Aboard Air Force One
En Route Montgomery, Alabama
12:52 P.M. EDT
MS. PSAKI: Okay, given I already did an extensive rundown yesterday of what we will be doing here in Troy, why don't we just get to your questions?
Q So, the President spoke pretty passionately on the tarmac about the Alito draft being an affront to basic rights. But he also said he was not ready to commit to ending the filibuster to codify Roe. Why?
And is there a disconnect here between the passion and what needs — what he believes needs to be done?
MS. PSAKI: Well, first, let me say the President's position is that we need to codify Roe, and that is what he has long called on Congress to act on.
What is also true is that there has been a vote on the Women's Health Protection Act which would do exactly that, and there were not even enough votes, even if there was no filibuster, to get that done.
So, I would note, in his written statement that we released this morning — I'm just going to reiterate what he said in this statement. He said, "…if the Court does overturn Roe, it will fall on our nation's elected officials at all levels of government to protect a woman's right to choose" — to do exactly that. "It will fall on voters to elect pro-choice officials this November. At the federal level, we will need more pro-choice senators and a pro-choice majority in the House to adopt legislation." And that was speaking to exactly where we are with the votes.
I would note that while we've been in the air, Leader Schumer noted that he had plans to bring this up for a vote.
Q Are you surprised that this leaked out? What do you think about the leak itself?
MS. PSAKI: Look, I think this is — because it is unprecedented — or almost unprecedented, depending on what historian you speak to — there's no question that that raises eyebrows for many in the country, including those of us in the White House.
But what our focus is on right now, beyond the leak, is — is how we're going to protect a woman's right to make choices about her healthcare with her doctor — a right that is supported by the vast majority of the American public.
And some call it a political issue. It is not. It is supported by the majority of the American public.
Q But when you look at the solutions that you put forward in that statement or the actions that the White House was considering taking, a lot of those take time. So, what is the White House's message to women around the country who are waking up today and realizing their daughters and their — you know, younger women in this country may have less constitutional rights than they had in their lifetime?
MS. PSAKI: Let me say first: This law has not changed. We know that it was — the Supreme Court has said the draft itself was legitimate, but they did not say this was the final conclusion. So, women waking up today — their daughters still have the same rights they had yesterday.
But I will note, though, that we have already seen, in a number of states, actions taken that severely limit women's fundamental rights across the country — a right that has been law for 50 years.
And what we have done already to date is take steps through our Gender Policy Council to provide and expand access wherever we can with our capacity.
So, for example, we created the Dire Need Grant awards, which provide funding to expand access to emergency contraception and family planning services, and recently announced $6.6 million in awards made to aid grantees around the country.
In addition to immediate legal action by the Department of Justice against Texas, the Attorney General released a statement in response to SB 8 that reaffirmed the Department of Justice's commitment to using existing federal law to protect the safety of patients seeking access to reproductive health services, including abortion, pursuant to their criminal and civil enforcement of the FACE Act.
That's important for anybody waking up today and confused about what their rights are. They have rights. This has not changed.
Finally, the Department of Health and Human Services has announced a three-pronged, department-wide response to protect patients and providers in response to the Texas law SB 8.
What I would note and the President also said in his statement this morning is that he's directed his Gender Policy Council and the White House Counsel's Office to prepare options for an administration response to the continued and obviously more expansive attack on abortion and reproductive rights.
Q So, since then — since the Texas law banned most abortions and the White House said that there was going to be a whole-of-government response to that — so, mostly, it's just the things that you just read. Are there any other actions that the administration did take?
MS. PSAKI: Those were some of the steps that have been announced. But what I would note is that we will continue — and he direc- — he has directed the Gender Policy Council and the Counsel's Office to prepare and to be prepared to respond.
There are things that we know because states have said them, so I would note that if Roe fails, abortion would probably be illegal in about half the states. Up to 26 states — particularly in the South, Midwest, and West — are poised to further restrict or ban access depending on the Court's decision. And that's beca- — and partly because 13 states have trigger laws, which means that they would immediately trigger banning abortion.
As a result of that, tens of millions of women may lack access to reproductive healthcare services. Abortion bans and restrictions will also dramatically reduce access to reproductive care, particularly for women with low income, women of color, and women in rural communities.
We know through the data that we've already looked at that 75 percent of those seeking abortion are living at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level. And the majority of patients seeking abortions identify as Black, Hispanic, and AAPI.
So, it's important for everybody to understand that the people who would be impacted the most are lower income, are people who would have to take off work, are people who would have to find a way to travel, people who would have to find a way to get childcare.
I would also note that 60 percent of people who seek an abortion are moms already.
Q So, is the White House starting to put together a plan just in case the Supreme Court does overturn Roe —
MS. PSAKI: That is exactly what the President said in his statement.
