Kamala Harris photo

Vice Presidential Pool Reports of September 20, 2023

September 20, 2023

Pool Reports by Alicia Diaz, Bloomberg News

Sent: Reports:
September 20, 2023
16:07

VP pool #1 // CHCI event to begin shortly

Good afternoon from Washington DC. I'll be your print pooler today. Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to take the stage at 5 pm EST alongside actor John Leguizamo at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute leadership conference. The conversation will take place at Walter E. Washington Convention Center to a room which holds roughly 600 people, per event staff.

The event will be live streamed here: WhiteHouse.Gov/Live

Additional background information from the White House below.

On background from a White House official:
This afternoon, the Vice President will participate in a conversation at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Leadership Conference moderated by actor John Leguizamo. The Vice President's participation in the CHCI Leadership Conferences comes on the heels of her fourth "Fight for Our Freedoms" college tour stop, which took place at Reading Area Community College, a Hispanic Service Institution.

During the moderated conversation, the Vice President will discuss the Biden-Harris Administration's historic investments in Latino-owned small businesses, address the attacks Americans are facing on their basic freedoms—including the right to make decisions about one's own body and to live free from gun violence—and outline the work ahead to continue strengthening the middle class and move our nation forward. Vice President's conversation at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center will be livestreamed at 5:00PM ET at WhiteHouse.Gov/Live.

The "Fight for Our Freedoms" College Tour:
Vice President Harris's "Fight for Our Freedoms" College Tour officially kicked off last week at Hampton University in Virginia and North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro. It is a national swing to mobilize thousands of young people in the ongoing fight for fundamental freedoms and rights. The Vice President is set to visit around a dozen campuses including HBCUs, community colleges, apprenticeship programs, state schools, and additional Hispanic-serving institutions. Next week, she will travel to Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA on September 26, the University of Wisconsin-Madison on October 4, the College of Southern Nevada in Las Vegas, NV on October 12, and Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, AZ on October 17th.

VP Harris's work to engage with young Americans:
The Vice President has already been to 14 college campuses this year after visiting 14 schools in 2022. She also regularly meets with young leaders wherever she goes – from climate leaders in Colorado to gun safety advocates in Virginia.

VP Harris's work to engage with Latino Leaders:
Hailing from California, Vice President has made it a priority through her time in public service to work with Latino leaders across the country to address issues that matter most to Hispanic communities. As Vice President, she has prioritized investing in Latino-owned small businesses and meeting with Latino leaders.

September 20, 2023
17:03

VP pool #2 // Harris begins CHCI event

VP Kamala Harris took the stage for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute leadership conference event at 5:01 pm EST alongside actor John Leguizamo, who is moderating the conversation.

Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) introduced Harris, touting her position on the Affordable Care Act, her stance on marriage equality and her role as an advocate for Latinos.

Harris arrived at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center around 4:34 pm EST, per a White House official.

The conversation will be live streamed at WhiteHouse.Gov/Live

September 20, 2023
17:51

VP pool #3 // Harris remarks at CHCI

Notes and key quotes from Harris' remarks at CHCI below.

Harris started the conversation with a shoutout to Gen Z. "They are brilliant. They are practical. They are engaged. They care deeply. But they also aren't going to let us waste any time with what needs to happen in our country," Harris said.

Leguizamo, wearing a New York Mets cap, asked Harris to detail her work on increasing access for economic empowerment for Latinos in the US. "It's not only about making sure people have a job. It's about creating opportunity to acquire and grow wealth," Harris said. The crowd applauded to in response.

"Part of what I want to ask all of the leaders here to do is to help us get the word out to all of these businesses to help them know that they have the right to apply for and qualify for federal contracts in this work," Harris said on the Biden administration's goal to increase federal contracts for minority owned businesses by 50%.

On education, Leguizamo asked about the increasing political tension surrounding curriculum in certain states. "Don't forget Florida," Harris said, to which the crowd erupted in laughs and applause. "Attacks on fundamental freedoms is losing the right of our children and our nation to learn America's full history," Harris said. "These extremist so-called leaders are trying to take us back. They're trying to erase America's history, both the good and the bad parts."

On the DACA decision: "We're going to keep fighting against it," Harris said.

On women's health: It is "immoral" for a government to tell a women what to do with her body, and that's what is happening in our country, Harris said. "The majority of Latinos agree that the government should not be making this decision," Harris said, to which the crowd reacted in applause.

Kamala Harris, Vice Presidential Pool Reports of September 20, 2023 Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/365443

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