Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre

James S. Brady Press Briefing Room

12:32 P.M. EST

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Good afternoon, everyone.

Q: Hello.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: A few things at the top.

So, as we announced yesterday, the president will travel to Rome, Italy, in early January to meet separately with His Holiness Pope Francis; president of Italy, Sergio Marttarella [Mattarella]; and prime minister of Italy Meleni -- Meloni, pardon me -- Giorgia Meloni.

The president will have an audience with the pope to discuss efforts to advance peace around the world. And during his meetings with the Italian leaders, he will highlight the strength of the U.S.-Italy relationship, thank Prime Minister Meloni for her strong leadership of the G7 over the past year, and discuss important challenges facing the world.

We will provide more information in the days to come.

And next, earlier this week, as you all saw, the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation announced a $1 billion financial initiative to support cons- -- conservation of the Ecuadorian Amazon.

This is a result of the president's recent trip to the Amazon and a continuation of the administration's effort to support innovative ways to address climate change through sustainable growth and development without burdening countries facing financial constraints.

Switching gears just for a second here. Today, President Biden announced student debt cancelation for another 55,000 public service -- public service workers, bringing the total number in- -- of individuals who have been approved for student debt relief under his administration to nearly 5 million people.

The pe- -- the people approved for debts cancelation today include teachers, nurses, service members, law enforcement officials, and other public service workers who have dedicated their lives to giving back to their communities and who are finally earning the relief they are entitled to under the law.

Under the Biden-Harris administration, more than 1 million public service workers have received debt -- student debt relief, more than all other -- more than all other administrations combined since the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program was first established by Congress in 2007.

And finally, yesterday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection published their November 2024 data, which shows that since President Biden's -- announced new executive actions to secure the border on June 4th, unlawful border crossing have dropped by more than 60 percent. That's the lowest levels in four and a half years.

The Biden-Harris administration has implemented an effective and balanced approach to secure our border and make our immigration system more fair and just.

With that, Colleen, what you got?

Q: Thanks, Karine. So, I wondered if the president has spoken to any lawmakers personally about the potential for a shutdown.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, let me first say this -- and I know you've seen our statements coming from -- from here this week about this particular issue. And we'll just continue to reiterate that Republicans blew up this deal. They did. And they need to fix this, period. They have to.

Republican needs to stop playing politics with a government shutdown. And they are doing the bidding -- they're doing the bil- -- bidding of their billionaire friends -- that's what we're seeing -- at the expense of hardworking Americans.

And just to quote you something that we saw today, and I'm sure you all saw from the poach- -- Punchbowl News, which is, and I quote, "This has been an absolute disastrous week for the speaker; the president-elect, Donald Trump; and Republicans on -- on Capitol Hill."

This is a mess that they created, and they need to fix this.

On your question, the president -- I can confirm, just moments ago, the president was able to connect with Leader Schumer and Leader Jeffries. And -- and also, just to add, that the president does indeed get regular updates. He has been getting red- -- regular updates from his team. His team has been in touch with members -- congressional members from both sides of the aisle. And certainly, he will continue to stay updated.

Q: Has there been any communication between the president or the administration and the incoming administration on this?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I think the pres- -- I think we have to be really clear here, and that is, this is a mess that Speaker -- Speaker Johnson created. It is his mess to fix. There was a deal on the table. They wa- -- a bipartisan deal. A bipartisan deal. In this day and age, they were able to come up with a bipartisan deal.

And, you know, that agreement, Speaker Johnson needs to stick to. He needs to hold his commitment to that agreement. And so, they have to fix this. This is their -- this is their mess that they created, and they need to fix it.

And let's not forget, we're ta- -- not just -- when we talk about keeping the government opening -- open, we're talking about providing fu- -- funds for disasters -- disaster recovery efforts, loweri- -- to lower costs of prescription drugs. That's what we're talking about.

And the impact of this would hurt our veterans and would hurt vulnerable Americans across the country. That's what we're talking about. And Republicans need to do their job, and they need to uphold their side of the deal here.

Go ahead, Selina.

Q: Thanks, Karine. Why hasn't President Biden said anything in the public about this? Don't the American people deserve to know why millions of federal workers could enter this holiday period without a paycheck?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Well, Americans need to know that Republicans are getting in the way here and they are the ones who have created this mess. That's the reality. That's the fact.

And the president -- and let me just take a step back. We -- this is not the first time we've been here, and the president has had this approach before. He understands how Congress works. He's been around for some time. He understand what strategy works here to get this done.

So, this is not -- this is not the first time that we're -- I'm being asked this question about the president and his outreach. I just mentioned he made two calls. He was in touch -- he was in touch with the leader -- the Democratic leaders of both the House and the Senate, Schumer and -- and Jeffries. So -- and his team is continuing to have that conversation.

But this is the mess that was created by Speaker Johnson. He needs to fix this. That's what the American people need to be very clear about -- very clear.

There was a bipartisan agreement, and he's not holding up his side of the bargain here.

Q: Right. We hear that message from you, but why aren't we hearing that directly from the president? Why haven't we seen or heard from President Biden himself?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: This is something -- this is a strategy that we have done many times before. Not the first time. And this is for Republicans in Congress -- in the House, specifically -- to fix. They created this mess.

There was a bipartisan agreement. There was. There was a bipartisan agreement --

Q: So, the president doesn't feel the need to come in front of cameras to speak directly to the American people?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: There was a bipartisan agreement. There was a bipartisan agreement.

And so, what we want to do and what we want to -- what the president wants to make sure we do is -- he stands to -- ready to help get a bipartisan deal through. That's what he wants to see.

And, you know, this is something that Republicans should own here. What they tried to jam at the eleventh hour doesn't reflect and -- what the deal -- what that bipartisan deal that they came up with -- obviously, with Democrats. And, you know, they're showing -- Republicans are showing a disregard for the American public -- people.

Q: And, just lastly, some leading Democrats are calling Elon Musk "President Musk" or "Copresident Musk." What is the White House's and President Biden's reaction to this labeling of Elon Musk and whether or not House Republicans are listening more to this billionaire than the president-elect?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: What I can say is congressional Republicans, at the direction -- and you all know this; you all reported this -- of President Trump and Elon Musk are, you know, trying to pave the way -- what they're doing is trying to pave the way for $5 trillion to nat- -- to our national debt. That's what this decision does.

I mean, you're talking about with -- cuts for billionaires, slashing Social Security, slashing Medicare, slashing Head Start.

Congressional Republicans did what they did because of what the president-elect said and what Elon Musk said. That's the reality. You guys all reported this. That's why we are where we are today.

So, this is for Speaker Johnson to fix. This is the mess that he created. He needs to fix this.

Again, a bipartisan agreement. There is a bipartisan

agreement.

Go ahead.

Q: Thanks, Karine. Would the president support a four-bill strategy that we've seen discussed today, which would separate a clean CR from a Farm Bill extension and disaster aid and a debt limit increase?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I'm not going to get into hypotheticals.

What I can say is there is a bi- -- I'm going to get very repetitive here, because it is true and it needs to be said. There is a bipartisan agreement. There's a deal that was agreed upon, and that's what they need to move forward with.

And when I mean "they," I mean the Republicans in Congress. They need to move forward with that deal. That's what they said w- -- the deal that was agreed upon, that's what they said they would move forward with. The speaker said that, and he's not holding up his side of the bargain. He's not. His side of the deal, he is not holding up.

Q: Any response to President-elect Trump's statements this morning that "This is a Biden problem, but if Republicans can help solve it, they will"? I imagine you'll repeat some of what you just said, but in response to that --

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Congressional Republicans made their decision because of what the president-elect said -- at their direction -- the direction of the president-elect and the r- -- direction of Elon Musk.

There was a bipartisan deal on the table. They were moving forward. The speaker agreed to do this -- to move forward the bipartisan deal. And they stopped that because of what the president-elect said and what Elon Musk said. They wanted to clear a way for their billionaire friends -- a tax cut -- $5 trillion -- $5 trillion to the national debt with tax cuts to billionaires -- for billionaires.

So, that's the reality. You all have reported this. We've seen this. We saw -- we saw what was being stated, what was being put out there by the president-elect and Elon Musk. There's no hiding from that. That's the reality.

And -- and so, you know, we're talking about -- this is not politics here. We're talking about American -- the American people who need these programs -- who need it.

And so, Political [Politico] Playbook said -- had to say -- what they had to say about this: "Trump picked the fight." He picked the fight. "And it was Trump -- well, with -- him and Elon Musk -- who sank the bipartisan deal."

That's what you all are reporting. You can't -- you can't twist the facts or change history here.

Go ahead.

Q: So, based on the White House's assessment of where things stand right now on Capitol Hill, should Americans be prepared for the government to shut down tonight at midnight?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: There's still time. We believe there's still time for that to not happen; for Republicans to do the right thing, to hold up their part of the deal and move forward with the bipartisan agreement. There's still time.

And our focus is keeping the government open. That's what we want to see, and we hope Republicans want to do that -- Republicans in Congress want to do that as well. And there's still time.

Q: And we've talked a little bit here about how the president really has not been a player at all in these negotiations. I know you said he spoke with Schumer and Jeffries today. But what exactly is the strategy behind that? Is there a sense that perhaps having him involved at this moment would do more harm than good?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I just -- I just -- I kind of took this question. I got some formulation of that question moments ago. The president knows how to deal with Congress. He's been around for some time, as you all know. And this is not the first time that we've had this strategy where we have said it is Congress's -- one of their number one jobs is to keep the government open.

In this particular instance, you saw what Republicans did with Speaker Johnson, obviously, leading us to this mess, to where we are right now. And they need to fix it, period. It is their mess to fix. It is. There was a deal -- a bipartisan deal -- there was -- just days ago.

And they created this mess. Speaker Johnson needs to fix this. Republicans in Congress needs to fix this. It is their mess to fix, and they allowed this bipartisan deal to be scuttled by the president-elect.

Q: And if the government shuts down for an extended period of time, would President Biden commit to remaining here in Washington and not going through with his holiday plans?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I don't have anything. I can't get into hypotheticals. I don't have anything to share on this. We believe, as I just said moments ago, there's still time to get to a bipar- -- to get to a deal here or move forward -- I shouldn't say "get to a deal" -- move forward with a bipartisan agreement.

They can avoid a shutdown. They can. They were on their way to doing that, and it was scuttled by the president-elect and Elon Musk. This is why we're here today. That's why we're here today.

Go ahead. Yep. Go ahead.

Q: Karine, you said that House Speaker Mike Johnson needs to fix this. Has President Biden spoken to the House speaker, or does he have any plans to?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I've answered this in so many ways, and I'm going to answer it now. We got to be really clear. Speaker Johnson created this mess, and he needs to fix it. I don't have anything else to add beyond that.

He knows -- the speaker knows how to fix this. They got to a bipartisan deal. He said he was going to move forward with it. They stopped it because of the direction that they were given by the president-elect and Elon Musk.

And right now, we need to focus and we need to continue to focus on the American people. We're talking about shutting down the government. That will impact veterans' programs, services that Americans truly need.

They know how to fix this. Republicans actually know how to fix this. That's why they -- they were able to get a bipartisan agreement on the table.

They know, in order to move forward with this, you need a bipartisan agreement, and there was one, and they did not move forward with it because of what they were told by President-elect Trump and also Elon Musk.

Go ahead, Gabe.

Q: Hi, Karine. I'll go at the question another way.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Q: In this moment, is the president leading?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: The president is the president of the United States, and he is leading.

And to be very clear, as it relates to this, I've said this many times before -- moments ago -- and I'll say it again. We have done this strategy before -- this is not new -- where we have said Congress needs to deal with this. This is -- their number one job is to keep the government open. And there was an agreement on the -- on the table -- not just an agreement, a bipartisan agreement.

Speaker Johnson created this mess. He needs to fix it, period. Period.

Q: To be clear, the strategy is he is leading by staying in the background?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: The strategy is the Congress -- Republicans, in particular -- need to do their jobs and get out of their own way and focus on the American people, not their billionaire friends. That is what needs to happen, and that's what the president wants to see.

Q: Does the president believe that the U.S. debt ceiling should be eliminated?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: You all know where the president stands on this.

His focus right now is keeping the government open. That's what he's going to focus on.

Q: The vice president canceled her trip to California. Can you say why?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: You would have to speak to her office. I don't have -- I --

Q: And then --

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: -- I can't speak to that.

Q: And then, finally, on Syria, really quickly. The DOD said yesterday that there are about 2,000 U.S. troops in Syria. That's double what the administration has said beforehand.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Q: Why the discrepancy?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, I would have to refer you to the Department of Defense to speak to troop numbers. That is their purview. That is something that we have always been pretty consistent on that they have to speak to.

I know that they said yesterday that the additional forces are considered temporary, that they are deployed to -- to meet shifting mising req- -- mission requirements, but I have to leave it to the Department of Defense, to the Pentagon to speak to troops.

Q: But so -- last question, Karine.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Q: And I know you have tried to answer it several times.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: (Laughs.)

Q: But shouldn't Americans hear from the president of the United States just hours from a shutdown?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: What Americans need to know is that you have Republicans in Congress, in the House, who got in a way, who stopped a bipartisan agreement. They got in the way. They created this mess.

And I -- and I said this mo- -- earlier, when I said -- and you all know this; you report this -- it is not easy to get to a bipartisan agreement here in this town. And there was one.

Both sides sat down. They came to an agreement, which is a good thing for the American people. We thought we were moving in that direction, and they decided to -- Republicans decided to, instead, listen and give -- give space to their billionaire friends and not put the American people first. That's what is happening. That's what we're seeing.

Go ahead, Michael.

Q: Thanks, Karine. Just wondering if you could give us an update on Nippon Steel's pending purchase of U.S. Steel. (Coughs.) Excuse me. The panel that is reviewing that transaction is expected to issue its recommendation soon. So, I'm just wondering if you have any update on the timing. And, also, is the president prepared to accept those recommendations, regardless of what they are, or does he plan to block this transaction?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I'm not going to get ahead of the president. I don't have any announcement to make. And -- and so, I'm just going to leave it there. Just don't have anything to share. Don't have an announcement to make at this time and certainly not going to get ahead of the president at the podium.

Q: (Inaudible) even the timing or --

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I -- I don't -- you know, CFIUS -- that's a CFIUS review. They are independent. We leave it to them to -- to make that decision on the timing. I just don't have anything to share on this.

Go ahead, Karen.

Q: Could you talk a little bit more about the president's trip next month to Italy?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Q: In your statement last night, you said that he had accepted the invitation of the pope to visit next month.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Q: How did that come about? Did that just happen on the phone call yesterday?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Q: Did the president express interest to the Vatican that he wanted to make this trip? It's pretty late in a term to be traveling so --

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Q: -- soon -- you know, close to the end like that.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So -- so, I don't have any information for you. I would have to talk to the team about the timeline.

Look, the president is looking forward to going back to -- to Italy. As you all know, he's been there a couple of times in this -- in -- in his first term -- in this term, and so he's going to -- and he's met, obviously, a couple times in this administration alone with His Holiness Pope Francis, and obviously he's -- he looks forward to that.

As you know, he is -- he is a proud Catholic, and so that is something that he certainly was looking forward to that. And -- and having a conversation about peace around the world. We know that is an issue that His Holiness cares about.

I don't have specifics or -- or behind-the-scenes private conversations on how this landed and the timing of this. What we can share is that it's happening, the president looks forward to it, and we certainly will have more to share as we get closer, like we normally do when an OCONUS trip --

Q: And should --

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: -- happens.

Q: -- we should we expect domestic travel for the president in January? Is he going to be out there doing any farewell speeches on policy issues in other parts of the country?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, I would say, stay tuned. We'll certainly have more to share about what January will look like for the president. Don't have anything to -- specifically to announce right now.

Go ahead.

Q: Thank you. I'm just going to try to ask this a different way.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Q: The president is still --

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: You're going to get the same answer. (Laughs.)

Q: -- in office. I -- I'm just going to try.

He's still in office for --

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Feel free. (Laughs.)

Q: -- a month. The American people really haven't heard from him on whether or not the government is going to shut down. Wouldn't the message hit differently if the president were out there countering the message that we're hearing from the president-elect and Elon Musk? Why isn't he speaking on this?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Republicans are breaking their word. They are breaking their word to support a bipartisan agreement. We would not be in this position if Republicans in the House did not break their word. That's where we are.

And we're talking about what the agreement -- when you look about -- when you think about what their agreement would do, it would lower prescription drugs costs and make it harder -- make it harder to offshore jobs to China. We're talking about veterans who needs some- -- this -- these services.

And they -- instead, what they want to do is they put forth a bill that would pave the way for tax break for billionaires. That's what they did. Instead of going with a bipartisan agreement, they put forth something that would pave the way for their billionaire friends. That's not about the American people. That is just not about the American people.

And we have been here before when we're trying to make sure that there's not a government shutdown. The president has had the same -- kind of the same strategy. He knows how to work with Congress.

And so, in this instance, the Republicans blew this deal up. They did. They blew it up, and they need to fix it. This is not for the president to fix. This is not for us to fix. This is for Republicans in Congress to fix this -- the -- the mess that they created.

Q: But has he expressed any thoughts or feelings on the president-elect and Elon Musk's --

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: You -- you --

Q: -- inter- --

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: You're --

Q: -- talking about this process?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: You're hearing what I'm saying, right?

I speak for the president of the United States, so you're -- when I speak for the president of the United States, I'm speaking directly for him. So, you are hearing where he feels about this, what his thoughts are about this. And we tr- -- believe, and the American people should know this, that Republicans need to fix the mess that they caused.

The Speaker knows how to get this right. To get this right is to move forward with a bipartisan agreement -- the bipartisan agreement that they had come to not too long ago.

We thought we were going to move forward with that agreement, and they blew it up. They blew it up.

Q: Thanks, Karine.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: You're good?

Go ahead.

Q: Thanks, Karine. Has agencies, has the government started informing employees who might be furloughed?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Q: You know, those specific folks, especially heading into the holiday season, are they being informed --

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Q: -- that they might not get their paycheck?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, look, we believe that Co- -- there's still time for Congress to prevent a partial shutdown. We believe that. But in the interest of t- -- of prudent planning -- we want to be prudent here -- agencies did start notifying their employees for -- of -- of their potential furlough today at noon. And so, on that specific -- as it relates to furloughs, I would certainly refer you to OM- -- OMB on those specifics.

Q: And given the high stakes of this shutdown, again during the holiday season --

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Q: -- affecting people like veterans, police officers --

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Exactly.

Q: -- et cetera, will the president speak to the American people if there is a shutdown so that they can hear from him directly --

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I am not --

Q: -- in that moment?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I am not going to get into hypotheticals, because we believe, as I just -- the beginning of answering your last questions -- that there's still time to prevent a partial shutdown. We believe that th- -- that Congress -- Republicans in Congress could get to a place where they prevent this.

Q: When is the next time that people will hear from the president?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I'm not going to get into hypotheticals.

Q: (Inaudible.)

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: It is very easy -- it -- I hear your question, but it is very easy to fix this.

The mess that Republicans created, it is very easy for them to fix this: bipartisan deal agreement. Move forward. Keep -- keep your word, Republicans in Congress. Keep your word. Keep your word.

Go ahead.

Q: Thank you, Karine. I have a question on China. In the final month of this adm- -- administration, we continue to see high-level talks between the U.S. and China, including last week. Is President Biden making his final effort to strengthen U.S.-China relationship ahead of Trump administration? And are you concerned those (inaudible) you've established with China ma- -- might be abandoned next year? Thank you.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So -- and I'm just going to repeat what the president has said, what the national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, have said from this podium ha- -- about the relationship -- the U.S. relationship with China. And what the president remains doing is -- and is incredibly focused on is managing the most consequential relationship. You've heard both of them say that it is the most consequential relationship. And it is because of the work of this administration that we are handling -- handing off the U.S.-China relationship in a stronger, competitive position.

Remember, in the beginning of this administration, we would talk about how it is about competition. That's how we wanted to kind of see that relationship as well -- about competition. So, that's what the president and this administration is leaving the incoming relationship.

Under President Biden, we have made America stronger and positioned us to outcompete China through significant investments in the United States, developed closer relationship with our allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific, increase our deterrent capabilities, and diminished China's ability to exploit our most sensitive technologies.

At the same time, we are carefully managing -- and we have carefully managed this relationship through skilled diplomacy to prevent com- -- competition from vering -- veering into conflict. Remember, that's what we want. We want competition, not conflict.

So, we're going to continue to manage this relationship. I'm not going to get into hypotheticals of what the next administration may or may not do. But what I can lay out, as I just did, is how the president has focused on this consequential relationship with -- with China -- the U.S.-China relationship.

Go ahead.

Q: Thank you. Just following up on Karen's question on the trip to Italy and what would be the second meeting with the pope. We all know that for the president, his faith is very important, but this isn't a trip he's taking as a private citizen. This is a --

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Q: -- a trip he's taking as head of state.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Q: So, what's the broader message here? Why this choice for what might be his final international trip?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, look, we're going to have more information, as we normally do. We do background calls, press calls with all of you as we head into an OCONUS. We're going to do the same. Nothing has changed. And we will lay out the goals, the reasons, what we expect to get out of this trip.

But I tried to give you a little bit of -- of what the president -- the logistics of what the -- who the president is going to meet and -- and the discussions that he's hoping to have.

And let's not forget, the prime minister is -- she's -- she's the leader of the G7 right now -- right? -- and has strong -- has shown strong leadership. So, that's in- -- important, too, to have -- for him to -- to have that -- continue that diplomatic conversations with her as well.

And so, certainly, we will have more to share as we get closer to -- to the travel.

Go ahead.

Q: Thanks, Karine. There are some Republican lawmakers who are actually advocating for a government shutdown. One example is Marjorie Taylor Greene from Georgia. She says, "Shut it down." Can you explain the repercussions of what a partial government shutdown would be for specific groups? For seniors --

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Q: -- for veterans, for those that depend on government services, can you explain what --

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Q: -- this possibility would mean for those individuals?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: And it is sad that I have to explain that. Really. They are congressional members. Their -- one of their p- -- duties is to keep the government open because, as you just stated, we're talking about veterans, we're talking about vulnerable Americans who need services that the federal government provides in order just to make it to the -- through the day.

And it is sad that -- you know, what we're seeing from Republicans is picking their billionaire friends -- that's what they're doing -- not the American people, not our veterans. And we're talking about basic services that are needed.

OMB certainly could dive in and lay out the different programs that will be affect- -- that -- that will be impacted, that will impact Americans if this indeed happens.

But, you know, Jon, we can avoid this. They can avoid this. This does not have to end this way. We do not have to end with a government shutdown and -- and really put a -- a negative impact on American families, a negative impact on -- on our veterans.

This could be avoided. Republicans in Congress don't have to go this route. They don't. There was a whole different route that they were going, which would have actually been done in a bipartisan way.

We believe -- this president believes that it is important as we move policies, as we move forward on behalf of the American we- -- people, we do it in a bipartisan way. And they had that deal.

Q: Do you happen to know if there would be a delay of any kind for Social Security recipients from receiving their checks --

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Q: -- or members of the military from receiving their pay?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: You're laying out everything that we are concerned about. Those are the things that we are concerned about. Yes, those are concerns.

But there's a way out of this. There is. Republicans need to fix this. They need to fix this mess that they created. It's very easy to do.

Q: You do an excellent job advocating on behalf of the president, but do you think the president would do a better job if he was out there making those same ideas --

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Q: -- present to the public in terms of what a shutdown would mean for all of those vulnerable Americans?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: What I will say is Republicans need to do their job. I would not be taking -- fielding these questions from you all if Republicans didn't lead us here. They did. They -- they created this mess.

The only reason we're having this back-and-forth is because Republicans created this mess in Congress -- in the House, specifically. They created this mess, and they can fix it. They were on their way to fixing this with this bipartisan agreement.

So, I think the onus is on them to get this right.

Go ahead.

Q: Does the administration have any updates on the whereabouts of Austin Tice compared to last week?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah, I don't have any updates to share. Obviously, it is a priority for this president to get Austin home. That is something that certainly we want to see.

I will speak to As- -- Assistant Secretary Barbara Leaf and Ambassador Roger Carstens' travel to Damascus, Syria, to engage with Syrian people -- with the Syrian people, including members of civil society, activists, and other Syrians, about their vision for the future of their country and how the United States can help support them.

They also met with representatives of the interim authorities to discuss transition pri- -- principles shared by the United States and regional partners.

In their meetings -- to your question -- they stressed the immense importance of finding missing U.S. citizens, including Austin Tice, and bringing them home. So, that is a -- continues to be a priority.

Any specifics about that -- that meeting, I would refer you to the State Depart- -- Department. I know at 12:30, the two State -- State Department officials held a -- a on-the-record press conference. So, I would refer you to that press conference that they had. It might still be going, but they certainly were able to talk in more details and take questions about this. And, again, they -- they talk -- they touched on -- on Austin Tice and this and, more broadly, obviously, bringing U.S. citizens home.

Go ahead.

Q: Does the president have, say, three top priorities for things he still wants to accomplish in the next 31 days he is in office?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Well, one of the things that I can say is keeping the government open. Right? We want to make sure that that happens.

Congress had a bipartisan agreement. They should move forward. Republicans should not get in the way. Should pi- -- should choose the Americ- -- American people first, not Republican -- Republican or their billionaire friends.

And so, that is something that we have said many times from here: that that was a priority for this president.

Certainly, we want to continue to implement -- excel the implementation of key priorities that the president has had, meaning the bipartisan infrastructure legislation, the CHIPS and Science Act. We want to make sure that those investments -- that continues, and we want to excel on that.

And we've talked about continuing to lower costs as -- as it relates to prescription drugs, but lowering costs more broadly, certainly, for the American people.

And so, that's our focus. That's what we've been doing. And -- and we're going to continue -- continue, certainly, to do that.

Q: Can we expect more announcements at -- on at least some of those fronts in the next few weeks?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I -- look, I would say "stay tuned." We are trying to truly, truly run through the tape here and get as much done as we can for the American people.

And we know that the American people wants us to continue to work on behalf -- on their behalf, and that's what the president is going to be focused on.

Q: And then, real briefly, since you mentioned the shutdown -- different angle on that question.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Sure.

Q: Potential shutdown, I should say.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Q: Should the American people be confident that, in the event of a shutdown, there would still be a smooth transition and inauguration process?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: That has been the president's commitment. That ha- -- and that you've heard directly from him. We want to make sure that there is a responsible -- committed to a responsible transition. And, as you know, his team -- he and -- he and his team have certainly been working towards that. The team has been preparing for months to make sure that happens.

I will say, though, if there is a shutdown -- and I don't want to get too much into hypotheticals, but this is the reality -- transition activities will be restricted and -- and with limited exceptions, obviously, but -- such as prevent imminent threats to the safety of human life or the protection of property. Those are the things that we would -- that -- you know, that we would have to be concerned about.

And so, we're doing everything to ensure a smooth transition, but the choice to allow a transition to move forward is within the hands of Republicans in Congress.

You know, we can continue to have this footh transition -- smooth transition of power if they stop threatening a shutdown. And a -- and, you know, they have an opportunity -- Republicans in Congress have an opportunity to keep the government open so that we can continue -- what the president commitment has been for months now is to make sure that there is a smooth transition of power.

AIDE: Karine, you have time for one more.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Okay.

Go ahead.

Q: Just two clarifications.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Q: So, I guess, the first one. Is this trip to Rome the last foreign trip that the president will take?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: What I can say is the president is going to Italy and is going to go on an OCONUS trip in January. I -- I'm always very careful. (Laughs.) Anything could happen. But what I -- what I can say for sure is that the president is certainly going to be going to Italy.

We announced that. We'll have more to share. I don't have anything else to share.

Q: And then, secondly, related to the CR. Given what you said about the president's views on -- on debt limit increases or eliminating the debt limit, does that mean that that would be something that would be vetoed by the president if it reached his desk?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I -- I'm not going to get into hypothetical. I'm just not.

I think what is important here is there is a path forward. There has been a path forward. There is a bipartisan agreement that Republicans tanked because of what they were directed to do by Elon Musk and President-elect Trump. That's what happened. That is the reality that we're in now.

And this is not the direction that we thought we were going just a couple of days ago.

And so, Republicans blew up this deal. They can fix it. It is their mess to fix, and they have to choose the American people. They have to do their basic job -- is choosing the American people and delivering for them.

Thanks, everybody.

Q: Thanks, Karine.

1:09 P.M. EST