Pool Reports of October 14, 2021

POTUS Pool # 1

Good morning all. I'm your WH pooler today. Feel free to ping with any questions, clarifications or other needs. My contact info is below.

Here's the WH public schedule for the day:

At 11:30, POTUS provides an update on the COVID-19 response and the vaccination program.

At 2:15 POTUS has a bilateral meeting with His Excellency Uhuru Kenyatta, President of the Republic of Kenya

The press briefing is at 1 p.m.

The White House passes on this statement on the President's 11:30 speech:

From a White House official:

After the President receives a briefing from his COVID-19 response team, he will deliver an update on the progress the United States is making in its pandemic response. He will highlight that thanks to his "Path out of the Pandemic" plan and the administration's urgent push for vaccine requirements, the country is seeing a strong uptick in vaccinations, while cases and hospitalizations continue to decline. He will also highlight the ongoing work on boosters and ensuring our schools remain safe and open. Lastly, he will remind the American people that even with this strong progress, now is not the time to let up in our response.

POTUS Pool # 2 Briefing time update

The White House Press briefing has been moved to 3:00 p.m., after the President's bilat.

POTUS POOL REPORT #3 Covid speech 2 -minute warning.

Pool is gathered in the South Court auditorium, in front of a podium and a lectern with the seal of the President of the United States, backdropped by American flags and signs about how to find a vaccine by Internet or phone.

Speech is streamable from here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06bQLaw91Uk

Statement from the White House:

After the President receives a briefing from his COVID-19 response team, he will deliver an update on the progress the United States is making in its pandemic response. He will highlight that thanks to his "Path out of the Pandemic" plan and the administration's urgent push for vaccine requirements, the country is seeing a strong uptick in vaccinations, while cases and hospitalizations continue to decline. He will also highlight the ongoing work on boosters and ensuring our schools remain safe and open. Lastly, he will remind the American people that even with this strong progress, now is not the time to let up in our response.

POTUS Pool Report #4

POTUS stopped speaking at 1 p.m. He did not respond to shouted questions.

POTUS Pool report #5 Lunch lid until 2:15 p.m.

Lunch lid until 2:15 p.m.

Pool Report 6: Meeting with Kenyan President /Vaccine doses

POTUS read from note cards in his lap and was seated next to His Excellency Uhuru Kenyatta, the president of the Republic of Kenya.

The president wore a dark blue suit with a diagonally striped tie. These are rush quotes. Please check against the transcript.

He said that the United States was sending 17 million doses of Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine to the African Union.

He also said the U.S. was exploring "what we can do around the Horn of Africa to extend security … And the fight against climate change."

The Kenyan President thanked Biden for "helping Kenya but also the rest of the continent access the vaccine" and "partnering strongly in the fight against terrorism globally."

He also said he was grateful to have the U.S. as a partner in the fight against climate change. "Our country, our continent is the least in terms of emitting, but pays the highest price."

Here is the news release from from Oct. 12: In an Oct. 12 news release, press secretary Jen Psaki said of the meeting: President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. will host President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya at the White House. The leaders will discuss the strong U.S.-Kenyan bilateral relationship and the need to bring transparency and accountability to domestic and international financial systems. They will also discuss efforts to defend democracy and human rights, advance peace and security, accelerate economic growth, and tackle climate change. The meeting will build on the leaders' phone call in February and on President Biden's commitment to the U.S. partnership with Africa based on principles of mutual respect and equality.

Supplemental POTUS Pool Report 6B -- Bilat attendees.

The White House passes on the list of attendees of the bilat with the Kenyan president.

In attendance for the President's bilateral meeting with His Excellency Uhuru Kenyatta, President of the Republic of Kenya:

United States Manifest
The President
T.H. Antony Blinken, Secretary of State
T.H. Jon Finer, Assistant to the President and Principal Deputy National Security Advisor
T.H. Samantha Power, Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development
T.H. Shanti Kalathil, Deputy Assistant to the President and Coordinator for Democracy, NSC
T.H. Dana Banks, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Africa, NSC
T.H. Molly Phee, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs

Kenya Manifest
His Excellency Uhuru M. Kenyatta, President of the Republic of Kenya
Ambassador Raychelle A. Omamo, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Ms. Betty C. Maina, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Industrialization, Trade and Enterprise Development
T.H. Amos M. Kimunya, Leader of the Majority in the National Assembly
Ms. Ruth W. Kagia, Deputy Chief of Staff
Ambassador Johnson M. Weru, State Department of Trade and Enterprise Development
H.E. Lazarus O. Amayo, Ambassador of the Republic of Kenya to the United States

POTUS Pool Report #7 Briefing.

The briefing started at 3:42 p.m.

POTUS Pool Report #8 -- Briefing ends.

The briefing ended at 4:26 p.m.

POTUS POOL REPORT #9 -- Lid

The White House called a lid at 5:19. Good evening, everyone!

POTUS pool supplemental.

The White House passes on this background info about the President's 10/15 trip to Connecticut. (Pardon the late message. This came in after the lid)

Child care and preschool investments provide a lifetime of benefits for children, help parents work, and support equitable economic growth.

The Need for Child Care and Preschool Investments

The U.S. invests far less than other countries in the next generation.

• The United States ranks 35th out of 37 countries tracked by the OECD in public investment in children from birth to five as a percentage of GDP.
• Advanced countries spend an average of $14,000 per year for a toddler's child care, compared with $500 in the U.S.
• Only about half of 3- and 4-year-olds in the United States are enrolled in early childhood education, compared to more than 90% of children in advanced countries like Germ

Families cannot find affordable, high quality child care and preschool, making it harder for parents to work.

• The average annual cost of a child care center for a toddler in Hartford and statewide in Connecticut is $16,000; a typical four-person household in the state would need to spend more than 26% of their income for two young children each year.
• About 25% of three-year-olds and 33% of four-year-olds in Connecticut are enrolled in state or federally funded preschool.
• The lack of child care and preschool also makes it more difficult for parents, and especially mothers, to remain in their jobs, contributing to the 29% gender gap in workforce participation between mothers and fathers in Connecticut.

The child care system is subsidized by paying low-wages to workers, which leads to an unsustainable system.

• The typical Connecticut child care worker earns less than $13 an hour. Half of U.S. child care workers rely on public income supports. Nine in ten child care workers are women and four in ten are women of color.
• Workforce quality is the most important determinant of child care quality—low wages contribute to 26%–40% annual turnover.

Expanded access to high-quality child care and preschool leads to long-lasting benefits for children, especially those that are more economically disadvantaged [journals.uchicago.edu].

• Long-term benefits for children include improved health outcomes, improved educational outcomes, and a greater likelihood of being employed and having higher earnings as an adult, leading to a return on investment for high quality early childhood care and education of $3–$7 for every $1 invested.

High-quality child care benefits the economy.

• If U.S. women between 25 and 54 participated in the labor force at the same rate as they do in Canada or Germany, there would be more than five million more women [dol.gov] in the labor force in the U.S., which would translate into over $500 billion of additional economic activity per year.

Impact of the Build Back Better Agenda on Early Childhood Care and Education

Child Care Subsidy: Provides child care subsidies to low- and middle-income Americans. The plan will allow most families to cut their spending on child care for young children (0–5) by more than half—and receive higher-quality care where workers are better compensated.

• Parents earning up to 150% state median income (about $115,000 nationally) will pay no more than 7% of their income on high-quality child care, and the lowest-income families will receive free high-quality child care.

Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit: Extends the enhancement of the tax credit provided in the American Rescue Plan to help families cover the cost of child and dependent care expenses—from child care to summer camp to after school and weekend care.

• Families with incomes below $125,000 can claim a tax credit on up to half the cost of their child and dependent care expenses, getting back up to $4,000 for one child up to age 13 or dependent, and $8,000 for two or more children up to age 13 or dependents. Families earning $125,000 to $400,000 can receive a partial credit at least as generous as they receive today.
• The tax credit is also refundable so parents can receive the full value of the credit regardless of how much they owe on their taxes.

Preschool: Free, high-quality preschool for all 3- and 4-year-olds delivered in the setting of a parent's choice—whether in an eligible child care center, family child care provider, public school, Head Start, or other community provider. The child care provider the President is visiting also delivers preschool and would be able to benefit from this plan as w

Foreign pool report #1 POTUS virtual meeting with Kenyan President

Pool was ushered to Oval office around 3:20 pm .President Biden welcomed Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and made a joke about allowing the US to stay at the Security council .

President Uhuru spoke in English. He highlighted the discussion that will take place on four areas of cooperation.

1. Covid Vaccine and increase dosages to Africa
2. Counter terrorism
3. Climate Change
4. Trade and investment

The Kenya delegation included :

His Excellency Uhuru M. Kenyatta, President of the Republic of Kenya
Ambassador Raychelle A. Omamo, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Ms. Betty C. Maina, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Industrialization, Trade and Enterprise Development
T.H. Amos M. Kimunya, Leader of the Majority in the National Assembly
Ms. Ruth W. Kagia, Deputy Chief of Staff
Ambassador Johnson M. Weru, State Department of Trade and Enterprise Development
H.E. Lazarus O. Amayo, Ambassador of the Republic of Kenya to the United States

5. The Kenyan President is on a long tour outside Kenya , he started with the Caribbean countries, then he UN, and today the WH, he is leaving back to Kenya tonight.

This is the first meeting between Biden and any African head of state although held virtually.

White House said earlier that both sides will discuss "efforts to defend democracy and human rights, advance peace and security, accelerate economic growth, and tackle climate change."

Foreign pool report #2 POTUS meeting with Kenyan President

#Not Virtual as reported in title .