Press Gaggle by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas En Route Greenville, SC
1:16 P.M. EDT
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Okay. I just have a couple things at the top, and then I’ll turn it over.
So, we’re headed to South Carolina and North Carolina, where the president will meet with state and local leaders and personally survey the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene.
In South Carolina, the president will engage with first responders and state and local officials.
In North Carolina, he will take an aerial tour of areas in western North Carolina that were impacted by the storm.
Today, the president announced that he is directing the Department of Defense to deploy up to 1,000 active-duty soldiers to support the delivery of food to communities impacted by the storm.
And I can announce that tomorrow, the president will visit impacted communities in Florida and Georgia.
In North Carolina and South Carolina and across the affected areas, the Biden-Harris administration has remained focused on using every tool available to help people and their communities begin their road to recovery and rebuilding.
In fact, President Biden recently approved an additional major disaster declaration for Virginia, unlocking more resources to provide survivors with direct disaster assistance.
To date, more than $10 million has been provided directly to those affected by Hurricane Helene.
As the president said yesterday, we will be there until the work is done.
And now I’m going to turn it over to the Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas, who is going to speak to the federal response — update on federal response.
SECRETARY MAYORKAS: Good afternoon.
So, the — the president has expressed his need as a commander in chief to see firsthand the impacts on the ground.
This is not the first trip that I’ve taken with the president for that purpose. We were in Mayfield, Kentucky, together. He has said there is no substitute for interacting with the individuals, with the victims of these extreme weather events, and that is why he’s taking this trip.
He has directed me and every member of the Cabinet to devote the full force of our personnel and our resources to the assistance of the victims of Hurricane Helene, which is really of historic strength.
I can provide you with some data, if you would find — find that helpful. Unfortunately, I forgot my glasses. But I will say that — remember something about the data: It changes every hour because we are continuing to pour resources in every hour. But what the data will do is give you a — a good understanding of the magnitude of the federal response. It’s really quite breathtaking.
So, more than 4,800 personnel from across the federal workforce are deployed, more than 1,000 of whom are from FEMA. We have shipped over 8.8 million meals, more than 7.4 million — million liters of water, 150 generators, and more than 225,000 tarps to the region.
As of today, search and rescue teams have conducted nearly 1,500 structural evaluations and hundreds of rescues and evacuations. And additionally, of course, federal search and rescue teams are deployed.
The — the status of the federal response is dependent on the conditions on the ground. So, in certain areas that are remote, mountainous, and that have been hit hard, we’re still in search and rescue. In others, we are already in response and recovery mode. It varies according to the — the demographics of the — and topography.
Voluntary organizations, World Central Kitchen is deployed — are supporting mass feeding operations with bulk food and water deliveries coming via truck and aircraft delivery. Some of these areas are remote. We are doing airdrops and the like. We’re getting assistance from the Department of Defense and other resources. The Salvation Army is deployed. The National Guard is deployed. I think — I think it’s almost 6,000 members of the National Guard are deployed across the six states. And our FEMA administrator, Deanne Criswell, is on the ground.
I think that gives you a good sense of the magnitude of the operation.
You should know that in — in the six impacted states, we had declared emergency — emergencies — emergency declaration prior to Helene hitting. We had pre-positioned assets. And, as Karine mentioned, the president, upon request of the particular states — I think it’s five now; I’ll — I can confirm that — has declared major disaster declarations.
Q Is there — what are you doing speci- — you mentioned sending water, but what are you doing as far as getting the drinking water back online in — in places like the president is seeing?
SECRETARY MAYORKAS: For that, I would turn to Michael Regan, the EPA administrator. I — I think, in South Carolina, he mentioned there are two systems that are not fully operational, but that’s South Carolina specific. But I — I would have to defer to — to Michael Regan.
Q Talk to us a little about how confident you’re feeling in the amount of funding right now. The president mentioned that he needs — was thinking about bringing Congress back to pass more funding. Is that something you think might still need to happen?
SECRETARY MAYORKAS: We — we are meeting the immediate needs with the money that we have. We are expecting another hurricane hitting. We do not have the funds. FEMA does not have the funds to make it through the season and what — what is imminent.
Q So, does the president want lawmakers to return to Washington?
SECRETARY MAYORKAS: I would defer to the — to the president for — for the timing of that. But we have, of course, made a significant request of Congress with respect to stable funding for the Federal Emergency Management Administration, which should not be a political issue. This is something that Americans need desperately.
Q (Inaudible.)
Q Can you talk a little bit about — I’m sorry — how the rol- — like, how the role of climate change comes into the request for more funding — you know, the — the sort of revamping of the entire FEMA operation to begin with?
SECRETARY MAYORKAS: This is — let’s — let’s speak factually. The severity and frequency of extreme weather events have only increased. It is an impact of climate change.
When — I — I mentioned Mayfield, Kentucky, a small town that was absolutely decimated by a tornado of unprecedented strength and length. And we — I remember one of the factories in that small community, people had gone into a safe room that was built precisely for extreme weather, and that safe room was decimated because the building codes of yesterday are not equipped for the extreme weather events of today and tomorrow.
Q The president spoke to us on the tarmac about how the dockworkers strike is playing into this. D- — could you give us a sense, one, if the — the strike is slowing down the response at all, and whether the companies involved are at all profiting off of the misery that’s taking place on the ground?
SECRETARY MAYORKAS: I cannot answer the — the second question. I am not that attuned to the dynamics of the strike. I’ll leave that to the experts who- — whose portfolio covers that.
But I will tell you that we are not short of supplies right now with respect to the delivery of goods to the people in need. Are — we are — we are not seeing adverse impacts from that strike with respect to our response to Hurricane Helene.
Q The president has a very active travel schedule over the next couple of days, with North Carolina and then Florida and Georgia as well. Is there any sense that he’s kind of playing catch-up after the initial criticism over the weekend and the fact that Donald Trump got down to Georgia on Monday?
SECRETARY MAYORKAS: Oh, absolutely not. What — what I said yesterday and I’ll repeat — this is a very, very important point: The president is focused on being there for people without disrupting the emergency operations. What he does not want to do is in any way impair or impede the rescue that we are providing.
And so, he’s been in close touch with local and state officials to determine when is the right time to visit so that the visit is productive and not counterproductive. And he has responded accordingly, according to the guidance that he’s received, and that’s why he’s traveling today and tomorrow.
Q And is there any update on the estimate of how much this is going to cost the federal government and how much you would be seeking from Congress for help?
SECRETARY MAYORKAS: So, as I mentioned, we have the immediate needs right now. On a continuing resolution, we have funds, but that is not a stable source of supply, if you will.
This is a multibillion-dollar, multiyear recovery. The magnitude of it —
Q Did you say million or billion?
SECRETARY MAYORKAS: Billion.
Q Okay.
SECRETARY MAYORKAS: Multibillion-dollar undertaking and a multiyear undertaking. We have — we have towns that have disappeared, literally.
Q Can you — either one of you just tell us a little bit about what — what the president is going to see? I know we said western North Carolina, but will we fly over Asheville? What — where are we headed?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, we’re definitely, as I stated, western — doing an aerial tour of western North Carolina. He’ll be able to see a little bit of Asheville. We’ll certainly have more for you when we get on the ground.
But, look, I think this is really important. And I — and to, I think, your question, Danny — the reason why we are on top of this, as the president has been throughout his three and a half years and taking this very seriously — when — when the secretary started talking to you all, he talked about being commander in chief — the president takes this very, very seriously.
And we pre-positioned. We — you — you heard the administrator from FEMA. She came to the briefing room on Thursday, hours before the hurricane actually hit, because we wanted to send a message to Americans, to folks who were in the region to please listen to law enforcement, but also lay out there were 1,500 personnel on the ground — FEMA personnel on the ground being ready to really take this on.
And so, as the secretary said, the president is going down today. He’s going to be in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia and Florida, as I said. But he — we also did it at the direction of the folks on the ground.
So, yes, there may be other leaders who decided to go a couple days ago, but we actually did it a way that we know that we were not taking away resources from emergency operations. And I think that’s what’s important here.
And you’ve seen that be- — the — the secretary talked about Kentucky. There’s been other — we’ve been to Florida a couple times — right? — with what we have seen over the past couple of years with — with natural disasters.
And so, this is a president that is going to take this seriously. He’s going to see for himself and thank, obviously, the — the emergency workers on the ground. And so, this is — this is what we do as president. This is what we do. This is what he does, and our secretary.
Q Just on the funding. You know, we have two months left in hurricane season. Can you just characterize a little bit — if you don’t get more funding, how much trouble are we in if another big storm hits? Does that translate —
SECRETARY MAYORKAS: Well —
Q — into lives lost?
SECRETARY MAYORKAS: Well, there — there are a couple things. It’s very important to note that even though we’re on a continuing resolution, we — we do — can obtain spend-fast funds so that we can dip into funds that are slated for the duration of the year to meet immediate needs. So, we — we are meeting the moment.
But that doesn’t speak about the future and the fact, as I mentioned earlier, that these extreme weather events are increasing in frequency and severity, and we have to be funded for the sake of the American people. This is not a political issue.
Q Karine, how is the president continuing to get updates about the Middle East while he’s traveling today?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Well, let’s —
Q Let me —
Q Sorry.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Let’s let — so we —
Q One more —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: — because he has to go back to be with the president.
Q (Inaudible) about the fuel shortages that is being done right now?
SECRETARY MAYORKAS: I’m sorry?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: The fuel shortages.
Q Fuel shortages.
SECRETARY MAYORKAS: Of — that people are suffering. So, we — look, there are — there are different types of challenges that people victimized by this historic hurricane are — are suffering: fuel, potable water in certain areas, power, communications. And we are meeting each of those challenges with the full force of the federal government as well as our state and local partners.
So, if you take a look at power, at the — at the height of this hurricane, 5.1 million people were without power. We have delivered power — when I say “we,” the collective “we” — the public-private partnership — to 3.6 or 3.8 million of those individuals. And so — and we are continuing to pour resources and efforts in.
Q Do you think North Carolina was properly prepared for the impact of the flooding?
SECRETARY MAYORKAS: They were prepared, but they were as prepared — and this is something we have to take stock of when we speak of preparation. Preparation doesn’t necessarily mean preventing suffering when you are speaking of extreme weather events of historic magnitude. You have people in rural areas, difficult-to-access areas, and when — when a force of this strength pours through, it’s going to have a calamitous impact.
And the — the question is: Have they done everything that they can? Have they followed the instructions of local officials? And that is what is key.
And I should say it is very important, if you don’t mind, to — to communicate the means of accessing relief. People have an 800 number to call. That’s 800-621-FEMA. They can access relief at DisasterAssistance.gov, or they can use the FEMA app.
And for those people who do not have communications, we are actually going to them. We are in shelters. We are going door to door as we increase access to remote areas.
Q Thank you, Mr. Secretary.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: All right. Thank you so much.
SECRETARY MAYORKAS: Thank you, Karine.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Secretary.
Q Thank you.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Okay. So, to answer your question — I do want to hit one more thing. But to answer your question, as you know, yesterday, the president was being regularly updated on what was happening in the Middle East. He’s going to continue to do that. We always say: The president is president wherever he is. And so, that’s going to continue.
He spent, as you — also, speaking of yesterday, he spent hours in the Situation Room. And so, this is something he is monitoring very, very closely, and he will certainly be able to do that on this trip.
Just a couple of things — because I do want to it- — reiterate something that he’s talked about — at the top.
Look, the president is calling on USMX and the owners of these foreign carrier- — carriers it represents to come to the table and put forward a fair offer to the longshoremen now.
This should be easy for them to resolve. We’re recovering from a hurricane, and they need to do so as soon as possible. They’ve made hundreds of billions in record profits since the pandemic — profits up as much as 800 percent. These workers kept our ports open during the pandemic. Their work is essential as communities recover from the hurricane — from Hurricane Helene. Now is the time for these foreign carrier owners to negotiate a fair contract.
So, we just want to make that really clear.
Go ahead.
Q Are there — are there any plans at the moment for the president to speak with Netanyahu directly?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: He — he talked about this. We don’t have anything to read out to you. But he also said — the president said this, and Jake Sullivan said this at the podium — they have been in regular communication with — with our — with Jake’s Isra- — Israeli counterparts throughout the last couple of days — almost daily, obviously — since almost a year now.
And so, that will continue. And when we have a call to — to speak to or to announce, we certainly will do that. Don’t have —
(Cross-talk.)
Q Clarification on —
Q Oh, sorry. (Inaudible.)
Q It’s okay. Don’t worry. The — a clarification, though, on Iran. So, the president was saying that he was expecting sanctions. I wondered if — if there was discussion about how Israel should respond to Iran, particularly given, you know, the — the type of the — the missile strike and the fact that they’re — they’re saying they’re done now with it.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So — so, two things there. Look, as it relates to any response from Israel, we’re having conversations with them. We’re having discussions. I’m not going to prejudge. I’m not going to get ahead of that. And as the president st- — stated, that he did have a conversation — he joined a call with the G7, and they discussed Iran’s unacceptable attack against Israel and to coordinate on a response to that — to this attack, including new sanctions, as you just mentioned, Colleen.
President Biden and the G7 unequivocally condemned Iran’s attack against Israel. President Biden expressed the United States’ full solidarity and support to Israel and its people and reaffirmed the United States’ ironclad commitment to Israel’s security.
There is going to be a joint statement, as the president mentioned. I don’t want to get ahead of that. And certainly, you’ll have all that information.
Q Karine, what new sanctions?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Not — I said I’m not going to get ahead of that.
Q Are —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I’m going to let — I’m going to let the joint statement —
Q And are you —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: — from — from the G7 —
Q Are you counseling restraint in those conversations with Israel? Are you saying —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I’m — I’m not —
Q — “Whatever you do” —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: We’re — we’re having discussions. Certainly not going to prejudge. I’m not going to get ahead of it. But we are having discussions with re- —
Q What’s your advice though?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I’m not going to share th- — I’m not going to be doing that out on — on Air Force One. We’re going to have those discussions — those private discussions. And not going to get ahead of those discussions or prejudging.
Q And is Israel’s limited — so-called limited incursion into Lebanon delivering the results that they wanted?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: You would have to speak to — you would have to speak to Israel directly and IDF.
Q What’s your judgment?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: You’d have to speak to them directly, because it is their — it is their operation.
Q Does the president think Tim Walz won the debate? (Laughter.)
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, what I can say is the president watched — caught some of the debate. And, as you know — and I’m going to be really mindful, because it’s a debate, 2024. As you know, been covering and focusing on this trip. During this trip, he’s been focused on this. Obviously, this was a historic hurricane that hit this region, but he and — he and the vice president and the entire team are working hard to the response to — to Helene. And so, he — he was able to — he was able to — to manage to catch some of it. But I haven’t spoken to him in detail about it.
Q I think the president said on the tarmac that he had not directly spoken to the dock strikers or any of the companies. Is that going to change?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I don’t have anything to preview at this time, but this president basically answered the question pretty directly. I don’t have anything else to share.
All right, guys. Okay. All right.
Q Thanks, Karine.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Thanks, everybody.
Q Appreciate it.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: See you on the ground.
Okay. Be careful. It’s very, very bumpy.
1:36 P.M. EDT
