Press Briefing by Press Secretary Josh Earnest, 10/4/2016
As we discussed yesterday,
In addition to that, an Incident Management Assistance Team is at the
In addition to that, FEMA Regional Coordination Centers in
In the meantime, we encourage everyone in potentially affected areas, from
Now, as all of your news outlets are reporting, there are locations in the
In support of those goals,
But as I mentioned yesterday, these are countries that don't have significant modern infrastructure, and this is one of the strongest storms to come along in several decades, at least in this part of the world. So obviously we want to keep our thoughts and prayers with people in these countries who are, even as we speak, facing a rather difficult situation.
Due to the expected -- or at least the potential impact of Hurricane Matthew here in
We are hoping to be able to reschedule those events relatively soon, but that will be determined by the impact of the storm and by other components of the President's schedule. But we'll keep you posted on all of that.
I did want to make one other note before I get to your questions, which is on a very different topic. Today, the
The
The
I'll stop there. I've got more, and I'm happy to discuss this at greater length if any of you are interested. One thing I do want to commend to your attention -- the President has written an op-ed that was recently published at the
So with all that windup, Josh, let's go to questions that may be on your mind today.
Q Great. Thanks, Josh. Let's start with
I think the best example of this is actually the response that was mobilized by
That's an indication of the deep and strong relationship between our two countries, and a genuine interest that
And I can tell you that
Even as we protect this strong alliance, the administration and
Q And in the past when the Philippine leaders made some of these comments, the
So we've obviously seen the rhetoric, but we're also aware of the kind of communication that
Q And former
As a result of the establishment of marketplaces in states all across the country, Americans are now in a position where they don't have to fend for themselves in the individual market, but rather, insurance companies are coming to the marketplace and competing for their business. And that has -- because of the benefits provided by the federal government in the form of subsidies, the vast majority of individuals who are shopping on the marketplace are able to afford plans for less than
But the President is quite proud of the accomplishment of passing the Affordable Care Act. You'll recall we've made the point many times. Presidents in both parties made a strong effort to try to pass health care reform, but failed.
Q But it must feel like a pretty significant blow to the President personally to hear the former President, the husband of the person he's campaigning to be his successor, exasperated about what's happened as a result of his law. I mean, does he disagree with what Clinton was saying?
They no longer have to worry about getting kicked off their insurance because they get sick. They don't have to be worried about getting hauled into bankruptcy court if somebody in their family gets sick. They're able to keep their children on their health insurance plan up through age 26. People are able to get access to free annual check-ups, free birth control. These are all consumer protections put in place that hundreds of millions of Americans enjoy now because of the Affordable Care Act. And that's why the Affordable Care Act continues to be a source of pride for people who work here in the administration, in terms of that significant legislative accomplishment. And that's essentially our position.
You'd have to talk to
Tim.
Q On refugees. The Turkish Defense Minister said today that the
Those plans include compensating for the population that's likely to try to flee
Q Are the forces that are being sent over, are they keeping refugees in mind?
Q The
There will be
Q And on
Q It just seems that the
But it would have been irresponsible for
That means we need a political solution. And
So there are a variety of diplomatic avenues that
And
So when
And I'd just point out that all of this takes place against the backdrop of a weakening Russian economy. The Russian economy now is smaller than
So I'm not sure if this is -- what master plan
Mary.
Q Back to Josh's question about the Affordable Care Act. Are you concerned that the former President's comments, calling it a "crazy system," that that kind of language just gives more fuel to the Republican argument against the Affordable Care Act?
So the President is proud of that accomplishment. And those, frankly, are facts. And that is evidence that can't be refuted by language we hear on the stump from
Q And on
Justin.
Q Prime Minister May said that she plans to have to Brexit process begin by March of next year. That's caused some concern in the markets, but I'm wondering if that concern is merited here or that's sort of in keeping with the deliberative process that you've encouraged (inaudible).
It's in the interest of
Q The administration is reportedly considering a refugee sponsorship program, kind of based on the Canadian model, where private citizens could sponsor refugees to come to
But the President has hastened to add at every turn that we're not going to cut corners when it comes to the safety and security of the American people. Refugees, as you know, are subjected to the most thorough vetting and screening of any individual who attempts to enter
But as it relates to any sort of specific innovations that may be considered, we'll have to get back to you to see how seriously a proposal like that is being considered.
Q And on the last one, on creepy clowns -- (laughter) -- our friends at the
April.
Q Josh, a couple of questions. Is the President planning on watching the VP debate tonight, especially since last week's debate was so exciting?
Q Thank you. (Laughter.)
Q We know who you're rooting for --
Q Secondly, in that first debate between
I don't know that there's much that I could add to the eloquence that he has demonstrated in talking about this issue, but certainly issues of race are issues that the President has written and spoken about at length, even prior to becoming a national figure. And I would anticipate the President will continue to write and talk and work on these issues, even after he leaves the
Q Another question. After the GSA certifies the winner, be it
Olivier.
Q Thanks, Josh. Back on
I think I would start by observing that this equipment contradicts
With regard to sanctions, what we have indicated about the situation in
So we'll continue to have those kinds of conversations. I know there have been some legislative proposals that have been floated in
Q All right, one more. The Republican presidential nominee,
That said, it shouldn't be a surprise to anybody that retaking
So we obviously are pleased with the gains that we've been able to make on the ground there recently. The planning is proceeding at the expected pace, but I don't have details to share about that and I've not heard anybody express any specific concerns about how discussing in general that planning process could impact the abilities to successfully execute that operation.
Q There's a report in the Post that last Wednesday at the
Q Are strikes against Assad under consideration by the
Peter.
Q Josh, I saw the President's column in the
Q Does that concern extend to any needs that may be created by this election?
Q Hillary Clinton said there should be a law that major party nominees should release their tax returns. Does the President support that? And would he sign a bill if one ever reached his desk?
Q So the President doesn't believe a law would be necessary and that the system presently as it is exists in a reasonable form?
Q You said that the President would be watching the VP debate today. I trust that he supports
Certainly demonstrating a commitment to our
With regard to
Q
Q Can you be a role model even if you're not President, I guess I'm saying. Is there some bar that's he's reached? He may not be fit for President, but do you think -- is there anything that we can say positive about the way he has conducted the course of his professional career?
Kevin.
Q Thanks, Josh. I want to circle back on Gitmo for just a second. Would it be lawful to place, even temporarily, the detainees on American soil while they try to be moved out of harm's way for Hurricane Matthew?
Q I want to also ask you about
All of that is deeply concerning not just in
So from that standpoint, our international efforts have had a tangible and positive impact on our national security, but they have not yet resulted in the kinds of changes that we would like to see. I think the lesson from all of this -- and again, there's always a significant risk of trying to compare situations that are so different -- but I think the risk and the lesson in all of this -- and this is something the President has talked about -- is that it's important for us to be mindful of the long game, for us to think ahead about the potential consequences of actions that may be under consideration.
This, I think, is one of the lessons that the President believes we all learned, based on the ill-advised effort by the Bush administration to intervene and occupy
So as the President considers the options that are available to him inside of
Q I know you mentioned the Rezaian lawsuit earlier, and it's a private lawsuit, obviously. But I think people will find it interesting considering the suit, at least at glance, seems to be targeting a country, a sponsor of terror, and given the conversation that you and I have had about JASTA, do you think this is a direct reflection of that, and maybe in a positive way, at least in the case of the Rezaian family?
And that does have a variety of consequences. It serves to isolate that country from the international community. It subjects that country to significant financial sanctions that can take a toll on their economy. And it does give
With regard to JASTA, that was a piece of legislation and now a law that sought to target
That's the system that we have. By rolling back that system, not only do we detract from the effective confrontation and forceful confrontation of state sponsors of terrorism, we also further degrade this principle of sovereign immunity that protects
And the concerns that I've just laid out about this specific legislation are now concerns that
Q You mentioned Chief
So his treatment by
But, look, the President continues to make a case that he nominated the very best person to fill a vacancy in the
Q Last one for me is the Assange story. Did the President hear about that? Did you watch sort of with any interest about last night, the Assange release of new information on
Michelle.
Q So it doesn't sound like you think that
Q Whatever argument he was making, do you wish that he had used different words than "crazy," and "craziest thing in the world"?
Q Just checking. Okay. And we talked a little bit about some of the things that Duterte has said. We've also seen his actions within his own country. Do those things alone do damage to the relationship between the
But it's a commitment to these shared values that prompts
And there is an opportunity for the Filipino government to pursue a smart strategy to counter narco-trafficking and better protect the Filipino people while also protecting human rights. In fact, that is the responsibility of the government to do that. And they can count on the support of their allies in
Q Okay. And we talked a little bit about, yesterday, what's next after the ending of talks between the
And Secretary Carter's role has principally been focused on mobilizing
There have also been military assets that have been deployed against other extremist leaders in
You'll recall, back in the summer of 2014, when the President first initiated military airstrikes against extremist targets in
Q So what can you say about this range of options? And can you say that the possibility of strikes against certain regime targets is at least one option?
Based on that Russian failure, it's apparent there's not a whole lot more for us to discuss with them bilaterally. So we need to consider what other diplomatic options are available to us to try to address the root cause of the situation inside of
So there are a variety of channels that we can use. The first is supporting and facilitating the continued efforts of the U.N. Special Envoy,
There is this
We also know that there are a number of other bilateral relationships in the region that we have with other countries who are concerned about the situation there, and there may be an opportunity for
So there are a variety of diplomatic options that we will pursue. These are all options we have been pursuing, just to be clear about it, but we're obviously going to have to redouble our efforts in those channels because the Russians have failed to live up to the commitments that they made in the context of that bilateral channel.
Q So when you talk about the President looking at this range of options, those were all diplomatic options that you were talking about?
And again, the fact that we took this strike against an
At the same time, we have acknowledged -- also from day one -- that there is no military solution to the chaos and violence inside of
And that is exactly why it's impossible for
So
Q You're saying that, potentially, strikes against regime targets would sort of ruin that goal of working this out diplomatically and longer term? Or strikes like what we just described -- is that at least an option that's being discussed?
So I'm certainly not going to stand here and take anything off the table when it comes to the decisions that the Commander-in-Chief can use to protect our interests around the world, particularly in a place as dangerous as
And I think it's why that for all of the public concern and even criticism that we've seen directed at the President of
Q Thanks, Josh.
Q Thank you, Josh. On
Q I will. The other thing is, the President has had a very good relationship with
Q Thank you, Josh.
Q Josh,
Q Yes.
That is a pretty clear distillation of the administration's concerns with the way that
Even
What I will say is that this does raise significant concerns about the establishment of a new precedent. Senator
So hopefully the question that you have posed is not one that we will have to consider, but the President is certainly hopeful that, at some point, people like
Q So how much damage has been done to the process by this?
If judgment about laws is reduced to the evaluation of people not wearing black robes, but red and blue robes, that's going to change the nature of our justice system, and not in a positive way. So I think the President is hopeful that there will be course correction implemented, probably not under Leader McConnell's watch. He's the one that's broken the system. But the President is hopeful that it is one that can be fixed. And if it is, it is something that I think will send an important message to the American people about how our laws, even at the highest level, are applied without regard to partisan affiliation.
Q And on another subject, do you expect the
Q And how significant will that be in terms of the overall fight against climate change?
Now, the President has also been clear that this agreement is merely a first step. But it's important because it codifies a structure that commits countries every five years to making new commitments about steps that they can do to more effectively and more comprehensively fight carbon pollution. So initiating this process is enormously important. And the fact that it is on track to take effect less than a year after being negotiated I think bodes well for the long-term impact that this agreement can have to protecting the planet.
Gregory, I'll give you the last one.
Q Thank you. Reuters is reporting that
But in the spirit of your question, let me just say that the President, over the course of his two terms in office, has been committed to implementing a series of reforms that more effectively balance the country's national security needs with the privacy rights of American citizens. And the President, when he took office, expressed some concern that the privacy and civil liberties of some Americans were not given enough weight in some of the decisions made by the previous administration. And it's taken time throughout the eight years of the Obama presidency to understand the consequences of those decisions and to implement needed reforms to protect the privacy and civil liberties of the American people.
At each turn, the President has been mindful of the need to protect our national security. And the kinds of reforms that the President considered were focused on making sure that our intelligence professionals and our law enforcement professionals and our military professionals had the tools they need to keep us safe, even as we protect the civil liberties of American citizens.
But I'll have somebody follow up with you, Gregory, on the specific report and see if there's more information that we can provide that may be relevant to this.
Since the President's travel tomorrow has been changed, I'll see you all here tomorrow. Thanks.
Q Josh, what's he doing all day besides
Q You buried the lead.
THE PRESIDENT: (Laughter.) I did bury the lead. My apologies. You'll have to do a write-through, or whatever it is you guys do here.
But the President will be going to FEMA Headquarters tomorrow. He will get a briefing from
So you'll hear from the President about this tomorrow.
Q In the morning?
THE PRESIDENT: I'm not sure of the timing yet on the schedule. We're still -- we had to overhaul the whole schedule because of the last-minute change. But we'll let you know before the end of the day when that will take place. Obviously, we know you'll have keen interest in covering all that. And then, at some point either before or after the President does that event, we'll do a briefing here.
Q Josh, was it Director Fugate that briefed
THE PRESIDENT: The update that the President received today was from
Thanks, everybody. We'll see you tomorrow.
END
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