Biden holds first presidential news conference

In his first formal news conference since taking office, President Biden spent over an hour today fielding questions from the press on topics ranging from immigration to the rollout of the Covid-19 vaccines.

Two of the topics the press and Biden did not address at length were the coronavirus variants and gun control, which has taken on added significance over the past two weeks following mass shootings in Atlanta and Boulder, Colorado.

Here are some of the most important lines on topics Biden did discuss:

President Biden spent much of his first presidential news conference today facing questions about the crisis on the southern border, promising conditions for unaccompanied minors arriving in the US will improve and blaming the prior administration and the cooler weather for the spike of migrants at the border.

The President faced a wide-ranging set of questions from reporters about other pressing issues, including the Senate’s filibuster rules, working with Republicans on Capitol Hill and voting rights issues in states. Foreign policy was also a central topic as the President faces a slew of diplomatic hurdles with North Korea, China and Afghanistan.

But it was the crisis at the southern border that dominated the news conference. His administration has faced scrutiny over the growing number of unaccompanied minors crossing the border and the limited press access to border facilities.

Here’s a look at how much time Biden and White House reporters spent talking about different issues today:

CNN’s Daniel Dale fact checked President Biden’s claim that a “vast majority” of migrants at the US Southern border are being “sent back” home.

Dale noted that according to official statistics from February, while a vast majority of single adults were being sent back home, 79%, only 41% of migrants coming as part of family units were being sent back under the pandemic-related rule, Title 42.

Dale also caution that “we don’t have full data for March. It’s possible things have changed.”

“Biden made a more accurate claim about the overall group of migrants but for families in particular, for this particular claim, his claim is not true,” Dale told CNN’s Jake Tapper.

Watch more:

While discussing his goal to reach 200 million Covid-19 vaccinations in the first 100 days of his administration, President Biden repeated his claim that “no other country in the world has even come close, not even close to what we are doing” on the vaccine front.  

Facts First: It’s true that no country has vaccinated more total people than the US, though it’s worth noting that there are some smaller countries that have vaccinated a larger share of their total population. So far, the US has administered vaccines to more than 130 million people, a higher number than any other country in the world. However, 16 countries and territories including Chile, Israel and the United Kingdom have administered vaccines to more people per capita. It should be noted that these countries and territories have much smaller populations. 

As he wrapped up his first news conference since becoming President, Biden made clear that he is willing to work with any Republican who wants to make the situation better.

His comments came in response to a question from Univision’s Janet Rodríguez about the situation at the border.

“If I may ask one last question, have you had any talks with Senate Republicans who are threatening this administration with not considering the immigration legislation that was passed in the House until the situation at the border has been resolved?” Rodriguez asked.

“No,” Biden responded. “Because I know they have to posture for a while. Just for the guys to get it out of their system.”

Watch Biden’s response:

President Biden today said the situation at the US-Mexico border was already improving under his leadership and pledged the situation would get a “a hell of a lot better” soon.

As a spike of migrants continue to show up at the border, Biden said he was under no illusion he would be able to solve all of the problems at the border, but suggested he would be able to dramatically improve conditions for many migrants.

“I can’t guarantee we are going to solve everything,” he said. “But I can guarantee we can make everything better. We can make it better. We can change the lives of so many people. ”

White House advisers are expected to present a two-part, $3 trillion jobs and infrastructure proposal to President Biden as soon as this week, CNN reported on Monday.

Biden said in his news conference today that he expects to announce his next major initiative during his upcoming trip to Pittsburgh that will aim to rebuild both “the physical and technological infrastructure in this country so we can compete and create significant numbers of really good-paying jobs.”

The proposal, which Biden’s top advisers have been deliberating over for weeks, would be segmented into two separate parts:

In full, it would mark a sweeping move toward enacting the key elements of the “jobs” agenda that Biden laid out in large part during his campaign for president, with a suite of potential tax increases on corporations and the wealthy as options to finance any longer-term spending in the final proposal.

The package will explode spending and is also expected to raise taxes on individuals earning more than $400,000 a year, as well as increase the corporate tax rate.

White House officials stressed that no final decisions about the final path forward have been made at this point.

Biden still has to review the proposals and plans to consult heavily with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi about the scale and legislative sequencing of the next key pillar of his agenda.

President Biden spoke at length today about what the US must do in order to hold China accountable regarding imports, exports, and human rights issues.

There is currently a tariff on the majority of the goods being shipped from China into the United States. The average rate is 19% — more than six times higher than before the trade war began in 2018, according to the Peterson Institute for International Economics. American importers pay those duties.

The taxes have raised the price for items such as baseball hats, luggage, bicycles, TVs, sneakers and a variety of materials used by American manufacturers.

The tariffs on Chinese-made goods have cost American importers more than $82 billion so far, according to US Customs and Border Protection.

Biden also addressed lingering human rights issues plaguing China.

“Americans value the notion of freedom. America values human rights. We don’t always live up to our expectations but it’s a value system. … And as long as you and your country continue to so blatantly violate human rights, we’re going to continue in an unrelenting way to call to the attention of the world and make it clear, make it clear what’s happening,” he said today.

More background: The US announced sanctions Monday against two Chinese officials for “serious human rights abuses” against Uyghur Muslims, a step coordinated with allies including the European Union, Canada and the United Kingdom, which imposed sanctions on the same individuals and others, the Treasury Department said.

The announcement was part of a broader show of unity by the US and its international allies, all voicing condemnation for Beijing’s repression of Uyghur Muslims and other ethnic minorities in Xinjiang province.

Watch Biden’s response:

President Biden said he expects to run for reelection in 2024.

“Yes, my plan is to run for reelection. That’s my expectation,” Biden said to CBS’ Nancy Cordes during his first news conference since his term began.

Former President Trump had announced his plans for reelection soon after starting his first term.

Biden later noted to CNN’s Kaitlan Collins: “I’m a great respecter of fate. I’ve never been able to plan four-and-a-half, three-and-a-half years ahead for certain.”

Asked who would be his running mate, Biden said he expects it would be Vice President Kamala Harris, “She’s doing a great job. She’s a great partner.”

Watch the exchange:

President Biden warned that there would be “responses” if North Korea continues to fire ballistic missiles, following their second launch in less than a week. 

Asked about the launches at his news conference, Biden told reporters, “We’re consulting with our allies and partners and there will be responses if they choose to escalate. We will respond accordingly.”

The President also said that he agreed with then-President Barack Obama who warned in 2016 while leaving office that North Korea is the biggest foreign policy threat and issue, answering simply: “Yes.”

Biden added that he’s also “prepared for some form of diplomacy, but it has to be conditioned upon the end result of denuclearization.”

“So that’s what we’re doing right now, consulting with our allies.” 

On Thursday, North Korea launched two ballistic missiles — the second such launch in less than a week.

South Korea’s joint chiefs of staff said in a statement that two short-range missiles had been fired from the Hamju area of South Hamgyong province toward the sea, off North Korea’s east coast, at 7:06 a.m. and 7:25 a.m. local time. 

The projectiles flew about 450 kilometers (280 miles), reaching an altitude of 60 kilometers (37 miles), and are believed to have been ballistic missiles launched from the ground, the statement said.

The exact type of the missiles was unclear, a senior US official told CNN earlier, citing an intelligence briefing.

President Biden today called Republican efforts to restrict voting in many states, “un-American” and “sick” and compared the efforts to Jim Crow laws that enforced racial segregation in the South.

“What I’m worried about is how un-American this whole initiative is,” said Biden of Republican efforts on a statewide level to implement rules that would make voting more cumbersome for many voters and especially minority voters.

“It’s sick. It’s sick,” he added, 

“This makes Jim Crow look like Jim Eagle,” he continued. “…This is gigantic, what they are trying to do and it cannot be sustained. I am going to do everything in my power … to keep that from becoming the law.”

Biden did express hope that he would be able to slow or stop the effort, saying he believed there was bipartisan support to keep voting as open as possible. 

“The Republican voters I know, find this despicable,” he said. “…I am talking about voters. Voters. And so I’m convinced that we will be able to stop this, because it is the most pernicious thing.”

CNN’s Kaitlan Collins pressed Biden about his stance on the filibuster. Watch the exchange:

Republicans at the state level have moved swiftly to either roll back some easy access to voting or put new obstacles in the way of voters following losses in the 2020 presidential and US Senate elections.

More than 250 bills to curb or complicate access to polls had been introduced in 43 state legislatures as of February 19, according to the Brennan Center for Justice, which is tracking the bills — and bills have since been introduced in at least two more states, North Carolina and Wisconsin, according to CNN reporting.

Key states to watch: Florida, Arizona and Georgia were all battleground states in 2020 and host US Senate races in 2022. Republican legislative majorities and GOP governors are moving to make it more difficult to vote in these states.

The Republican-led Georgia House of Representatives on Thursday passed its version of a sweeping election overhaul bill, moving it one step closer to enacting election law changes and restricting voter access in the state.

Texas does not have a 2022 Senate race, but it will feature a race for governor in 2022. Republicans currently control all levers of the state government there.

There are proposals to make it more difficult to vote in other key states — Wisconsin and Pennsylvania — featuring 2022 Senate races, but divided government in those places will make restrictions more difficult to enact.

There is no Senate race in Michigan and there is also divided government there. (See a breakdown of state government control here.)

What’s happening in Congress: House Democrats have passed a sweeping bill that includes a number of voting reforms, including automatic national voter registration. Currently, 18 states and Washington, DC, have automatic registration. Expanding that requirement nationwide could enfranchise 50 million Americans, according to the Brennan Center.

The bill would do a lot more, including putting an end to partisan gerrymandering, by which parties draw congressional lines to protect their incumbents, mandating a two-week early voting period and more.

But it would require a supermajority — 60 votes — to overcome a promised GOP filibuster in the Senate. Democrats have suggested changing Senate rules specifically for this bill, but it’s not clear all Democrats would support the rule change.

CNN’s Kelly Mena, Dianne Gallagher and Pamela Kirkland contributed reporting to this post. 

President Biden was pressed by ABC’s Cecilia Vega about his reaction to the conditions at a border protection facility in Donna, Texas.

“There are kids that are sleeping on floors. They are packed into these pods. I’ve spoken to lawyers who say that some of these children have not seen the sun in days. What’s your reaction – what is your reaction to these images that have come out from that particular facility?” Alvear asked

Biden said that he thought the conditions were “totally unacceptable” and said his administration is looking to find other locations for the children.

Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar provided CNN with photos revealing the conditions for dozens of children and adults in an overflow facility in Donna, Texas.

President Biden pledged to allow journalists into overcrowded migrant facilities at the US-Mexico border.

“I will commit when my plan, very shortly, is underway to let you have access to not just them but to other facilities as well,” said in response to NBC News’ Kristen Welker.

“I will commit to transparency, and as soon as I’m in a position to be able to implement what we’re doing right now. One of the reasons I haven’t gone down — my chief folks have gone down — is I don’t want to become the issue,” he added.

Biden did not give a timeframe on when that would happen.

Biden also said he makes “no apology” for rolling back some of Trump’s immigration policies.

“All the policies underway were not helping at all, did not slow up the amount of immigration, and as many people coming. And rolling back the policies of separating children from their mothers, I make no apology for that,” he said.

President Biden said he would never let an unaccompanied child who arrives to the US border starve to death under his leadership.

“The idea that I’m going to say, which I would never do, if an unaccompanied child ends up at the border we’re going to let them starve to death and stay on the other side, no previous administration did that either, except Trump. I’m not going to do it. I’m not going to do it,” Biden told ABC’s Cecilia Vega.

His remarks came after Vega described the plight of Central American migrants to the US, particularly the story of a 9-year-old boy who walked by himself to the border with another boy from Honduras.

When asked if these unaccompanied minors would be allowed to stay in the US, or would they be deported eventually, Biden said, “Well, the judgment has to be made whether or not — and this young man’s case, he has a mom at home. There’s an overwhelming reason why he’d be put on a plane and flown back to his mom.”

Some context: More than 400,000 migrant children have crossed the US border without their parents since 2003.

And each time a new wave arrives, political controversy follows.

The numbers are on the rise again, with some children arriving who are as young as 6 or 7. This increase is sparking fierce debate in Washington, concern from children’s advocates and an emergency response from the Biden administration.

President Biden addressed the spike of migrants at the US-Mexico border and noted how an “overwhelming” majority of those who are crossing the border are being “sent back” home.

Biden added that his administration is “building back up the capacity that should have been maintained and built upon that Trump dismantled. It’s going to take time.”

When PBS’ Yamiche Alcindor pressed Biden on why some families are not being sent back home, he said it is “because Mexico is refusing to take them back. They’re saying they won’t take them back, not all of them. We’re in negotiations with the president of Mexico.”

“I think we’re going to see that change. They should all be going back. All be going back. The only people we’re not going to let sitting there on the other side of the Rio Grande by themselves, with no help, are children,” Biden explained.

WATCH:

President Biden expressed support for filibuster reform, suggesting he was willing to bend or even abolish the arcane Senate rule on certain issues, in order to accomplish his agenda.

Responding to a reporter’s question, Biden first said he believed senators ought to have to hold the floor in order to delay action in the Senate.

“It used to be you had to stand there and talk and talk and talk and talk and talk until you collapsed. And guess what? People got tired of talking and tired of collapsing,” he said. “…I strongly support moving in that direction.”

But Biden also suggested that he was willing to consider doing away with the rule, at least on some issues, if Republicans’ recalcitrance continued. 

“We’re going to get a lot done,” he said. “If we have to, if there’s complete lockdown and chaos as a consequence of the filibuster, then we’ll have to go beyond what I’m talking about.”

Why is he talking about the filibuster? Some Democrats in Congress want to change Senate rules so they can use their slim majority to pass things unlikely to garner Republican support, such as a voting rights bill or the massive infrastructure package that Biden is expected to introduce.

Right now they need to garner 60 votes to overcome Republican objection — or, filibuster — a tally that requires several Republicans to join Democrats.

You can read more on the filibuster here.

The situation at the US-Mexico border has been a central topic in today’s news conference.

The Biden administration is scrambling to find adequate housing for the rising number of unaccompanied minors arriving at the US-Mexico border.

Republicans have slammed Biden’s handling of the situation, blaming his early actions to overturn some of the Trump administration’s border enforcement policies for inducing what is shaping up to be a historic surge of migrants to the border.

During his first week in office, Biden signed a slew of executive actions aimed at undoing Trump’s immigration policies and released comprehensive immigration reform legislation. Most notable among the changes has been the decision to no longer expel unaccompanied minors who show up at the border, resulting in more children coming into US custody.

Biden has said that he will travel to the border at some point, and senior administration officials and lawmakers have already made the trip down to see facilities housing the migrants.

A group of White House officials and members of Congress toured a Texas facility on Wednesday holding unaccompanied migrant children and for the first time under the Biden administration a news camera was allowed inside.

These are some of the latest figures:

Federal law requires unaccompanied children to be turned over within 72 hours to HHS, which oversees a shelter network designed to house minors, but amid constraints related to the pandemic, children are staying in custody for longer than the 72-hour limit.

CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez, Jeremy Herb and Jeremy Diamond contributed reporting to this post

President Biden said it would be difficult to meet the May 1 deadline that the Trump administration had negotiated with the Taliban to withdraw all US forces from Afghanistan.

“It’s going to be hard to meet the May 1 deadline. Just in terms of tactical reasons, hard to get those troops out,” Biden said at a news conference today.

Biden said the US is in consultation with our allies on how to proceed.

Last week, a defense official told CNN that the Biden administration was considering a six-month extension for American troops in Afghanistan. At that time, no final decision had been made, the official emphasized. 

Remember: Biden has some domestic political cover — some members in Congress are worried about a full drawdown. And the President has been sharply critical of the details that Trump administration negotiated.

President Biden claimed the current surge in migrants at the US southern border is not unprecedented.

“Truth of the matter is nothing has changed. … As many people came, 28% increase in the children in the border in my administration, 31% in the last year in 2019 before the pandemic in the Trump administration. It happens every single solitary year,” Biden said in response to a question asked by PBS’ Yamiche Alcindor.

He pushed back against claims that migrants are trying to get into the US because he’s a “decent man, or however it’s phrased” and that his administration is more lax than the Trump administration in terms of immigration.

“I’d like to think it’s because I’m a nice guy, but it’s not; it’s because of what’s happened every year,” he added.

Biden said he wants to rebuild the immigration system, adding that the US is sending back the “vast majority” of families showing up at the border.

“Those coming across the border who are unaccompanied children, we’re moving rapidly to try to put in place what was dismantled,” he said.

Read more: US border officials are detaining on average more than 600 unaccompanied migrant children who cross the border each day, a Department of Homeland Security official familiar with the data told CNN.

The daily average as of Tuesday far surpasses the height of the 2019 surge of migrant families, when Border Patrol apprehended around 370 unaccompanied children a day on average, according to agency data.