakar, Assistant to the President & Director of Office of Science and Technology Policy
Jen O'Malley-Dillon, Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff
Liz Sherwood-Randall, Assistant to the President & Homeland Security Advisor
Caitlin Durkovich, Deputy Assistant to the President & Deputy Homeland Security Advisor for Resilience and Response
Mitch Landrieu, Senior Advisor & Infrastructure Implementation Coordinator
Dr. Rick Spinrad, Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Lieutenant General Scott Spellmon, Chief of Engineers & Commanding General of the United States Army Corps of Engineers
Randy Moore, Chief of the United States Forest Service
Alex Sopko, Chief of Staff, Office of Intergovernmental Affairs

Virtual Attendees:
Secretary Tom Vilsack, Department of Agriculture
Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Department of Homeland Security
Deanne Criswell, Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
Ken Graham, Director of the National Weather Service (NWS)
Mike Brennan, Director of the National Hurricane Center (NHC)
Grant Beebe, Assistant Director for Fire and Aviation, National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC)

Speaking Program
The President

In-town pool report #6/Spray remarks

Biden spoke to press for just over five minutes about positioning resources for potential natural disasters, including wildfires and the upcoming hurricane season. Will send comments in next report.

Biden responded to shouted questions about the debt ceiling at the end of his remarks.

Biden said he hopes the House will have passed debt ceiling bill by the time he lands in Colorado tonight.

"God willing, by the time I land, Congress will have acted, the House will have acted and we'll be one step closer."

This is a quick otter quote. Will check against TV pool audio.

In-town pool report #7 /two-minute warning for briefing

[APP Note: No additional text was included in this report.]

In-town pool report #8 /Press briefing begins

Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre began the briefing at 1:39 p.m.

John Kirby, NSC Coordinator for Strategic Communications, joins the briefing at the top.

In-town pool report #9/Briefing ends

The press briefing has ended. Briefing lasted roughly 1hr 5min. Kirby spoke and took questions for about 43 of those minutes.

In-town pool report #10/Biden remarks after summer hazard briefing

Please see the following report on Biden remarks that were delivered earlier to the pool during a spray in the Roosevelt Room following his summer hazard briefing from cabinet members and other administration leaders. (His debt ceiling remark, fully transcribed, is at the bottom.)

BIDEN REMARKS ABOUT SUMMER HAZARDS AND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS

(Checked audio against WH livestream playback: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4Vtfc5imt0)

Biden said he received a "significant briefing" from cabinet members regarding severe weather preparedness.

"Last year hurricanes and other extreme weather events in the United States caused over $165 billion dollars in damage."

Regarding Typhoon Mawar that last week hit Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands that caused "tremendous damage," Biden said: "Our hearts go out to the people who are affected. But the pace of the recovery there is an example of the importance of investing in our infrastructure." He cited recently installed cement utility poles and electric and communications systems in Guam.

"Summer is bringing a more active wildfire season to the United States. This year alone wildfires have destroyed an area almost as big as the state of Maryland." Biden added that over the past two years, a third of Americans have been "personally affected" by extreme weather and said the impacts of climate change are "rapidly intensifying."

Biden said his Investing in America agenda includes new investments "to make communities stronger, make our communities more resilient."

He cited the bipartisan infrastructure law and the Inflation Reduction Act -- "They both include record funding to increase community resilience to drought, flooding and wildfires."

"For example, I'm traveling to Colorado this afternoon where the Forest Service is funding $1.1 million to treat 600 acres of hazardous fuel such as trees and brush."

Biden also said his administration has invested in advanced satellite technology to predict the paths of wildfires and storms, and said his administration has funded 130 water projects "to address the drought crisis in the West, including projects that are going to conserve tens of millions of gallons of water in drought-stricken areas like the Colorado River Basin."

Biden said the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and NOAA have funded hundreds of projects across the U.S. to address flood and coastal resilience.

Biden said the U.S. is "hardening the electric grid to withstand stronger storms."

Biden promoted Build.gov as a way to track, by region, infrastructure developments under his administration.

"I want to close by thanking the brave Americans, and I mean that sincerely, the brave Americans who put their lives on the line to keep our communities safe. The firefighters and first responders including FEMA personnel who run toward the danger while everyone else runs the other way."

Added that the U.S. has firefighters in Canada right now helping to battle a current wildfire raging in Nova Scotia.

REPORTERS SHOUTED QUESTIONS ABOUT DEBT CEILING

Reporters shouted questions over each other. No question was singled out by the president.

Biden quipped to cabinet members at the table with him that he predicted reporters would not ask him anything about severe weather preparedness.

"I told these guys you wouldn't ask anything about what we just talked about. Was I right? I just wanted to show you I was right," he said to the leaders at the table.

"We're going to deal with the debt ceiling. I think things are going as planned. God willing I'll be landing in Colorado tonight in preparation for my commencement speech at the Air Force Academy tomorrow. By the I land Congress will have acted, the House will have acted and we'll be one step closer. Thank you very much."

In-town pool report #11/Clarification on Biden debt ceiling quote

A few missing words in bold below:

"We're going to deal with the debt ceiling. I think things are going as planned. God willing I'll be landing in Colorado tonight in preparation for my commencement speech at the Air Force Academy tomorrow. And God willing by the time I land Congress will have acted, the House will have acted and we'll be one step closer. Thank you very much."

In-town pool report #12/lunch lid

White House has called a lunch lid until 3:55 p.m.

In-town pool report #13/press gathered for Biden's departure

Press gathered at South Lawn exit (near a very loud Marine One!) awaiting Biden's departure to JBA.

In-town pool report #14/Biden departs White House

Biden departed the White House South Lawn for JBA at 4:30 p.m.

He only answered a question from Peter Doocy of Fox News who asked him about reelection plans and why people have not seen Biden on the campaign trail. Per Doocy, Biden responded "You haven't?"

Marine One was very loud. Thank you to Peter and other reporters who struggled to make out their audio recordings for the pool!

Per White House:

Traveling with the President aboard Marine One en route to Joint Base Andrews:

Bruce Reed, Assistant to the President & Deputy Chief of Staff
Annie Tomasini, Assistant to the President & Senior Advisor to the President & Director of Oval Office Operations
Anita Dunn, Assistant to the President & Senior Advisor to the President
Karine Jean-Pierre, Assistant to the President & Press Secretary

Travel Pool Report #1 — Arrival at JBA

POTUS arrived at JBA at 4:42 and boarded AF1 at 4:45

He did not take questions and the pool was too far from POTUS for him to hear us.

Per White House here is who is greeting and traveling with POTUS.

Greeting the President upon arrival at Joint Base Andrews:

Colonel William "Chris" McDonald, Vice Commander, 89th Airlift Wing

Traveling with the President aboard Air Force One en route to Peterson Space Force Base:

Bruce Reed, Assistant to the President & Deputy Chief of Staff
Annie Tomasini, Assistant to the President & Senior Advisor to the President & Director of Oval Office Operations
Anita Dunn, Assistant to the President & Senior Advisor to the President
Karine Jean-Pierre, Assistant to the President & Press Secretary
Ryan Montoya, Deputy Assistant to the President & Director of Scheduling and Advance
Marc Gustafson, Special Assistant to the President & Senior Director for the White House Situation Room
Carlyn Reichel, Special Assistant to the President & Senior Director for Speechwriting & Strategic

Travel Pool Report #2 — Wheels up

We are wheels up at 4:55!

Next stop — Colorado Springs, Colorado!!

Travel Pool Report #3 —- Wheels down

Air Force One touched down at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs at 5:44.

Flight was uneventful.

Anita Dunn, senior adviser to President Biden, stopped by the press cabin for an OTR talk about the debt ceiling bill and tonight's vote.

Travel Pool Report #4 — Arrival

President Biden departed Air Force One at 5:59.

He made some brief small talk with the greeters but it was too hard to hear anything he said over the roar of AF1's engines.

POTUS walked over to a crowd of military personnel, where he posed for selfies, shook hands and signed at least one autograph.

Your pooler couldn't hear what he was telling the military personnel.

The pool was ushered into the van and we will soon be rolling to an undisclosed location.

Greeting the President upon arrival at Peterson Space Force Base:

Senator Michael Bennet (CO)
Mayor John Suthers, Colorado Springs, CO
General Glen VanHerck, United States Air Force Commander, Headquarters, North American Aerospace Defense Command & United States Northern Command
Lieutenant General Stephen Whiting, United States Space Force Commander, Space Operations Command
Lieutenant General John Shaw, United States Air Force Deputy Commander, United States Space Command
Colonel David Hanson, United States Space Force Commander, Space Base Delta 1 (Installation Commander)

The pool in the van and rolling to the RON.

Travel Pool Report #5 —- Thunderbirds

After a brief (less than a minute) drive down the runway at Peterson, POTUS s departed the beast at 6:22 to greet the Thunderbird pilots.

Your pooler was too far away to hear POTUS conversation with the pilots but there was more than one occasion where the president and the pilots were laughing out loud.

POTUS posed for a photograph with the pilots.

The pool is now being ushered back to the press van.

Travel Pool Report #6 —- Rolling

The motorcade began rolling at 6:32 en route to the RON.

Your pooler did not see POTUS enter the beast.

Travel Pool Report #7 — arrival at RON

The motorcade arrived at the RON at 6:53

Your pooler did not see POTUS depart the beast or enter the RON.

The motorcade was greeted by cheers and a few protesters as we made our way from Peterson to the RON.

Travel Pool Report #8 — LID

And we have a travel lid at 7:09. That's all from Colorado. Enjoy your evening!