Vice Presidential Pool Reports of June 24, 2021

VP Pool Report #1

Good afternoon from the White House.
Pool is gathering for the 4.15 pm event with Vice-President Kamala Harris where she will speak with organizations partnering with the Administration to help people get vaccinated as part of the National Vaccine Month of Action.
The VP's remarks will be streamed live on whitehouse.gov/live
I will send top lines/color.

Background from the VP's office:

The National Vaccine Month of Action started on June 4th and is taking place until July 4th. A major component of the Month of Action is grassroots, person-to-person engagement about vaccines by trusted messengers, including community-based and faith-based organizations that are partnering with the Administration on this effort.

Thousands of individuals have RSVP'd from hundreds of national and local nonprofits, unions, faith-based groups, health groups, women's groups, AAPI community groups, Latinx community groups, African American community groups, disability community groups, rural groups, foundations, coalitions, business groups, progressive groups, climate groups, young people groups, and more.

The program after the VP departs:

· Bus Tour Update from Azma Mirza, White House COVID-19 Response Team
· Partner Spotlight from Sabrina Bousbar, US Department of Health and Human Services
· Overview of the Work Ahead from Yvanna Cancela, US Department of Health and Human Services
· Resource Spotlight from Jalakoi Solomon, Made to Save
· Closing Call to Action from Deirdre Schifeling, White House Office of Political Strategy and Outreach

VP Pool Report #2

Vice-president Harris was seated at a table on the stage in the South Court Auditorium in the Executive Office Building when pool entered at 4.16 pm .
Josh Dickinson from the White House Office of Public Engagement was introducing Cedric Richmond when the pool entered.

"He's on mute," said the VP as Richmond began to speak. She gave him a thumbs-up and a smile.

Richmond noted that the White House had reached the goal of vaccinating 70% of Americans over 30.
"It's real progress, and has our country returning to normal" much quicker than many predicted, he said.

Event ongoing...

VP Pool Report #3 (final report)

[Cont'd...] Highlighting the progress made on vaccination, Cedric Richmond said that the President and VP did not "grandstand" - they did the work. "Their leadership is amazing. We're on a roll."

Following the introduction from Cedric Richmond, the VP began speaking at 4.21 pm.

She began by thanking Richmond for his work "around the clock."

"We have thousands of people on this call, and I'm just seeing the faces of all of you who have been so tireless."

She thanked the 600 partner organizations and the volunteers who have "made this month a success."
She noted that volunteers have organized pop-up clinics, vaccines "knockathons." "The impact of your work is real. the proof is in the progress."

While there was a major slow-down at the beginning of the month, she said, "three weeks later we have seen some of our greatest gains." Notes improvements in take-up rates in states like Alabama, Georgia, and Texas.

The VP asked those on the call to keep knocking on doors, and let people know that the help is out there - free rides to vaccination sites etc.

"Let's let people know what's available to them."

She said she will continue her bus tour in Detroit on Monday, and was recently in Atlanta. Spoke about her visit to the Ebeneezer Baptist Church where Martin Luther King jr once preached and which is now a vaccination site. It "continues to be a house of healing."

She said the "act of getting vaccinated and administering vaccines" are "the very essence of what the bible and so many faiths tell us about the importance of our power when we say "Love Thy Neighbor."

"We can do this, together we can do this. We are doing this; we will do this. So again, thank you, thank you thank you, please be well."

The pool was led out of the auditorium at 4.29 pm.