Vice Presidential Travel Pool Reports of March 26, 2021

VP travel pool report #1

Good afternoon,

I'll be your travel pooler today for VP Kamala Harris' trip to New Haven Conn. It's about 75 degrees and windy here at JBA.

Your travel pool is holding on the tarmac. The Vice President has not yet arrived.

I don't have any updates from the VP's office to share with you at this time.

VP Travel pool report #2

A quick update for you all.

Travel pool is still waiting on a very windy tarmac. The VP is still not here yet.

On background from WH official:

Because of inclement weather in New Haven, CT, the Vice President will now depart from Joint Base Andrews one hour later than scheduled.

VP Travel Pool Report #3 — Harris arrives at JBA

VP Harris arrived at JBA at 1:28 PM and boarded AIr Force 2.

She did not answer any press questions.

Wheels up to New Haven shortly.

VP Travel Pool #4 — landed in New Haven

We landed in New Haven at 2:30 PM.

Gov Lamont, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, Rep. Jahana Hayes, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona stood on the tarmac in a line to greet the VP.

VP Harris descended the plane at 2:34 PM to claps from Lamont and others gathered.

She spoke to Lamont first and gave him an elbow bump. Then she spoke to Cardona and DeLauro, who gestured enthusiastically. Last, she spoke with Hayes. The women (Hayes and DeLauro and Harris) exchanged gestures of arms crossed across the chest like a hug and blowing kisses. The group spoke for about 5 minutes total.

Harris waved at pool briefly and then got in the motorcade.

Motorcade rolling.

Symone Sanders gaggled on the record in the last 10 minutes of the flight. I will send quotes in next pool report.

VP Travel Pool 5– news from Sanders gaggle

Senior advisor and chief spokesperson for the VP Symone Sanders gaggled on the plane.

Trips to the border?

"I do not have any trips to the border planned in the near future."

More on border:

"The Vice President is not doing the border."

She is dealing with the root causes of migration.

"He has tasked Vp Harris with taking on those diplomatic efforts..."

On Harris recent calls?

Yesterday she got an extensive briefing on the northern triangle and Latin America.

"she will be making a number of calls."

"You can expect she will be speaking with leaders from the region in the near future."

Is goal to make child tax credit permanent?

"It should be permanent and we look forward to Congress making moves on that."

On gun safety, what is Harris doing?

"The president and the Vice President believe that Congress needs to act. The House has in fact moved. They have moved two bills out of the House of Representatives and now it is on the Senate. We have the capacity to ban assault weapons, we have the capacity to strengthen our background check laws and systems.

Sanders said this is VP's last stop on Help is Here tour

VP Travel Pool 6— waiting in place at Boys and Girls Club

Here is an otter link to the Symone Sanders gaggle on the plane. Thanks to co-pooler Tal Kopan.

https://otter.ai/u/64k3c2AYYg12ptuWO8xr0eM78DQ

The pool is waiting in place inside the Boys and Girls Club in New Haven.

Outside, people stood on their front stoops to wave and cheer. A school nearby had children outside it who cheered and some held signs. Mostly supporters but a few Trump flags on the way.

We are in a large room with tables set up in a U-shape for the round table. There are bookshelves of books, trophies on display, a foozball table and an air hockey table around the edges of the room.

CT Office of Early Childhood Commissioner Beth Bye and CT Commissioner for The Department of Children and Families are here waiting.

VP Travel Pool Report 7 — Harris enters round table

VP Harris entered the room in the Boys and Girls Club where the round table is taking place at 3:10 PM with Secretary Cardona.

Harris greeted Beth Bye and Vanessa Dorantes and said she had been eager to meet them.

Sens. Murphy, Blumenthal, Gov. Lamont, CT Dept of Children and Families Commissioner Vanessa Dorantes and Office of Early Childhood Commissioner Beth Bye were seated at tables in a U-shape.

Cardona spoke first. He welcomed everyone

He said "We are at such a critical point in our nation's history" for children poverty. "It's almost like a reset button. He cited statistics on child poverty in US and CT and stats on food insecurity.

"We know that education can really lift up children out of poverty."

Said the DOE's job is to provide resources on how this could work.

Job with American Rescue Plan is to get children back learning in person as quickly and safely as possible.

Harris starts by thanking CT for allowing Cardona to serve as Secretary.

Said Ct is "progressive" and "courageous and innovative" about what "you have done in the state"

She called Murphy and Blumenthal her "buddies."

She thanked the commissioners.

She said they are being "clear-eyed" about the challenges that the pandemic has exposed.

"It is moment to leap frog over what might have otherwise been incremental change" to help children.

One of components of ARP they are most excited about is the substantial investment in child care and lifting half of children out of poverty, she said. She said she was also excited about investment in K-12 schools.

She thinks the investment will Help recovery from pandemic and also "recent history of inadequately funding our public schools."

"When I think about the importance of a place like this, I think about it in the context in which I grew up."

She said her mom was a cancer researcher who was trying to raise her two daughters. Said when her mom worked late, they would walk down the street to see Mrs. Regina Shelton, who would care for them.

"She could not have done that work without Ms. Shelton." Harris said that was true for all working parents— that they need help to raise their kids.

She wanted to talk with the group about how they are measuring mental health impact of the pandemic and of poverty.

"Let us be clear poverty is trauma inducing"

She hands over mic to Cardona... the group started to introduce themselves.

And then the pool was ushered out of the room. We are now holding outside the Boys and Girls Club.

VP Travel pool report 8— fuller Harris remarks from Boys and Girls Club

The pool is still waiting outside the Boys and Girls Club as the round table goes on inside.

Here are some fuller remarks that VP Harris made inside:

"We are having this conversation to hear about the challenges and crises we are facing in this country that in many ways have been accelerated by the pandemic. But I do believe the pandemic really has been an accelerator and also highlighting, making very clear the (inaudible) and the fault lines in our systems. And this is a moment then, as we look at where we are, it is a moment to leap frog over what otherwise might have been incremental change to actually fast forward in addressing the longstanding issues that have affected our children. The president and I and all the senators were very instrumental in getting the American Rescue Plan passed and one of the components of that plan that we are most excited about and will have generational impact is lifting half of America's children out of poverty. We are particularly also excited about what we are doing in terms of the substantial investment in child care, understand that is an issue that is yes about our children but also about their parents. It is about working people. It is about our economy. The connections between child care and all these other systems are so direct."

Link to Otter of remarks. Thank you co-pooler Tal Kopan:

https://otter.ai/u/T1SGGCHfG0thWzDhnki7-kzvHhs

Travel Pool Report 9 — another Sanders gaggle

Symone Sanders spoke to the pool again outside the Boys and Girls Club in New Haven.

She added to her remarks in the plane that Harris intends to go to the border in the future but she does not have any trips planned at this time.

This is not different from what she said on the plane but I wanted to pass along.

Travel Pool report 10 — Harris takes press questions

Harris took three press questions. Sorry about the partial quotes. Will send full quotes soon.

She was asked about Voting restrictions in Georgia.

"I believe very strongly that Congress needs to pass the For The People Act." Need to restore the teeth and the strength of the voting Rights Act.

"Abusive practices that we seen from the Georgia Legislature"

Said the GA law was intentionally designed to block "whole populations from voting"

Filibuster?

"We do need to get to a place where it is not so easy to block progress because the America people need us to act"

"The children of America deserve to have their Congress Act to meet their needs especially when they are suffering"

Executive actions, is she pushing him to do more, including plans she came up with as a presidential candidate?

"I think the president has been quite obvious in his intention to be bold"

Highlights the American Rescue Plan.

We are now rolling to our next stop which is a West Haven Child Development Center.

Travel Pool Report #11 — arrived at West Haven center

We arrived at the West Haven Child Development Center at 4:19 PM.

We are in a residential neighborhood and people stood on the front porches and at the end of the block (where police held them back) to wave and cheer.

The pool is now in a classroom of three and four year olds who are sitting on a colorful carpet and waiting for Harris to come in. They are all wearing masks.

"I want to see Kamala Harris" one girl named Galya said.
"I'm going to tell all my family about you."

Peter Velz, with the Vp's Office, taught the children that Harris's name was pronounced "Comma-la" not "Ka-ma-la" while we waited for her to come. They repeated after him how to say it right.

Some guidance from the Vp's office on this stop:

• Secretary Cardona and Rep. DeLauro briefly stop by a classroom.
• VP greet staff members Kathleen Malone (teacher) and Evelyn Marshall (teacher's aide), then briefly say hello to the children.
• Secretary Cardona briefly says hello to the children.

Here is also some guidance from the VP's office on the last stop at the New Haven Boys and Girls Club.

Listening session with practitioners on reducing child poverty – pool spray at the top

Reportable guidance: At 2:35PM EDT, the Vice President will hold a listening session at the Boys & Girls Club of New Haven with Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, Senator Richard Blumenthal, Senator Chris Murphy, and Connecticut leaders on how the American Rescue Plan addresses the issue of child poverty and education. There will be a pool spray of remarks at the top this listening session.

Participants
• Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona
• Governor Ned Lamont
• U.S. Senator Chris Murphy
• U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal
• Connecticut Office of Early Childhood Commissioner Beth Bye
• Connecticut Department of Children and Families Commissioner Vanessa Dorantes

Run of show
• VP and Sec. Cardona enter the room and greet participants in a U-shaped roundtable setup
• Sec. Cardona gives brief remarks
• VP gives brief remarks
• Press pool departs to vans

Travel Pool Report 12– Harris remarks about to start

Harris, Cardona and DeLauro's remarks are now starting at 4:53 PM . I will not send full quotes because the remarks will be live-streamed.

We just wrapped up in a pre-K classroom. I'll send more details on that in a second.

Travel Pool Report 13– remarks and Classroom color [APP Note: See last report at the bottom of this table.]

Harris concluded her remarks at 5:17 PM.

She ended by saying "Thank you for sending the superintendent to DC!" An apparent reference to Cardona. Someone else replied "Thank you!"

For the remarks, there is a Crowd of 35 is elected officials, parents of students at the school and staff seated in socially distanced chairs.

Pre-K classroom visit:

Harris, Cardona and DeLauro visited a classroom of 14 three to five year olds.

There was one very outspoken child named Dalya (this is correct spelling; I misspelled it earlier). She wore a gray mask and yellow shirt.

Harris told the children: "This is the best part of my day talking to you all."

How do you like being the Vice President? Dalya asked Harris.

"I kind of like it" Harris said.

Harris told her and the other children who were seated and crawling on the classroom rug: "you can be anything you want to be"

Dalya said "I want to be everything!"

Dalya introduced all the children to the VP, naming them one by one.

Cardona exclamed, "you can't do this on Zoom"

Harris asked the children: "what did you guys do today?•

Dalya said she had breakfast lunch and snack.

Harris then sat on cross legged on the carpet and the children sat around her, Dalya sitting cross legged right by her side.

"I love meeting our young leaders and that's why I am here to meet with you" Harris told them.

Harris then spoke to a girl named Annabelle. "How was your day today?" Harris asked her.

Cardona said "I think this was like fuel for our hearts."

Cardona then urged them do a "pinkie wave" to all say goodbye. He asked the children do you have a goodbye song? Some children start to sing.

Then the pool was ushered out of the classroom.

I also grabbed a quick interview with the pre-K classroom teacher Kathleen Malone. She's been a teacher for 16 years.

She said there are 170 students in the center.

She said her students have gotten used to wearing masks and it's no longer a problem.

Everyone has maintained their jobs during the pandemic here but it was "worrisome" she said.

She said it was Tough to keep the kids socially distanced and hard to rearrange the classroom to promote distance

(When the pool was observing the children in the classroom today, they were not socially distanced from each other, the teacher or the visiting officials.)

Malone also said children look at facial expressions so it is hard to have faces covered by masks but they have been adapting well to instructions

Asked if she was nervous to work during the pandemic, she said "You do get nervous but I am here to support the children and families"

She said she Told the children this morning about the VP's visit and they talked a little bit about what the VP does.

Malone has been vaccinated and she said the Vaccine made her feel a lot more comfortable coming back to work.

"I think it will be a nice transition to go back to how things were," she said about a potential end to the pandemic.

She has Been at this center since 2012

"We're excited that she's here and she is here to support us" Malone said of Harris's visit.

Malone said she just wants Harris to understand the challenges that child care centers have faced during the pandemic.

I have audio of this interview if anyone needs more— just reach out to me.

VP Travel Pool 14– holding at the Child development center

The pool is holding at the West Haven Child Development Center.

While in the center, I grabbed an interview with New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker. He talked about what the Vp's visit meant to his city and how they will spend the American Rescue Plan money for child care and schools:

https://otter.ai/u/GJDMKVVthuHuEvRR5FxeMKf0ZZY

Also interviewed Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. He discussed the next infrastructure bill including its investments in child care, he spoken about action on gun legislation, the Earn It Act and other topics:

https://otter.ai/u/i4fjkaKsvKjWp1fO0rt-SnQmoPM

VP Travel Pool 15 — rolling to airport

We are now rolling to Tweed New Haven Airport at 5:54 PM.

Harris briefly went out of the center to greet people on the street but the pool could not get a view. We could hear people cheering for her and can see people waving and taking pictures.

People are lining the street on both sides for three blocks or so to cheer and take pictures.

VP Travel Pool 16– wheels up from New Haven

The pool saw the VP board AF2 at 6:08 Pm. She waved to the pool before boarding.

There were some crowds of people waving outside the airport.

Wheels up shortly.

Also I promised to send fuller quotes from when Harris took questions earlier so here they are. Sorry for the delay.

Voting restrictions:

"I believe very strongly that Congress needs to pass the For The People Act and we Need to restore the teeth and the strength of the voting Rights Act and we need to also provide for what is necessary clearly when we see the kind of abusive practices that we've seen from the Georgia legislature which is to intentionally, I believe, attempt to prevent whole populations of people from exercising their Constitutional right to vote in their elections. So that's what we need to do."

Filibuster?

"I think the president was quite clear. I think I'm fact that's he did a really great job in his press conference yesterday and answering everything for over an hour and he was very clear which is that we should take a look at the filibuster. He made his thoughts clear about the talking filibuster. Ultimately it is going to be the Senate that is going to make that decision. But let me just add that We do have to get to a place where it is not so easy to block progress because the America people need us to act and what we saw with the American Rescue Plan and it was point of this discussion and we are going to later see our young leaders and our babies, four year olds, five year olds. The children of America deserve to have their Congress Act to meet their needs especially when they are suffering. Especially when we are talking about issues like poverty and so the point then is that it should not be so easy to block progress in our country."

Border has been an intractable problem for years, are you concerned about the political risks that come with taking that on?

"No"

Are you pushing the president to adopt some of the executive action proposals that you campaigned on to be more aggressive?

"I think the president has been quite obvious in his intention to be bold. Again I will go back to the occasion for this visit which is the American Rescue Plan lifting half of America's children out of poverty."

VP Travel Pool report 17 — arrival at JBA

We landed at JBA at 7:30 PM.

Vice President Harris descended the plane at 7:34 PM. She spoke for a minute or so to Lt Col Neil Senkowski Director of 89 Airlift Wing Flightline Protocol on the tarmac before she waved to the press and got in the motorcade.

The VP's staff brought Sally's Apizza from New Haven back to the press for everyone to eat.

Harris came back to the back of the plane to speak to press for a 10-minute off the record chat during the flight.

I'll be tweeting some more photos from the day if you need more.

That's a wrap for me. Have a great weekend.

Correction to VP Travel Pool report 13

Hey there,

A brief correction to VP Travel Pool report #13 yesterday: The very outspoken preschooler in the yellow shirt who was in the pre-K classroom VP Harris visited in Connecticut yesterday was named GALYA, not Dalya. I apologize for this error and wanted to inform you all in case you used that detail. I spoke to the classroom teacher again this morning who informed me.

Hope you're enjoying a beautiful weekend.