James S. Brady Press Briefing Room
1:17 P.M. EDT
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Good afternoon, everybody.
Q Good afternoon.
Q (Inaudible.)
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: (Laughs.) So we're going to go until 1:45 — the in-town pool has to gather at that time — and then I'll go for another 15 minutes, until 2:00, and then we're going to hear the President speak at two o'clock. So hopefully that's a good amount of time. And then we'll be back tomorrow and the next day.
Okay, so we have seen a lot of momentum in the last 24 hours in our fight to restore Roe. Americans in Kansas turned out to challenge views that would move the country backwards, with fewer rights and politicians invading our most personal decisions. And they won.
In the wake of Dobbs, the President predicted people would turn out in record numbers to reclaim rights stolen from them, and they did. The ballot measure proposed by extreme, out-of-step Republican officials would have eviscerated fundamental rights and access to healthcare.
Republican officials have been very clear they are pushing extreme laws banning a woman's right to choose, many of which don't allow exceptions even for rape or incest. And they are calling on a national ban on abortion.
As I mentioned yesterday, the DOJ also brought a suit against Idaho, where a near-total abortion ban is threatening women's lives. Federal law makes clear doctors must provide emergency care, including abortion services, to women facing health and life-threatening conditions. But under Idaho's law, women with medical conditions like ectopic pregnancies or hemorrhages can be denied the emergency care they need.
And today, President Biden will sign an executive order at the first meeting of the interagency taskforce that builds on the actions we've already taken to protect access to safe abortions, contraception, and the ability to travel.
Today, the President is directing the Secretary of Health and Human Services to work with states, including through Medicaid, to help women who need to travel out of state for reproductive healthcare, ensuring there's no discrimination when obtaining medical care and promoting research and data collection on maternal health outcomes.
There have been big steps forward in the fight to protect our rights, but it's not the end of the fight. What's at stake here is a choice between a national abortion ban, as Republicans have already called for, and more radical attacks on fundamental rights versus standing up for the rights Americans have been entitled to for almost 50 years.
We're now seeing 50 days into what remains the fastest decline in gas prices in over a decade. Gas prices are now down 86 cents a gallon from their June peak, saving American families with two cars on average over $90 a month on gas.
And drivers can now find gas for the — for the — for less than $3.99 — $3.99 a gallon at more than half of all gas stations across the country.
Prices are coming down even as Putin's war continues to put pressure on global energy supplies. President Biden promised he would address Putin's price hike at the pump, and he is. He is releasing 1 million barrels of oil a day from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. He is re- — rely- — railing [sic] international partners — rallying, I should say, international partners to release an unprecedented amount of oil.
More work remains, but prices are going down, and the President will continue to call on domestic and international oil producers to increase output so they can continue to come down.
Finally, lastly, today former Treasury Secretaries from both the Democratic and Republican administrations just became the la- — the latest in a wide range of economic experts to endorse the Inflation Reduction Act.
These high-level officials from both parties reaffirmed that this package will cut many families' biggest cost and act against inflation. They also became the latest in a long list of experts, as I shared with you recently, who have debunked congressional Republicans' lies meant to protect tax welfare for wealthy special interests at any cost, even prolong inflation.
Larry Summers, Tim Geithner, Jack Lew, Hank Paulson, and Ro- — and Bob Rubin joined over 120 leading economists, including Nobel Prize winners, CBO directors, who have analyzed the Inflation Reduction Act and agree it will lower costs, reduce inflation, address a range of critical and longstanding economic challenges.
There are also three new polls out today from Morning Consult, Politico, Yahoo! News, YouGov, and Navigator Research that underscore the American public's overwhelming support for the major components of the bill, including lowering cost of prescription drugs, requiring large corporations and the wealthiest Americans to pay their fair share, and lowering health insurance premiums.
Americans are weighing in with resounding support for the Inflation Reduction Act, and that's in contrast to Republican members of Congress who want to block this legislation to protect tax welfare for the wealthy and corporations.
Not only that, but while congressional Democrats want to lower your prescription drug and healthcare costs, Republicans want to put Medicare and Social Security on the chopping block every year.
Like Ron Johnson repeated yesterday, the choice is clear. And we urge Congress to move forward with this package as soon as possible.
Josh, the floor is yours.
Q Wonderful. Thanks, Karine. Two questions on two subjects. First, OPEC today. OPEC+ is boosting oil production by a much slower pace in September than in previous months — at about 100,000 barrels a day. After President Biden's visit to Saudi Arabia, was this the potentially substantial increase that the administration was looking for?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, I'll say this: You know, the President has been very clear, Josh, that oil supply must meet oil demand. And the fact of the matter is — and I just laid this out in the top — which is, seven weeks ago, the price of barrel of oil was about $120, and now it's at around $95. Gas prices went from more than $5 to under $4 for a majority of the country. We've seen the fastest decline, as I just laid out, in gas prices in over a decade. And that's 50 days straight — 50 days straight of decline.
So what we're focused on is keeping those prices down. We wanted to see some increases in the production before we announced the trip. And we actually saw that in that first week of June when OPEC+ announced that it was going to increase their production by 50 percent in July and August. So we saw that happen.
But what we're focused on is: The bottom line for us is that reducing the price of oil in the market is the most important thing. And that's what we're seeing, and that's what we're going to continue to work on.
Q Secondly, a bipartisan group of senators — including Kaine, Sinema, Collins, and Murkowski — introduced a bill this week that would bar states from enacting pre-viability abortion bans, but they would allow some restrictions on abortions for pregnancies after viability. Does President Biden consider that a satisfactory standard?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So we'll say this — I know that that was introduced: The President has been very clear on this, is that the only way to secure a woman's right to choose is for Congress to take action, is to restore protections of Roe as federal law. That is how we're going to do this in a blanket way so that women's rights for reproductive health is really protected.
He stands ready to work with Congress to pass a bill that does exactly that.
And it's not just him — it's a majority of the American people believe this. They be- — they believe that a woman's right to choose should be — should be their right.
So, again, we're going to continue to work with Congress. I don't have anything specific to say about that particular legislation. But we have been very clear Congress needs to act in order to codify Roe.
Q Thanks, Karine. A couple questions about Taiwan. First off, has the President spoken to Speaker Pelosi since she left Taiwan?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, as you know, she — she's traveling, I believe, to Japan and South Korea. I can't remember which one is first. So she's on her travels. I don't have a call to read out to you at this time. But they have a relationship. They talk pretty regularly. I don't have anything, again, to — specifically to read out at this time.
Q The G7 just expressed concerns about China's threatening behavior in the Taiwan Strait. Those were their words. Does this letter come with any consequences if China continues that behavior?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So let me just reiterate what we have been saying from the podium for many days now. You also heard this directly from our National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, who was on many of your networks yesterday saying that the Speaker has the right to make a decision on where she chooses to travel. We provide the assistance and the — kind of, the geopolitical briefing and, kind of, what — what we believe the national security reasons are for — or lay that out for her as she makes the decision.
She is — we do not decide where she goes. She makes that decision. As you know, the President was a senator for 36 years. He understands that particular fact. So that's number one.
It is — it is — does not change at all our lan- — longstanding policy, U.S policy, the — that we have had. We have made that very clear. The trip does not change that.
There is a precedent for a Speaker — we've talked about this in here — to travel to Taiwan. And so, none of that changes.
And so, you know, there's no reason for Beijing to turn this visit, you know, which is consistent with our policy, into some sort of crisis or to use it as a pretext to increase aggressive military activity in or around the Taiwan Strait, as you just asked, Nancy.
But again, it doesn't change anything. The President spoke to President Xi just last week. They had — that was their fifth conversation. They continue to have an open dialogue. That's what we have been wanting with China.
Again, there is no reason to see any change. It continues to be consistent.
Q But the G7, of which the U.S. is a member, is warning China not to continue this behavior. What is the consequence for China if it does continue this behavior?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, again, we're — we said — many days ago, we said that we — we knew this was going to happen. We knew China was going to behave in this way.
Again, it doesn't change our policy. We are going to monitor, and — and we will manage what Beijing chooses to do.
Q Thanks, Karine. On the EO that the President is going to sign — so we're now some six weeks out from the Supreme Court ruling on abortion. And this EO seems to be directing the Health and Human Services Department to consider a number of actions.
So, where's the urgency right now for women who need help? And when will the help actually kick in? What is the timeline?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, the exact — when the President normally does an executive order, it's always "to consider." That's always the wording and the language that's — that's in an EO. So, that is nothing new; you'll see that in any executive order that he signs. So, it is in line with that.
Look, I mean, just to, you know — it's really important what this is going to do. It's going to help, in particular, low-income women. Right? If you think about it, it paves the way for Medicaid to pay for abortions for women having to travel out of state.
Secretary Becerra will invite states to apply for Medicaid waivers to allow them to provide reproductive healthcare to women who live in states where abortions are banned — those he judged to be the strongest and most effective on both legal and policy grounds. That's what the President is doing. He's reviewing the options that he has.
And — and so — and also the thing to note here — and we have said this: This is in consultation with groups, this is in consultation with legal experts, when we make these announcements. And the President has been very clear he is going to continue to do whatever he can to make sure that a woman's right to choose continues to be protected the way — the best way that he can from the federal government.
But again, the way we do this, the way to make sure that it is federal law is Congress needs to act, and Americans need to make sure that their voices are heard.
Q But what is the timeline — specific timeline — on this EO? For women who need, want to have an abortion soon, will this help them get one? Are we talking about days? Are we talking about weeks? Are we talking about six months?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, that's a great question. We don't have the details to share today. But HHS will soon have more on what a waiver could look like in the timeline as you're asking me and — which would generally target, again, low-income women served by Medicaid and help cover certain costs.
So HHS — as you know, the President is going to sign the executive order. It says "to consider." Secretary Becerra will then work with his team to figure out the details and the timeline.
Q And one more question on this. How will you be able to pay to help women pay to cross a state line to get somewhere else where they need to go, given the restrictions of the Hyde Amendment?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, that is something that HHS will come up with the details on that and —
Q Have they — but you're about to sign an EO. Have they not figured that out?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Well, we're going to leave it to HHS to come up with the details on the specifics on how they're going to work with states — if a state asks for a waiver — and what that's going to look like.
So, this is going to be in their purview. They're going to come up with the specifics — again, with the details on how this is going to work.
But again, this is what the President is doing to — he's looking at everything that's available to him on the table — whatever is legally possible, what he can use, his executive authority — to move forward on, and that's what he's doing.
Go ahead.
Q Thank you. Quick question again on oil. You know, 100,000 barrels a day — it's enough to basically cover, I think, 86 seconds of global oil demand in a day. And it's essentially a rounding error when analysts say that the Kingdom could increase production by at least five times as much.
You know, is the White House happy with that amount? And again, does Biden feel like he got what he wanted out of the visit to Saudi Arabia?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, again, the way we look at this is that if you — I laid out the gas prices and how that's gone down. We went from 120 — (looks to television screen) —
Oh —
Q It's gone now.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: It's gone now.
Q But I remember.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: All right. A hundred twenty —
Q There it is.
(Chart on television screen reappears.)
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: There we go.
Q You just missed it.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So this is the prices at the — at the pump: 86 cents. But if you look at the barrels of — the barrels — it went from $120 to $95. That's — that's a significant, I think, movement that we have seen.
And — and again, you know, we're not members of the OPEC+. We have said that. We do not — we do not belong to OPEC+. But they made an announcement the first week of June, and they said they would increase 50 percent in July, in August. And that's the — they did that. This is one month, if you think about it — this is a one-month increase. But the President is going to continue to do the work.
Look, if you think about his trip, to your second question, to the Middle East, it was important to go. I mean, think about the announcement that we made about the Yemen truce. That's a war that started eight years ago — eight years ago. And by having that truce, which is going on six months, we're saving thousands of lives. And so that matters as well.
So we think that the trip was certainly worth it. It also allowed Israel to be — to come back to be included, to be more so included in the Middle East region, which is also very important.
And so, look, when it comes to gas prices and oil production and meeting supply, we're going to continue to work on that. But you've seen the President take those steps — when you think about the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, when you think about how he was able to rally our allies to do 240 million.
So, that is — we see that as incredibly important as we're doing work on the — for the President.
Q Thank you. And just quickly, Saudi Aramco also signed MOUs today with China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation to collaborate more and with Sinopec to create a new manufacturing hub in Saudi Arabia. Is there concern in the administration that Saudi Arabia is sort of loosening its energy ties with the U.S. and getting closer to China?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So that particular report, I would have to go back to the team and get back to you. I have not — I have not seen that reporting.
Q Okay. Just had a follow-up on the executive order. Since the President is directing the Secretary of HHS to consider actions on helping patients who need to travel out of state to get certain healthcare services, what are some examples of potential actions? And were there specific examples that the White House presented to HHS to consider? The factsheet didn't list any examples.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: You know, that's a — that's a good question. What I — I can give you a little bit of the waiver details. I don't have examples. Hopefully, this helps. And, you know, you tell me, MJ, and we're always happy to — you know, happy to talk to you afterwards.
So, as you know, Medicaid provides comprehensive healthcare to women with — with low incomes. This care includes family planning services, such as contraception; nonemergency medical transportation; and support services like targeted case management, which allows healthcare providers to help patients coordinate their care; and it also includes abortion care in certain circumstances, as — as excepted by the Hyde Amendment, which is rape, incest, and life of anoth- — of the mother.
Today's announcements and the President's directive to Secretary Becerra is to leverage Medicaid to support patient care for those living in states with abortion bans. This process will be driven, again, by HHS, so they will have more to share on the medic- — on the Medicaid — on what the Medicaid opportunity is, including through Medicaid waivers — are available to states interested in supporting patient care for those who live out of state.
But generally speaking, though, these opportunities will target low-income women served by Medicaid. Because we were asked that question — how we were going to help women who couldn't afford abortion — so, this is — this answers this question: having the waivers. And it will cover — will cover care that is otherwise part of Medicaid's comprehensive benefit program, which include travel under Medicaid's nonemergency medical transportation benefit.
They will have more of the details, but that's kind of the laydown that I can give you at this time.
Q And just in terms of the timing of this executive order: Obviously, the idea of helping patients who need to travel out of state — states — out of whatever state they're living in now to get abortion services, other healthcare services — I think that's an idea that you all have been, obviously, talking about since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
I guess, why is this executive order coming out now and directing HHS to consider more actions? Presumably, they would have thinking about this already, right?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Well, you know, as you know, the last executive order that we signed — the President signed was to create a task force. And that task force — one of the reasons it was created is so that it could be — streamline our efforts here and our efforts across the agencies to come up with ideas of how to move forward and how to move — the best way to really deal with — deal with this crisis that's in front of us.
And so — and also, the — I think — so, that's one part, right? The task force came together, they're — they are putting forth ideas and ways to move forward.
I think the other thing to think about is: You know, the President has executive authority, but he also has to make sure he talks to the legal experts, right? He has to make sure that the ideas that we have or come up with can be done. And so that's also a big part of it, too.
This is still — you know, this is a government. And so there are ways — there — there's steps and processes that we have to take in order to take actions as big as — as big as these. And so that's something, as well, to take note.
But look, there has been an urgency from this President from day one when — when the Supreme Court made this extreme decision to take away a constitutional right. It was an unconstitu- — unconstitutional action by them — a right that was around for almost 50 years, a right that women had to make a decision on their bodies and how they want to start their families.
And so the President has been very clear that he's going to do everything that he can. It doesn't stop with this. But we also understand that, you know, it's — he can't only be the only person working on this, right? That's why we continue to ask Congress to take action.
Q Am I doing the math right that the 30-day report that the President asked Secretary Becerra for, that would be on Sunday, I think?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I have not done the math, so I — I trust you on that. I would — I don't have anything new on the 30-day report.
Q Will it be made public?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: We're not — we're not here yet. I would have to get back to you on that.
Q Can I change the subject, please?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead.
I'll come to the back.
Q Thank you.
Q Just to follow up on MJ's questions on this new executive order: The President had previously said that he wanted the Justice Department and HHS to explore ways that they could protect interstate travel. How is this different or at all new from what he said weeks ago?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I think laying out how to do that by — by offering this Medicaid waiver is a big deal. I mean, this is a big deal for women who can't afford to have abortion. This is a big deal for women who are trying to figure out how are they going to pay for their healthcare. This is a big, big deal for them.
And so, we were asked — I remember one of the last times I was in front — in front of you talking about this particular issue, I was asked, "Okay, well, what are you guys going to do for women who can't afford?" This answers that — begins to answer that.
So we think this is a important step; it's not the only step. But again, the President has been very clear about how do we get to Roe becoming federal law. It's: Americans have to make sure that their voices are heard. That's why we — I laid out or talked about what Kansas did last night.
Q And will there be more details, for example, for women who are looking to utilize these services? How do they access, as you outlined, some of the things — transportation, those health services in other states? How is that going to work?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: No, all good questions. HHS will — will be clearly leading this effort and will have more details to share.
Q And then just one more quick one here. Has the President had any conversations with Senator Sinema as the Senate continues to negotiate over the Inflation Reduction Act, or any conversations that the White House is having with senators as they try to push this over the finish line?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: We're not going to negotiate from here, as we say many times, or in public — just in general — and not going to speak to any other congressional members' conversations or what's happening in that — in that — that was related to that.
Q Hi, Karine. Yeah, a different subject. A couple questions. There's text messages reported today from January 6th from top Pentagon and Army officials deemed key witnesses in the Capitol attack that were deleted after their phones were wiped. Is there any concern from this administration about confidence in the DOD or the Army because of that?
