White House “100% Supportive” of Permanent Legal Status for Separated Families; Psaki Dodges Court Packing and When Life Begins

On 2/1/2022, Press Secretary Psaki was confronted with DHS Secretary Mayorkas telling NBC News that the White House was “100% supportive of permanent legal status for families separated at the border.” She also dodged when asked whether Biden believed life begins at conception, refused to say whether Biden would decide on Supreme Court expansion before naming his nominee, and attacked Ted Cruz for criticizing Biden’s race-based SCOTUS selection while noting Cruz had praised Trump’s promise to pick a woman.

”100% Supportive” of Permanent Legal Status

A reporter asked Psaki directly about Mayorkas’s statement. “Secretary Mayorkas has told NBC News that the White House is 100% supportive of permanent legal status for families separated at the border. Is that a true statement?” the reporter asked.

Psaki did not deny the statement but deflected with “please stand by, Secretary Mayorkas” — effectively punting the question without a substantive response.

The statement was significant because it went beyond the originally reported settlement payments of up to $450,000 per person that Biden had previously called “garbage” before his administration confirmed the negotiations were real. Permanent legal status would represent a fundamentally different level of benefit — granting separated families the right to remain in the United States indefinitely.

When Does Life Begin?

A reporter pressed Psaki on a question she had been asked before. “The President has said in the past he does not believe that life begins at conception. When does he believe it begins?” the reporter asked.

Psaki deflected. “You know the President’s position. He believes in a woman’s right to choose. And he’s spoken to this in the past,” she said. “And I know you ask this every time you come in here, which is you’re absolutely right, but I don’t think I have anything new to reveal for you.”

The reporter pressed back: “The question is, when does he believe life begins? It’s essential to the debate over babies’ viability. Americans don’t agree — they should know where the President stands.”

“The President believes in a woman’s right to choose. Go ahead, I think we’re going to move on,” Psaki said.

Court Packing Before or After Nominating?

A reporter raised the Supreme Court Commission’s report, which included suggestions about changing the number of justices. “Does the President plan to decide what he’s going to do on Supreme Court reform before he makes this nomination?” the reporter asked. “You would think he would want to know who, if he’s going to increase the size of the court, who he’s going to put on first, right?”

Psaki said Biden was “reviewing the Supreme Court Commission report” but had no prediction on when he would “conclude his analysis.” She said his focus was on “selecting and nominating an eminently qualified Black woman to serve on the court.”

Constitution “Always Evolving Slightly”

Psaki described the Constitution as “always evolving slightly in terms of additional rights or curtailing rights” when discussing how each Supreme Court nomination renewed national debate. The characterization drew attention from those who noted the Constitution changes only through the formal amendment process, not through gradual evolution.

Cruz Called It “Offensive” — Psaki Fires Back

Senator Ted Cruz called Biden’s pledge to pick a Black woman “offensive.” Psaki responded by citing the precedent of previous presidents limiting their nominee pools. “Just over a year ago, the previous President also promised to select a woman for the Supreme Court. Not only were there no complaints about choosing a nominee from a specific demographic from the same corners, but there was widespread praise of now-Justice Barrett,” she said.

“Ted Cruz himself — he had no objection to Donald Trump promising he’d nominate a woman in 2020. Repeat: no objection at all. In fact, he praised her on these grounds,” Psaki added.

Child Tax Credit Families Going “Back Into Poverty”

A reporter asked what would happen to families who had benefited from the expanded child tax credit now that it had expired. “With that now gone, inflation creeping up, high gas prices, high food prices — how quickly are those same kids and families going to go back into poverty?”

Psaki said families would receive the other half of the credit when filing taxes, but acknowledged “that is not a forever solution.” When asked for Biden’s message to struggling families, Psaki said: “The President would say, ‘I am here to fight for you, and that’s why I’m going to continue to fight.’”

Key Takeaways

• DHS Secretary Mayorkas told NBC the White House was “100% supportive of permanent legal status” for border-separated families; Psaki did not deny it.
• Psaki again refused to say when Biden believes life begins, saying only that he supports “a woman’s right to choose.”
• She would not say whether Biden would decide on court expansion before naming his SCOTUS nominee, despite the commission report including suggestions to increase the number of justices.
• Psaki attacked Cruz for calling Biden’s race-based selection “offensive,” noting Cruz had praised Trump’s promise to pick a woman.
• With the child tax credit expired, a reporter asked how quickly families would fall back into poverty; Psaki acknowledged the tax filing benefit was “not a forever solution.”

Transcript Highlights

The following is transcribed from the video audio (unverified — AI-generated from audio).

• Secretary Mayorkas has told NBC News that the White House is 100% supportive of permanent legal status for families separated at the border. Is that a true statement?
• When does he believe life begins? The President believes in a woman’s right to choose. Go ahead, I think we’re going to move on.
• The Constitution has always evolved slightly in terms of additional rights or curtailing rights.
• Ted Cruz himself had no objection to Donald Trump promising he’d nominate a woman in 2020. No objection at all.
• How quickly are those same kids and families going to go back into poverty? That is not a forever solution.
• The President would say, I am here to fight for you.

Full transcript: 1195 words transcribed via Whisper AI.