Psaki: immigration messaging, COVID-19 vaccine update 3/10/2021

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On 3/10/2021, Press Secretary Jen Psaki held the White House press briefing. Guests included the Special Assistant to the President and Coordinator for the Southern Border Ambassador Roberta Jacobson, during the news briefing, a reporter asked, “You’ve been telling migrants — from right there, for a month now, all the way back to February 10th — that “now is not the time to come,” but they are coming in bigger numbers every day. So, do you have a messaging problem?

Psaki: Well, I would say that, in the last administration, we had a morality problem, and children were being pulled from the arms of their parents, and kids were being set — sent back on a treacherous journey. And that’s not the approach of this administration.

So, certainly, we understand that means there will be more kids who are crossing the border. We made a policy decision that that was the right, humane step to take. But I think it’s also important for people to understand that the vast majority of people who come to our border are turned away, are sent back to their countries.

What we’re talking about here is unaccompanied children. And what our focus is on is ensuring that there are safe places for these kids to go that have acc- — where they access to educational resources, health and medical attention, legal assistance, as needed, and that we can expedite the vetting so that they can get to families and sponsors where they can have their cases adjudicated.
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Full Transcript
James S. Brady Press Briefing Room 3/10/2021 1:06 P.M. EST

Psaki: Okay. I can’t promise it will always be that rapid when I promise to bring someone to the briefing room, but we’ll try. We’ll do our best.

Question: That was a quick turnaround.

Psaki: We’ll do our best.

A couple of other items for all of you at the top. With today’s expected passage of the Rescue Plan, I can announce that the President will sign the bill at the White House on Friday afternoon. We’ve spent a lot of time, of course, from the podium talking about the mechanics of how a bill becomes a law, and I know there’s lots of interest in what comes next.

So, once it’s passed, the bill text will be rechecked, printed, and signed by the appropriate leaders in the House and Senate. The House clerks will then deliver it to the White House for the President’s signature. We expect that delivery to happen sometime tomorrow, and then the President will sign it on Friday.

We, of course, are moving full speed ahead on the implementation of the bill because we know the American people need help, and need it as soon as possible.

We are also working on looking ahead to implementation. I wanted to make sure you all saw Secretary Yellen’s speech before the National League of Cities yesterday, promising to get aid out to state and local governments. Obviously, this is a key component of the package and one that will help keep cops, firefighters, local officials in their jobs.

And we are looking — they are looking for ways to maximize, of course, the impact of every dollar. That’s exactly what the President did when he served as the point person on the implementation of the Recovery Act in 2009, partnering with mayors, governors, and other officials to get help to them quickly and in a way that kept waste, fraud, and abuse to two tenths of 1 percent.

So he knows directly that the passage and signing of the bill is just the beginning, and he will — he plans to appoint somebody to run point on implementation. I don’t have any personnel announcements today, but that will certainly be part of our path, moving forward.

Also today, as you know, the President will join the CEOs of Johnson & Johnson and Merck to discuss their historic partnership that will produce more lifesaving vaccines for Americans and the world. President Biden will also announce that he is directing — he is planning to direct — he’s directing, I should say, Jeff Zients, our COVID Coordinator; and HHS — and the HHS team to procure an additional 100 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

He’s doing this because, in a wartime effort, which is what we consider this, we need maximum flexibility. We want to be oversupplied and over prepared. There’s also a chance that we’ll encounter an unexpected challenge on new need in our vaccination efforts, and we’re preparing for just that.

The President will also discuss the meeting today — the meeting he’s having today — during his remarks. And he’ll also address, of course, our — the passage of the Rescue Plan during those remarks as well.

Last item, I believe, here — lots going on here today. On March 18th through 19th, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Secretary of State Tony Blinken will meet with Director Yang Jiechi and State Councilor Wang Yi in Anchorage — of China, of course.

The meeting will follow the President’s convening of the Quad at the leader level, as well as his participation in the G7 leaders meeting just a few weeks ago; Secretary Blinken and Secretary Austin’s trip to Japan and Korea — two of our closest regional allies; and National Security Advisor Sullivan’s multiple engagements with Japanese, Korean, Australian, Canadian, and European counterparts, including our European Quad meeting next week.

It was important to us that this administration’s first meeting with Chinese officials be held on American soil and occur after we have met and consulted closely with partners and allies in both Asia and Europe. And as you know, a number of those conversations have happened at the presidential level and, of course, at the Secretary of State and National Security Advisor level as well.

The meeting is an opportunity to address a wide range of issues, including ones where we have deep disagreements. We intend to discuss our expectations, and will be frank in explaining Beijing’s actions and behavior challenge to the security, prosperity — and our concerns about challenges they pose to the security and values of the United States and our allies and partners.

We will also talk about areas where we can cooperate — of mutual interests. And we are coming to these discussions, of course, clear-eyed.

The meeting also provides an opportunity to emphasize how the United States will stand up for the rules-based international system and a free and open Indo-Pacific. As the President has said, we approach our relationship with the Chinese from a position of strength and in lockstep with our allies and partners.
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Psaki: immigration messaging, COVID-19 vaccine update 3/10/2021 https://t.co/SUZ5l0J2nY

— HYGO News (@HygoNews) March 11, 2021

With that, go ahead, Jonathon.

Question: Thank you so much. You said the President will be signing the bill on Friday. Can you walk us through what will happen next? The President himself has expressed regret that the 2009 recovery package was not sold well, as he put it. You yourself have acknowledged that other veterans of the Obama administration feel similarly. Can you explain to us what we’re going to see from the President, from surrogates? How is this message going to be delivered to the American people? How do you sell this bill?

Psaki: Sure. Well, the President, the Vice President, the First Lady, the Second Gentleman, a number of members of our Cabinet will be communicating directly with the American people, engaging directly with the American people, and all sending a clear message: Help is on the way.

Over the next few weeks, we are going to swiftly put in place implementation plans — I’ve touched on a little bit of that — and plans to get aid to the people in places that need it the most, as quickly as possible.

This is, of course, a continuation of the work we’ve done over the last two months to build support for the Rescue Plan — communicating directly with the American people; building support among mayors, governors, labor leaders, the business community, and other stakeholders.

We’ll be emphasizing a number of components that are in the package and really having a conversation — this is important to the President, personally — having a conversation directly with people about how they can benefit, addressing questions they have, even taking their feedback on implementation and how to make it clear.

And we’ve talked a little bit about in here — people have questions, like: Well, do I need to do anything to get my check? How do I benefit from the health benefits? What about — you know, what funding will go to my school? He wants to ensure that people have access to this information.

So he will be hitting the road. The Vice President will be hitting the road. The First Lady will be hitting the road. We will have people out communicating directly in communities, but we’ll also use a range of tools at our disposal, including engaging in — communicating through digital means, doing local interviews, and also utilizing a number of members of our Cabinet who have key roles in the implementation. I referenced Secretary Yellen, of course, and her role. Obviously, the IRS has some key roles here. But he will be tapping into the Cabinet to also play a role in communicating and engaging with the public.

Question: A follow on this, and then one other matter.

Psaki: Sure.

Question: On this: You know, the President obviously is addressing the nation tomorrow night in primetime. Is this part of it — the idea of what happens next because of the package — going to be part of that speech? Can you preview a little bit about what the message to the American people is going to be tomorrow night?

Psaki: I expect we’ll have more to say tomorrow about the speech. And I want to just give him a chance to go through the speech again and make sure I’m previewing it in a way that is consistent with where it will land.

But as I’ve talked about a little bit in here, this is — tomorrow marks the 50th day of the administration. It also marks one year since the country shut down. And the President believes it is important to take a look back of the journey the American people have been on, the sacrifices that have been made, the lives that have been lost, and also look ahead. And he will be talking more about how he will approach this war against the pandemic moving forward and lay out some more specifics of what the American people can expect.

Question: And last one: A U.N. report out today says the U.S. is among the countries lagging behind on climate-friendly projects in COVID economic recovery spending throughout the globe. When is this administration going to start moving forward on the $2 trillion climate change package that was such a big part of then-candidate Biden’s campaign?

Psaki: It’s only day 49, Jonathan.

Question: Well, the U.N. has offered criticism. I’m passing it along.

Psaki: We’re about to pass a historic — the most progressive bill in American history. It’s — it’s passing today.

Look, I would say that the President believes that — and he talked about this on the campaign trail. As you mentioned, it was certainly a promise of his that we can create — the United States and many other countries around the world — we’ll focus on here — can create good-paying union jobs that are also consistent with our objective of addressing the climate crisis. And certainly, that is central to how he’s thinking about his agenda, moving forward.

Those policy discussions are still ongoing, but I can assure you that he intends to deliver on the promises he made on the campaign trail and intends to deliver on the promises he made about creating good-paying union jobs that also are consistent with his goal of addressing the climate — crisis, I should say.

Go ahead.

Question: Hey, Jen. On the 100 million new doses, you said that the goal is to be oversupplied. What’s the goal for that oversupply? Is it to be held in reserve for kids? Is it to be donated to other countries? Is it to be held in reserve in case people need to get shots again next year? What’s the plan for that extra dosage?

Psaki: Well, first, the President’s focus every day when he wakes up is ensuring every American — we can ensure that every American has access to a vaccine and that we are vaccinating the people in this country.

But here are a couple of the factors that we’re — we’re — have weighed in on our decision to purchase an additional 100 million doses: We still don’t know which vaccine will be most effective on kids. We still don’t know the impact of variants or the need for booster shots, and these doses can be used for booster shots as well, as needed. Obviously, that’s still being studied by the FDA, but again, we want to be over prepared, as I noted earlier.

We also need maximum flexibility. So Johnson & Johnson — the vaccine has unique benefits: It’s a one-shot vaccine. It can be stored in the fridge and not a freezer. It’s highly effective, as the others are as well, against hospitalization and death.

But we’re really looking for maximum flexibility here, as we are still considering a couple of those cri- — pieces I mentioned: which is most effective with children, the effectiveness on addressing variants, and, of course, boosters, as I noted.

Question: And then, on the COVID relief bill, which is being voted on in the House right now, how quickly will school districts be able to access that money? And will they be able to implement it in time to make safety changes for this school year, which, in many parts of the country, is only going to last another three months?

Psaki: You’re absolutely right. And a fair amount of the funding is also — we expect will be likely used for forward planning. Right? So schools that need to plan for — “We need to hire temporary teachers right now, but we need to ensure we can keep them on the job in a year, in two years.” “We need to make facility upgrades.” It really depends, school to school.

In terms of the timeline for implementation, I know that’s something that our Department of Education is going to be looking at, and of course, the implementation team that will be focused on getting these dollars out the door. So we will certainly plan to give you an update as we have a better gui- — timeline on the calendar.

Question: And then finally, on another front, Des Moines Register journalist Andrea Sahouri is currently on trial over her coverage of a racial justice protest last summer. She’s been charged with failure to disperse and interference with official acts. Does the Biden administration believe that these charges should be dropped? And will the President or anyone in the administration urge Polk County, Iowa, prosecutors to drop the charges?

Psaki: I’m happy to discuss this with our team. I’m not as familiar with the case, but I will look into it, and we’ll get you back an answer.

Question: Thanks.

Psaki: Sure. Go ahead, Kaitlan.

Question: First off, has President Biden been briefed yet by his delegation that went to the border over the weekend? And does he now feel the need to go to the border, if he has been briefed by them?

Psaki: Sure. Well, I can confirm for you that the President did receive a briefing earlier today from members of his team that visited the border region this past weekend. I will note he receives regular briefings on immigration and the economy, on COVID, on a range of issues that the country and the administration is facing.

He heard from the delegation on what they observed during their visit to the border region and the facilities they toured. But they all — they spent the majority of their time discussing what steps can be taken to expedite processes to move more quickly — to move the process more quickly to meet the administration’s goal of getting these children placed with vetted and confirmed families — moving them quickly — as related to your question earlier — out of Border Patrol facilities and into the shelters, and then ultimately, into these homes.

I don’t have anything to preview for you in terms of a trip. Obviously, a delegation going to the border and visiting these facilities is something that can be done with a much smaller footprint than the President of the United States traveling, but I don’t have anything to preview in terms of a trip.

Question: And earlier, you said you’re going to — or the President is going to pick someone to, kind of, run the implementation of the coronavirus relief package. Does the White House anticipate that there could be delays in implementing that because it is such a big bill?

Psaki: No, I wouldn’t — I wouldn’t imply — or I was not trying to imply that; only that we know that this will not all be implemented in four days or a week or what have you. This will take some time, and we want to ensure that there is a person responsible and accountable to the implementation. That’s something the President felt worked when he was Vice President. And so it was an indication of that.

But there are a number of Cabinet members who will also play pivotal roles here. I referenced, of course, Secretary Yellen. Secretary Cardona will play a pivotal role, of course, in the reopening of schools. And so there are already officials within the administration, but this can be — it has been used in the past as a more of a coordinating mechanism.

Question: And how long do you think that implementation will take?

Psaki: I can’t give you really a timeline of that. Obviously, there are things — there are different components, as you well know — right? Getting the checks out the door — our Treasury team and our economic team are crunching the numbers on that. We hope to have an update for all of you soon on that.

Obviously, reopening schools, as Nancy was asking about, — it really is school district to school district, in terms of what their needs will be, which schools need funding, which districts need funding. There are things like unemployment insurance, which obviously is applied through different mechanisms.

So I — there are pieces of this that are just going to be implemented over time, some that can be done more rapidly and quickly, but obviously this is our focus and our priority in the days ahead.

Question: And my last question: On Johnson & Johnson, he is going to announce that they are trying to get another 100 million doses this afternoon. But the administration told governors yesterday, on their weekly call, that they should only expect to get 400,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine next week. That is far behind what the Johnson & Johnson contract with the federal government that they were supposed to have ready when it was authorized by the FDA. So is he going to confront the Johnson & Johnson executives he’s meeting with today about why they are so far behind on production?

Psaki: Well, as you know, Kaitlan, we — he invoked the Defense Production Act in part because he wanted to — and our team — Jeff Zients and others — have been working closely with Johnson & Johnson and Merck, of course, to expedite the production of vaccines to ensure that they can be available on the timeline they’ve committed to.

I will say that this 100 million that was announced — that’s being announced this afternoon — is more for the second half of this year and not for — it’s not — we’re not adding additional doses expected on that same timeline.

But I’m certain they will be discussing, of course, the need to ensure that the deadlines are met and that we have the vaccines and the doses needed to get them in the arms of the American people.

Go ahead, Andrea.

Question: So, on the vaccine: The head of the WTO and others are calling for greater efforts to be made by advanced economies, develop- — big countries and rich countries to get more vaccine into developing countries.

You just announced that you want to be over prepared here in the U.S. What is the United States doing to ensure that these vaccines get out to other countries? And do you favor a waiver of intellectual property protections under the WTO to ensure that that moves more quickly? Or, you know, what’s your perspective on a kind of a third way that would be just increasing licensing?

Psaki: Well, first, the President is deeply focused on the issue of expanding global vaccinations and manufacturing and delivery, which will all be critical to end the pandemic. But as we’ve also said, he’s first and foremost focused on ensuring Americans have access to vaccines as soon as possible in the — in this period of time. And we’ve obviously made a great deal of progress on that front. I don’t have anything more to preview for you in terms of what that will look like.

We first need to focus on — right now we’re still in a circumstance where there isn’t enough supply for the Amer- — for the number of Americans who want to get the vaccination, so that’s really our focus at this point in time. But certainly, it’s a point of discussion with his counterparts and with the counterparts of other members of our national security team.

Question: So you don’t want to say anything about the waiver?

Psaki: I don’t have anything more for you to predict.

Question: Okay. And then, on that question of vaccinating children, you mentioned that you’re not sure which vaccine will be most effective. Fauci has talked about getting high school students vaccinated by the fall and elementary school kids in the spring.

Psaki: Yeah.

Question: Do you have a sense of when every American could be vaccinated? I mean, you know, do — you know, we’ve — you’ve talked about having enough on hand for adults to be vaccinated by the summer or by the end of May, actually.

Psaki: Well, we will have enough supply. Right? But the President is the first to say that we can’t do this alone and that, certainly, a component of this that is vitally important is ensuring that people understand, across the country, that these vaccines are safe and they are effective. And we are still going to focus on combating the issues of misinformation and, of course, of vaccine hesitancy in a range of communities.

The FDA, as you know, would be the ones running point on approval of vaccines for children. I can’t really predict when children will be vaccinated, and we don’t know when the FDA may approve a vaccine. But our role is ensuring there’s enough supply and that there is enough distribution. We’ve made a great deal of progress on that. More work to be done. But I can’t make any predictions beyond that.

Go ahead.

Question: A couple things. First, President Biden, when he was Vice President, kind of, was the person who ran point on the 2009 recovery bill. Would you expect that Vice President Harris might take on a similar role? He has, you know, done a lot — put her in a very similar position to the one that he had with President Obama.

Psaki: Well, that’s true. I mean, the President has said that he wants the Vice President to be the first in the room and the last in the room when he has important briefings, when there are important policy decisions and discussions that are taking place, and that certainly is how he is operating — or they are operating as a team together.

In terms of what role she may play in the implementation, I don’t have anything to preview for you on that. She will certainly be traveling. She’s a key voice and asset for the administration, and she’ll be communicating about the impact of the — of the American Rescue Plan and how it’s going to help the American people over the course of the next few weeks.

Question: Ron Klain said last night that the President’s speech to a joint session of Congress won’t be for a few weeks. And he was, kind of, suggesting that there was going to be this time period where the administration is focused on, you know, promoting the bill that just passed. Can you kind of confirm that and provide any more information on, sort of, how you’re thinking about, the rest of March into April, you know, promoting this ARP versus moving on to the Build Back Better?

Psaki: Sure. I don’t have an exact breakdown of timeline, and I don’t think Ron was intending to give one either — only to convey, which is why I think you’re asking, that the President, the Vice President, and all of us in the administration believe it’s important to take a moment to — or a few moments, I should say — to communicate directly with the American people about the benefits of the package, to ensure they understand that help is on the way in a range of forms, and to do that in communities and directly with people who we are hoping understand the benefits of this package.

So, I expect that to mean a couple of trips for the President, the Vice President, and others, but I don’t have kind of an end date for that, and certainly part of the — part of the focus internally is on ongoing discussions about what is next and what components of the President’s Build Back Better agenda — what the order is, the format, the size. And those — just those decisions haven’t been finalized quite yet.

Question: And then, one other thing that you, kind of, hinted you might have an answer for yesterday, which is another thing related to Ron: the clearing — national clearinghouse for vaccine information. You know, we here in the Bloomberg seat are very interested to know your answer on that.

MS. PSAKI: I know you are very excited about the website, which many people are.

You know, I would say, you know, as you know, the website is being implemented as a — “VaccineFinder,” I should say — is being implemented as a pilot program. We’ve always been open to expanding the pilot program, and we’re certainly looking into that. We’re also looking into — and others have asked this question — how we can better assist state and local governments who have their own websites where they are utilized by ma- — members of the local community — and effective — but sometimes they have technical issues.

So we’re looking at addressing it from a couple of different directions, but every option remains on the table. We’re also considering setting up call centers, organizing navigators, help — to help individuals schedule appointments, which sometimes can be the issue.

So I don’t have a major update, other than to convey that it’s a pilot program. We’ve always been open to expanding it, and certainly a range of options remain on the table. And sometimes, in some states, their local website is working quite well, and they just need some technical assistance.

Go ahead.

Question: Thank you, Jen. You’ve been telling migrants — from right there, for a month now, all the way back to February 10th — that “now is not the time to come,” but they are coming in bigger numbers every day. So, do you have a messaging problem?

Question: But since the last administration is gone — tomorrow is 50 days of Biden — there are migrants showing up wearing T-shirts that say, “Biden, please let us in.” And candidate Biden is the one who said, “I would end this notion — for the first time in history — that people seeking asylum have to be in squalor on the other side of the river.” Why doesn’t he come out and just say, “Now is not the time”?

Psaki: Well, he actually did an interview with Univision about a week or — a week and a half ago, where he conveyed a similar message.

And we’ve conveyed that at every opportunity that we have. I will say, we are, as you noted, almost 50 days in. We are digging — digging ourselves out of a broken and dismantled system. Roberta — Ambassador Jacobson referenced this in her opening as well: When it comes to engaging with countries, addressing the root causes, we couldn’t start doing that until January 20th.

There are programs like the relaunching of the Central American Minors Program, which was ended by the prior administration in 2017, and that meant that — that that program, which would have allowed for people to apply from the region — we had to restart that program. So, we’re working to fix the mess of the last couple of years. It’s going to take some time, but this is clearly a priority for the President.

We’re looking at a range of options, which include the opening of additional facilities. It includes steps we can take to expedite the processing. It includes application and implementation of these CDC guidelines that were — just came out that allow for more children to be housed safely in these facilities. So we’re looking at every option possible to help address the challenges we’re facing at the border.

Question: And you mentioned those CDC guidelines. Does the White House think it’s a problem that when the CDC tells these migrant shelter facilities that they can be at full capacity if they are careful about COVID — many of them do — but when the CDC tells schools that they can open in person at full capacity many of them don’t?

Psaki: Is there a school in particular that you have as an example that didn’t do that?

Question: Are most schools in this country at full capacity with in-person learning?

Psaki: Are — is this a specific school though that is not following the CDC guidelines of implementing the mitigation steps so they can reopen?

Question: I mean the CDC is saying, “Schools, you can be at — every school can be at full capacity.” And as you know —

Psaki: The CDC guidelines —

Question: You guys were talking the other —

Psaki: The CDC guidelines — just to be clear, because I think is very important to be very clear and specific on —

Question: Yes, I have it here as well.

Psaki: They gave eight mitigation steps that schools can take to safely reopen. A number of schools have actually recently reopened. Schools in Washington, D.C. — some have. Schools in many districts across the country. But each school district needs to make the decision about whether they are able to take those mitigation steps.

The President has also been clear: Some of these school districts need additional funding. There’s $160 billion in this package that he’s going to sign into law later this week. The Secretary of Education will be quite focused on working with school districts to help them reopen. But more school districts are reopening; more kids are in classrooms every single day.

Question: But since they are not all back, from an administration position or from your perspective, have the Border Patrol unions and the HHS unions been easier to work with than the teachers unions?

Psaki: I think that’s a little bit of mixing different circumstances. I would say that —

Question: It’s — it’s children all in tight quarters. I mean, a classroom —

Psaki: I — (laughs).

Question: It’s not funny.

Psaki: Not quite. Not quite. I would say that — let’s — let’s take a responsible approach to the two issues. Okay? One is schools reopening. There’s been eight mitigation steps that have been announced by the CDC to implement. Right?

Question: Yeah.

Psaki: Every school district is going to work to implement those on a timeline that is — they can effectively do. Many school districts are reopening. Right? Many are reopening, every single week — and day and week, right?

That is a different circumstance than what we are seeing at the border. And HHS oversees the facilities — these facilities, right? They’re working with — they’re working on ensuring we can have more kids safely. They are working to implement CDC guidelines, but they are different circumstances.

And certainly we’re working with the school districts, and we’re also working with HHS to open these facil- — or to ensure that kids are treated with safety and care in these facilities.

Question: Thank you.

Psaki: Okay.

Go ahead.

Question: Thanks, Jen. Just a little bit more on the Quad. You mentioned yesterday that one of the issues that will be discussed is how leaders can work together to combat the pandemic. Might that discussion include a strategy to counter vaccine diplomacy from China and Russia?

Psaki: You know, I think there’ll be a range of topics discussed, and I know that it is a concern of a number of leaders around the world, including, of course, President Biden. And I’m sure we’ll have a readout of the Quad meeting tomorrow once it’s completed.

Question: Just a little bit more on the announcement, if you can preview it. Can we expect anything in terms of how the Quad — what kind of commitment they would give in terms of helping other countries to access vaccines?

Psaki: Again, I know they’ll discuss a range of issues tomorrow. But I think it’s important to just take a quick — a little bit of a step back because this is a meeting that covers a range of topics. Of course, I’m sure COVID, which is a pandemic everyone in the world is dealing with, will be a topic of discussion. But there’ll be issues like climate that are addressed. Economic cooperation. I’m sure they’ll have a range of issues to bring up, and we will provide a readout when the meeting concludes tomorrow.

Question: And just a little bit more on that — what about in terms of the military balance? I mean, we know that China just announced a huge defense spending — 6.8 percent, I believe, for this year. Is that also a top item in the agenda?

Psaki: I don’t think I have more to preview than what we’ve already offered. We will, of course, have a readout when the meeting concludes. There are a range of topics on the minds of all of these leaders. As I’ve noted in here before, we anticipate the meeting discussing a range of the crises we’re facing as a global community — from COVID, to climate, economic cooperation. I’m sure they all will bring up a number of issues, and we’ll have a robust readout when the meeting concludes.

Go ahead.

Question: A few questions, like everyone.

Psaki: Sure.

Question: So, in California, Republicans are seeking to nationalize the recall effort against Governor Gavin Newsom and really make it a referendum on COVID policies. You know, the other day, Bernie Sanders tweeted that it’s time for Democrats to unite and rally on Newsom’s behalf against the recall. Does the President have any plans to personally or otherwise support Newsom if this does make it on the ballot and, you know, becomes an off-year campaign?

Psaki: We’re not quite there yet. We’ve spoken out in support of Governor Newsom and against the recall, so that remains our position.

Question: All right. Also, in California, you know, we, at the San Francisco Chronicle, are finding that school districts are saying even with this influx of money coming from the package, there’s still lots of reasons they’re not sure if they can reopen even, you know, by this fall, including building consensus around how to do it.

There’s been some criticism that the CDC guidance is actually too conservative and prohibitive, including the six-feet distance rule that schools either have to ignore or not open. You know, if there are still schools that aren’t open by this fall, would the administration consider it a failure? And what more could they possibly do to help those schools along?

Psaki: We have several months before the fall — six months? Five months? Okay. I will stop doing math now. This — our Secretary of Education, Miguel Cardona — this is his number one priority — what he is focused on. The President has asked him to lead this effort, and he is holding a school summit. He will be working with school districts, including, I’m sure, in California and San Francisco and others, to work to address what they feel the challenges are to reopening — whether it’s funding that’s needed; whether it’s consensus-building that needs to happen.

The President wants schools to be open five days a week, wants kids to be learning in school, and we’re going to do everything we can to ensure that’s happening.

Question: And lastly, on the subject of today’s briefing: You know, immigration and border policy, it covers so many different agencies. There’s Homeland Security; there’s HHS, as we’ve discussed; there’s State Department. Department of Justice, which we don’t talk about as much, is a huge piece of this. Is there someone in this administration who is coordinating all of these disparate pieces? Ultimately, you know, where does the buck stop? Who is making sure that all these different agencies are coordinating to the administration’s overall goals?

Psaki: Well, ultimately, the President is responsible for the policy on key issues and key challenges the country is facing, and immigration is certainly one of them.

You’re right: There are a number of agencies involved in this effort, but I will say — I would say they’re all playing a pivotal role. The Department of Homeland Security. The — we don’t have a Health and Human Services Secretary confirmed yet; when he is, he will play a pivotal role. But a whole team at HHS, as you know.

So, this is being coordinated in part from our national security team, but, ultimately, it’s the President who makes decisions about the policy. That’s why he asked the team to go to the border and why he asked to receive a briefing. And that’s something, as I noted, that happened this morning.

Go ahead.

Question: Thanks. I have a follow-up on implementation of the relief package, and then the question on the Equal Rights Amendment.

Psaki: Okay.

Question: On the relief package implementation: Were there specific lessons that President Biden — when he was in charge of doing this in 2009 — that he learned about that effort that will be applied this effort, particularly in terms of efficiency and reducing waste and fraud — that kinds of things? But, in general, any specific lessons that he learned, other than it’s good to have one person in charge?

Psaki: Sure. It is structured very differently. As you remember, and I’m sure many people remember, the — a big chunk of the Recovery Act was around shovel-ready projects.

This is, of course, a very different type of bill. I think some of the lessons we’re already implementing, including having a point person in charge, and including ensuring there’s a sustained campaign that is not just about the President of the United States or the Vice President of the United States speaking about the benefits, but that really engages our partners and allies, whether it’s governors or mayors, local community leaders to ensure there is effective implementation and communication about the package.

He also wants to lift up — and this is something that’s been important to him in general but is very applicable to this package — members of his Cabinet so that they can be front-facing and play a very public role in engaging with the public in ensuring they understand the components and pieces of a package like this.

There are pieces in this package that, of course, are related to helping veterans. There are pieces of this package that really — relate to helping rural communities. And he wants to ensure that members of his Cabinet are playing key roles there. That’s something that, of course, was done a little bit in 2009, but can — can definitely be built on, and I think we will venture to do that.

Question: And then on the —

Psaki: Oh, go ahead.

Question: — Equal Rights Amendment: The House is expected to vote soon — I think next week — on eliminating the now-expired deadline for ratification. And, of course, Virginia, last year, became the 38th state to ratify. But, last year, the Justice Department issued a memo saying that you can’t do that, that if you — the only way to add this ERA to the Constitution is to start the ratification process over. My question is whether the administration is going to rescind that memo, as some Democrats have asked them to do.

Psaki: That’s an excellent question. I will have to talk to our team about that and get an update on it, which we’ll venture to do for you after the briefing.

Go ahead.

Question: Thanks, Jen. A couple questions on behalf of the print pool for reporters who couldn’t be here, and then one of my own. Jessie Hellmann with Modern Healthcare wanted to know: In — when President Biden is with the executives today from Johnson & Johnson and Merck, does he plan — does he plan to press them on the increasing costs of prescription drugs? And does he plan to bring up his own agenda to lower drug prices?

Psaki: The primary focus of this meeting is on working together — the two companies who have long been competitors working together to ensure the efficient and effective manufacturing of vaccines.

Question: Okay. And Tommy Christopher from Mediaite had a question on the filibuster — said that President Biden expressed some openness to filibuster reform during the campaign. I know you said, more recently, that it’s not his preference to change the rules. But he wants to know if the John Lewis Voting Rights Act represents a red line? If Republicans do not support that — if that does not move forward in the Senate, is that a red line that would prompt him to consider a filibuster reform ?

Psaki: Well, the President’s preference is not to make changes to the filibuster rules. He believes that voting rights and access to voting — ensuring it’s easier for the American people — is enough of a huge priority and should be for everyone. That’s why he’s signed some executive orders, used the power of the presidency to do that this weekend. And he is hopeful that Democrats and Republicans then can work together to get that done.

Question: And then one last question on the overall agenda. You were saying earlier, you know, when you look at Build Back Better, you were sort of thinking through, kind of, what’s next. But broadly speaking, is infrastructure the next big legislative priority on Capitol Hill for this administration?

There’s also pressure for an immigration bill to go through. What’s next for you guys? What is the next big priority after the bill that you’re hoping to sign — the President is hoping to sign on Friday?

Psaki: It’s a very popular question, understandably, but our focus is on getting the American Rescue Plan implemented. We will have more to say — the President will have more to say on his Build Back Better agenda and what the components of that look like — what the size, the proposals, the order of events will be. But I don’t have anything to preview for you.

Question: But does that come before an immigration bill on Capitol Hill or —

Psaki: Well, I don’t have a legislative order to preview for you either. I will say, given all of the conversations we’re having, understandably, about the border and questions about the border: In the President’s proposed immigration package, he has a — funding for — to address the root causes in the region, as we talked about a little bit earlier. He has a pathway to citizenship — or he proposes a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. And he also proposes an investment in smart security.

So, given all of the concern by many in Congress about immigration and what’s happening at the border, it sure seems like a good time to move that initiative forward.

Go ahead, in the back.

Question: Thank you, Jen. I understand you don’t want to call it a “crisis” from the podium, but what do you say to Border Patrol agents at the border, especially those within the union, who are calling it a crisis and who are saying that they’re overworked and there’s just too many encounters day in and day out?

Psaki: We are saying that we recognize that on — incumbent upon us and this administration is cont- — to continue to work day and night to expedite the process of ensuring there are the resources and processes in place to move children from the Border Patrol facilities to the shelters.

We are saying that it is incumbent upon our administration to look for additional facilities that can safely house children, and incumbent upon us to ensure that we are communicating effectively and efficiently to the region, as Ambassador Jacobson talked about at the top of this briefing. And those are all focuses of the President on down, you know, every single day.

Question: The Mexican government, today, reports that over 4,000 unaccompanied minors were actually deported back to Mexico between January and March. Can you confirm that those were done under the previous administration? Were any of those unaccompanied minors deported under the Biden administration?

Psaki: I know that CBP provides numbers and data on a regular basis, and I think there’s more data coming soon from there, so I would certainly send you to them for any statistics and data. Our policy is that we don’t turn children, under 18, away at the border.

And, of course, as you know, though, even if — when they are in homes of family members or in sponsored homes that they still can go through processing and may need to return home.

Question: And on the stimulus package, if I may one last question. I know — I think this came up yesterday, but I wanted to re-ask the question. Now that the stimulus package is passed and many undocumented immigrants, who are not benefited in any way by the money that’s going out, does the President plan any executive action or anything else to do — to help that population?

Psaki: Sorry, I missed part of the last sentence. I —

Question: Sure. Now that the stimulus package has passed —

Psaki: Yeah.

Question: — and the undocumented population, many of the millions are not benefited in any way, does the President plan any executive actions or anything else to help that population?

Psaki: Well, certainly, I think the President’s priority, given he proposed an immigration bill on the first day, is to create a pathway to citizenship for 11 million undocumented immigrants, of course, in this country.

He’s also been clear that ensuring that everybody in this country is vaccinated and receives access to the COVID — COVID-19 vaccine is a key priority.

And, of course, this is just the beginning of his agenda, but I don’t have anything more to preview for you.

Go ahead.

Question: Thank you, Jen. Given the current progress on vaccination around the world, would the President consider organizing his climate summit in person in D.C. here for it to have more impact?

Psaki: I don’t think we have any — I think, at this point, the intention is to do it remotely, I believe. And I don’t think there’s an intention to change that, but I’m happy to check on that for you.

Question: And do you know roughly how many heads of state are expected to participate, and if the Chinese President would be one of them?

Psaki: I don’t have any more details on the summit. I know it’s coming up in about six weeks — five weeks?

Question: Sure.

Psaki: And I expect, as we get closer, we’ll have more to preview.

Go ahead, in the back.

Question: Hi. Yeah. Just to follow up on the filibuster.

Psaki: Sure.

Question: So you’ve said many times that President Biden’s preference is not to change the rules around filibuster. But if the next big pieces of his agenda are stymied in the Senate, are there changes to the filibuster that he can live with, such as the talking filibuster?

Psaki: Well, the President believes that there are a range of issues where there’s historic — there’s historic precedent of Democrats and Republicans working together, whether it’s infrastructure, as we’ve been talking about, or modernizing the immigration system. He’s obviously had a number of bipartisan meetings in the Oval Office. So that’s where his energy and focus will be moving forward.

Go ahead, in the back.

Question: Thank you. A Saudi court just upheld a travel ban concerning a dissident — a woman — released from prison weeks ago. Is it a sign that the White House message regarding the human rights abuses in the Kingdom is not strong enough?

Psaki: You were referring to a human rights — somebody — a human rights activist who was released from prison?

Question: Who was released, but was not able to travel outside of the Kingdom.

Psaki: I would have to look into more specific details of that. I know we were pleased with the release, but I’d have to look into more specific details of the travel restrictions.

Go ahead.

Question: Do you have any sort of ETA for when the next Cabinet Secretaries will be approved and when you’re going to start nominating ambassadors?

Psaki: Go ask our friends in the Senate. (Laughter.)

We expect that some will move forward with — and we are hopeful, I should say, that we will get a couple of additional Cabinet members confirmed in the coming days, or over the course of the next week. The President is looking forward to that — or certainly looking forward to, at some point, having a full Cabinet meeting.

The President hasn’t made any decisions about ambassadorial nominees. So I don’t expect them to be confirmed anytime soon, given we have to nominate them first.

Question: Are you talking about Becerra and Katherine Tai?

Psaki: Well, again, it’s really up to the Senate on the timeline for that, but we are hopeful that they move forward with the remaining members of the Cabinet, given we are almost two months into an administration.

Question: Thank you, Jen.

Question: Um, just a follow-up —

Psaki: We have another — last one.

Question: Just to follow — just to follow up on something that Ambassador Jacobson said.

Psaki: Sure.

Question: And I think you may have gotten a note about this, that she — the first time she said the — that the border is not closed, and she then — this is when she was speaking in Spanish. And then, you know, later on spoke in Spanish again and said the border is closed.

I mean, it seems like she, I guess, misspoke the first time, considering your overall message, but are you concerned that now that she has misspoken, that that is going to be, you know, picked up and disseminated across the Spanish-speaking world as the message from the administration?

Psaki: Well, given she also said that the border is closed, we’re hopeful that that is what will be picked up, and that has clearly and consistently been our message. So that is certainly our hope.

Question: But still, at the time that you’re have a messaging difficulty around this issue, does that just make it a little bit harder?

Psaki: We certainly hope not. We have the power of the media here to make sure you’re communicating effectively what the message is. And, as we know, we all have moments where we — where we say something slightly differently than we would like to, and we quickly try to correct it to make it easier and effective for all of you who are just trying to communicate what the administration’s, you know, goals and policies are.

Question: Okay. Thank you, Jen.

Psaki: Thanks, everyone.

2:22 P.M. EST