Psaki Won’t Say if Biden Agrees “Equality Begins in the Womb,” Dodges on NY Prosecutor Refusing to Seek Prison for Crimes

On 1/6/2022, Press Secretary Jen Psaki confirmed Biden would support changes to the filibuster for voting rights despite having previously called it “dangerous” and “the arrogance of power.” Psaki also refused to say whether Biden acknowledged “equality begins in the womb,” would not directly condemn New York’s new DA policy of declining to prosecute certain crimes, and could not answer when Biden would get involved in the Chicago teachers’ union decision to refuse in-person teaching — leaving 350,000 mostly Black and Hispanic children out of school.

Filibuster: From “Arrogance of Power” to Support

Psaki confirmed Biden was prepared to support Senate rule changes to pass voting rights legislation. “He said right before Christmas that if that is a change that needs to happen, that he would support that,” she said.

This represented a dramatic reversal from Biden’s own 2005 Senate floor speech, in which he said: “We should make no mistake. This nuclear option is ultimately an example of the arrogance of power. It is a fundamental power grab by the majority party.” Biden had also warned that “the nuclear option would transform the Senate from the so-called cooling saucer our founding fathers talked about to cool the passions of the day to a pure majoritarian body like a parliament."

"Equality Begins in the Womb”

A reporter noted the March for Life’s theme for the year was “equality begins in the womb” and asked whether Biden agreed with that statement. Psaki deflected immediately. “The president believes in a woman’s right to choose. I think you’re very familiar with his position on this issue,” she said, declining to address the equality framing directly.

Manhattan DA’s Non-Prosecution Policy

A reporter raised newly inaugurated Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s memo ordering prosecutors to stop seeking prison sentences for certain crimes, including resisting arrest. “Does that give the wrong message to criminals or to police who are having to enforce these laws that the district attorney is not going to prosecute?” the reporter asked. “And does this in any way undermine the Biden administration’s efforts through the DOJ and federal law enforcement partners to crack down on crimes like retail theft?”

Psaki dodged. “You know where we stand on supporting local police officers, local cops,” she said. “I have not spoken, obviously, with our legal team or, of course, the Department of Justice about this particular issue.”

350,000 Chicago Kids Out of School

The briefing’s sharpest exchange came over the Chicago teachers’ union decision to refuse in-person instruction, leaving 350,000 children — most of them Black, Hispanic, and from low-income families — out of school. A reporter pressed: “This administration has called for equity in education. So who does the Biden administration blame for failing these young kids?”

Psaki said Biden “wants these schools to be open” but would not assign blame. When asked how many days had to pass before Biden would directly intervene, Psaki said only that the White House was “in regular touch with teachers, school administrators, labor leaders across the country, nearly every single day, including in Chicago.”

USPS Warns of Employee Losses

A reporter cited the U.S. Postal Service’s letter to OSHA warning that Biden’s vaccine mandate would “likely result in the loss of many employees, either by employees leaving or being disciplined.” Asked whether those concerns demonstrated why the mandate could be “problematic for many businesses,” Psaki pivoted: “Our objective here is to not punish, but to protect people, to save more lives.”

She suggested Biden would still enforce the mandate even as the Postal Service flagged the impact on mail delivery.

January 6th Remarks and Fallout

The briefing took place on the first anniversary of January 6th, 2021. Biden had delivered remarks characterizing the Capitol breach as an “armed insurrection” and blaming former President Trump. Vice President Harris compared the event to Pearl Harbor and 9/11 — a comparison that drew criticism.

When asked about consequences for Trump, Psaki said Biden would “leave that to the Justice Department, which is independent.” When asked about Harris’s comparison, Psaki said: “For those who are being critics of the vice president’s remarks, I think instead of focusing on comparisons of moments in history, I would suggest that they be a part of solving the threat to democracy that occurs today.”

Former President Trump responded to Biden’s speech by calling it “political theater.” Psaki replied: “It looks like he saw the speech. I guess that’s good news. Maybe he learned something about what it looks like to meet the moment in the country.”

Key Takeaways

Psaki confirmed Biden would support filibuster changes for voting rights, reversing his 2005 position calling the “nuclear option” an “arrogance of power” and “fundamental power grab.”
Psaki refused to say whether Biden acknowledged “equality begins in the womb,” deflecting to his support for abortion rights.
She dodged when asked about Manhattan DA Bragg’s policy of declining to prosecute certain crimes, saying she had not spoken with DOJ about it.
350,000 mostly Black and Hispanic children in Chicago were locked out of school by the teachers’ union; Psaki could not say when Biden would intervene.
The USPS warned Biden’s vaccine mandate would likely result in the loss of many employees.

Transcript Highlights

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

Its theme this year is equality begins in the womb. Does the president agree with that statement? The president believes in a woman’s right to choose.
Manhattan District Attorney has ordered prosecutors to stop seeking prison sentences for certain crimes, including resisting arrest. Does that give the wrong message to criminals?
350,000 kids, school kids in Chicago remain out of school. Most are Black, Hispanic, and are poor. Who does the Biden administration blame for failing these young kids?
He said right before Christmas that if that is a change that needs to happen, that he would support that.
This nuclear option is ultimately an example of the arrogance of power. It is a fundamental power grab by the majority party.
It looks like he saw the speech. Maybe he learned something about what it looks like to meet the moment.

Full transcript: 1463 words transcribed via Whisper AI.