fighting to empower these parents, to empower these kids in these communities that we cannot wait on the government. we cannot wait on someone else we must be the change. and that's why we're doing this crisis. the classroom, thank you so much, mr. williams. thank you so much, mr. crump. i look forward to hearing much more about the book, but i appreciate today's discussion as well. thank you,

mes on, i would like to have them say, this bill has been sponsored by. >> good afternoon. happy friday. i got the date right today. >> friday the 13th. >> oh, well. it is going to be crazy in here. ok. as this week comes to a close, i want to highlight the incredible progress the president has made for the american people in recent days, from expanding affordable health care to lowering costs and tackling inflation to bringing manufacturing and jobs back to our shores. president biden started the week at the north american leaders summit in mexico city, where he spoke for two hours close cooperation with mexico and canada to address shared challenges that impact the american people. challenges like combating

climate change, covid-19 pandemic and transnational criminal organizations that are trafficking and smuggling people, as well as illicit drugs like fentanyl. the president spoke to our work to take thousands of smugglers off the street, catch record levels of fentanyl before it even reaches our borders, strengthen border security and increase resources for border communities all over the opposition of republican governors and republican members of congress, i might add. we have continued taking action to lower health care costs for american families, made possible by president biden and congressional democrats. the announcement of the inflation reduction act. on wednesday, hhs announced its plan for medicare to directly negotiate lower prescription drug costs. in addition, starting this month, seniors on medicare are seeing their insulin cost cap at $35 for a month supply.

they are also now able to get recommended vaccines for free. all of this thanks to the inflation reduction act. hhs also announced record-breaking enrollment number of health care coverage on the affordable health care act, marketplace. nearly 16 million people have signed up for this open enrollment period for health care coverage. a 13% increase from last year. it includes over 3 million people who are brand-new to the marketplace, and were not even done with the open enrollment yet. because of the cost savings measure in the inflation reduction act that president biden signed into law, millions of americans are continuing to save $800 per year on health insurance on average. four out of five healthcare.gov enrollees can find coverage for $10 or less a month. all of this adds up to real impact and meaningful progress

to expand affordable, quality health care coverage for american families. that matters to the american people. we had exciting news on the an economic front. on wednesday, the largest solar investment in u.s. history, a direct result of the president's economic plan and the inflation reduction act, again. this $2.5 billion investment in georgia will create 2500 jobs. yesterday, we learned for the six month in a row, inflation has come down. annual inflation has fallen to lowest levels since october 2021. gas prices are down by more than $1.70 from their peak. thanks in part to the president's action to increase oil supply, which were historic actions that this president took. this is further proof the president's economic plan is working, even though inflation is high in most major economies,

is coming down in america. and, giving families more breathing room. you hear the president say that all the time, that he wants to make sure he is giving american families a little bit more breathing room. at the same time, the president is building a economy from the bottom up, not out, with the lowest unemployment rate in 50 years. nearly 11 million jobs created, a stork manufacturing and investment totaling nearly 300 billion dollars in investments across the country. as we in this week on friday the 13th, today, president biden welcomed prime minister kishida of japan to the white house. we will have a joint statement for you shortly, laying out the conversation and discussion this afternoon. i can tell you that the two leaders are discussing the unprecedented actions we have taken together to better equip us for the 21st century challenges, as well as working to deepen our cooperation on

everything from economics to technology to fighting the climate crisis, advancing peace and stability in the indo pacific and around the world. today's visit is a testament to president biden's investment in our alliances and partnerships since day one, since he walked into the administration. a historic week is leading into a historic weekend. i am happy and glad to be joined why my colleague and former mayor of atlanta, senior advisor for public engagement, keisha lance bottoms, to talk about the president's trip this coming sunday to the historic ebenezer baptist church to remember and honor the legacy of dr. martin luther king jr. this sunday. i know many of you had interest here. we wanted to make sure she was here to answer questions and lay out why this day is going to be so important. i want to say on a personal note, as black women, we have broken barriers. this church and the day honoring king are near and dear to both

of our hearts. i know on a personal level, we are both looking forward to joining the president on this trip and being in what has been the epicenter of the movement from civil rights in this country for decades. with that, mayor bottoms. [laughter] >> thank you. good afternoon, everyone. >> good afternoon. >> kind of scary up here. as karine mentioned, i am looking forward to joining the president as he travels to atlanta this weekend. as many of you know, in dr. kings i have a dream speech, he expressed many ideals that he would not live to witness. i stand here and many of you sit out there as beneficiaries of entering his sacrifice and service. i am eternally grateful for that. as karine mentioned, the

president is traveling to atlanta. this is the invitation of -- at the invitation of rev. warnock, the president will deliver a sermon at ebenezer church, which was dr. king's church. also, congressman john lewis'church. the congressman spoke to warnock last night, warnock has been a pastor since 2005 at ebenezer. they had a wonderful conversation about this historic event, including the factevent,t the president is the first sitting president to speak at a sunday service at ebenezer in its history. this would have been dr. king's 94th birthday. this is an inflection point in history and the president will deliver remarks reflecting on dr. king's life and legacy, and the way we can go forward together. following his trip to atlanta on sunday he will join rev. al

sharpton on monday at the national action network, which monday is the day, the official celebration of the holiday. the president will deliver the keynote speech. finally, before i take any questions, this is an important day. it is our founders day, our 110th founders day. the president did a lovely video for the women of delta. also, our secretary of hud, who is also a former national president of delta. the president and vice president are grateful for all the support of the women of delta and the divine 9. happy founders day. >> we will take a couple of questions. >> in your role in community

outreach, has the issue of the setbacks of the president at a moment when other things seem to be going well, are you finding we are getting a lot of response from the public on that? how do you play that? >> in my role as senior advisor for public engagement, we have not gotten any information on that in terms of from the public. >> do you anticipate that will have any bearing or is causing the president to think about whether to run again? will this series of discovery have any bearing? >> i will refer those questions to the president. he can speak for himself on that. >> while the president is in atlanta what you expect his message to be on voting rights?

is he considering any additional executive action on this issue? >> the president has been clear we need congress to act. he has asked for congress to codify the john lewis voting rights act and also the additional voting rights act that is pending before congress. that is the freedom to vote act. the president has been very clear that the right to vote, the access to vote is a core component of our democracy. he is going to continue to push for that. >> including on sunday at the church? >> the president will speak on a number of issues at the church, including how important it is we have access to our democracy. you cannot come to atlanta and not acknowledge the role the civil rights movement and dr. king played in where we are in the history of our country. but we still have to push forward. we have more work to do. >> one other thing. do you expect him to have any

engagement with the king family? >> we expect that. on previous sundays, king day services and many sundays prior to the pandemic, dr. king's sister is often at the service. i do not know if she will be there this sunday. and we also expect other members of the king family to be there. >> in regards to the voting rights, last time around this time when president biden went to atlanta some of the civil rights, voting rights groups skipped the speech out of concern the white house was not doing enough to push this issue. aside from wanting congress to do more, what is the message to those who feel the white house is not doing enough? >> well, as i have been in this role as senior advisor to the

president since june of last year, we have engaged with civil rights leaders. he has had them at the white house and in constant contact. i think it is clear the president is doing everything he can in his executive power to lean in on voting rights. but we need congress to do more. this is important. if you have come through the east wing, you have seen the pictures of dr. king meeting lyndon johnson and other civil rights leaders, hashing out voting rights. the fact that we are still here talking about this in 2023 i think speaks to the fact we need action and we need action from congress. the president has done and will continue to do all he can do in his executive powers. but there is only so much he can do. we need congress to act. >> is the feeling he has exhausted what he can do, his powers from the white house? >> if there is more that he can

do, we welcome those suggestions. but as i stand here today it is my understanding we have done all we can do from the executive branch. now we need congress to act. >> thank you so much for being here. we really appreciate it. when you look at the economy and you saw the unemployment rate come down on monday but it went up for black women and latinos. how focused is this administration on helping african-american women? >> equity is at the center of what we do from this administration. it is extremely important. it has been said when america catches a cold, black america catches the flu. that is also in relation to the economy. we often know communities of color and those communities that face additional challenges have additional challenges with the

economy. the great news is the economy is doing much better under this administration. also, the president is going to continue to lean in to make sure we have access to resources that are specific to communities of color, specific to women, to give us those opportunities to be successful in this economy. >> who is addressing that? >> i know that he will generally speak about where we are in terms of helping those that are in need. i do not know if he will specifically address the economy, but as you know, during dr. king's last major campaign before his assassination, it was called the poor people's pan campaign. from this administration many of the focus areas have been aligned with what dr. king was focused on at the time of his assassination. that is making sure we are

creating this beloved community free from hate, free from poverty, giving people access to resources so they can have what they need to compete and succeed. >> thank you. thinking back to the 2020 campaign, part of the president's strategy was going to visit these churches to engage the voters in south carolina, the bombing anniversary and in selma. does this have a similar outreach campaign going into 2024? >> i do not know that it is the start of it but it could be a great start. the president is very interested in connecting with people, hearing directly from people. it is the best way any elected official truly hears and understands the needs of people and there is no better place than to do that than at ebenezer. rev. warnock has not just been

very vocal about the challenges and issues facing people as a candidate but also as a pastor. ebenezer is the cornerstone and i am sure the president will get an ear full on what our needs and desires are for our country when he is there. >> do you have any insight into the writing process for the speech? how long has the president been working on it? >> we have been working on it a couple of weeks as a team and with the president's input. as with any major speech the president is giving, he gives his input and the team takes it from there. and then he takes his pen and he says what he wants to say. you will hear that on sunday. >> is it finished? >> no. [laughter] >> one question.

democrats had a big victory in the runoff election in georgia. he is going back to this church. how do you see your own state fit into the political landscape going forward? >> georgia is pretty important. i have always thought that. now the rest of the country knows that. we know that georgia has played an important role with how our senate is now comprised and i expect that role will continue to be just as important in future election cycles. and remember, i just have to say this -- [laughter] >> go for it. >> georgia voted for joe biden. >> last question. >> first, whether the -- on monday or sunday with ebenezer, is he meeting with any civil rights organizations during those visits? >> as i mentioned, on monday he

will be joining reverend al. there will be many civil rights representatives there. there will be many at the church will also have an opportunity to connect with the president. >> nothing separately. >> nothing separately but there will be engagement while at the church. >> and the policy form with rev. al sharpton when he attends the event. what kind of policy can you talk about that they will be talking about on that day? or what kind of policies do you think we can expect to hear the president talk about? i know the reverend has been talking about criminal justice reform. can we see the president pick up on those messages? >> the great thing is this is not a one-time engagement. reverend al and the other civil rights leaders i believe from eight other organizations who were in the white house months ago, sitting down with the president, sharing their concerns.

my office -- i am constantly engaged with the civil rights leaders. we are hearing in real time what our challenges are and i think i can safely say we have confidence, many of these leaders, that we are doing what we can do and we will continue to do more as we can to make sure the needs of our communities are met. >> thank you so much. >> thank you. >> thank you. [crosstalk] >> [indiscernible] >> thank you, everybody. thank you. appreciate it. i have a couple of things at the top that i want to go through. this is the week ahead, so, all of you have this. before we take questions. later today the president will travel to wilmington, delaware. on sunday as you heard from

mayor lance-bottoms, he will travel to atlanta and deliver a sermon. on monday he will return to washington, d.c. to join rev. al sharpton and the national action network at their martin luther king jr. day breakfast where he will deliver the keynote address. on tuesday the president looks forward to welcoming the prime minister of the netherlands to the white house to further deepen the historic ties between our nations as strong nato allies and global partners. the leaders will reaffirm our shared efforts to strengthen transatlantic security and economic prosperity. after that bilateral meeting the president will welcome the golden state warriors to the white house to celebrate their 2022 nba championship. next friday the president will welcome bipartisan mayors attending the u.s. conference of mayors winter meeting to the white house. the president will deliver

remarks celebrating the achievements of the past 18 months and focusing on the bipartisan work that needs to be done to implement these and other historic pieces of legislative victories at the level -- at the local level to make a difference in people's lives across the country. >> speaker mccarthy invited the president to deliver the state of the union. is that the date? has he accepted the invitation? >> we have received speaker mccarthy's invitation and the president has accepted and looks forward to delivering the state of the union address tuesday, february 17, 2023. sorry, tuesday, february 7, 2023. but we appreciate the invitation. >> on the debt limit. is the president going to cut

the spending deal? >> as you have heard us say before, we will not be doing any negotiation over the debt ceiling. but broadly speaking, at the start of this new congress, we are reaching out to all the members through the office of ledger affairs, making sure that we have those connections with new members. but i want to say, in the past, and i have said this before and will say it again, there has been bipartisan cooperation when it comes to lifting the debt ceiling. that is how it should be. that is how we should continue. it is not and should not be a political football. this is not political gamesmanship. this should be done without conditions and that is how we see this process. >> do we know that they will not negotiate anything involving spending? >> what we are saying is that should be done without conditions. in the past, we have seen with

both republicans and democrats come together to deal with this issue. it is one of the basic items congress has to deal with and should be done without conditions. there is going to be no negotiation over it. this is something that must get done. >> do you agree with the treasury secretary that the debt ceiling should be eliminated? >> i have spoken to this before, no one is talking about eliminating the debt ceiling or the debt limit. that is not what we are talking about right now. congress is going to need to raise the debt limit without conditions. that is not the discussion we are having. >> who has been interviewed by the special counsel? >> any questions that you may have about the review, the process, i refer you to the department of justice. i would also refer you to my colleagues at the white house counsel. i am not going to get into

specifics from here. >> aside from special counsel, i have a question about the classified document and their handling. i think there is confusion by the public and in this room. what is the process to make sure classified documents are not accidentally or intentionally taken when a president leaves office? what is the protocol? or is this just a review system? >> good question. on the process i would refer you to the white house counsel's office. they can walk you through that. and i know many of you have been in touch with my colleagues the last 24 hours and answering many of your questions. i would refer you to them on the specific process. they will certainly guide you the right way. >> so far as you know, is it ever ok for classified documents to be mixed with personal? >> what i can say is what the president has said before, what

i have said multiple times -- we take this seriously. the president takes classified documents very seriously. look, i have said this before. we have addressed this issue multiple times at length and we have been fully cooperating with the department of justice. now we will be doing the same with the special counsel's office. just to be prudent and to make sure we are consistent i would refer you anything that is related to this to the department of justice. or my colleagues at the white house counsel's office. we see it as the best way to look forward. we want to respect the process. that is what i am going to do, refer you to the department of justice. >> [indiscernible] >> this is something he takes seriously, the president, when it comes to classified documents, classified information. i am not going to go into specifics.

if you have anything further related to the review, i refer you to the department of justice or my colleagues at the white house counsel's office who i know many of you have been in touch. >> following up on the state of the union. i believe it was the president who suggested he had spoken with speaker mccarthy. is there any plans for them to meet in person? >> they spoke and i think we shared that with all of you the day that speaker mccarthy became speaker. you saw a statement from the president and the first lady congratulating kevin mccarthy becoming speaker. and the next day i believe it was a friday, and the next day was a saturday. the president had a direct conversation. he connected with speaker mccarthy and congratulated him in person. >> [indiscernible] >> i do not have a scheduled meeting to share at this time. >> i want to follow up from

yesterday. when was the president informed about the attorney general's decision to appoint a special counsel? >> the specifics -- here is what i can tell you. we were not given the heads up. i was asked yesterday. we did not know that the announcement was going to come until after it happened. i can clear the deck and let you know. anything else specific to when the president knew or anything related to this, i refer you to the white house counsel's office. many i have been looking at have been in close touch with my colleagues there. i refer you to my colleague at the white house counsel's office. >> one of the things they confirmed is that the president's personal attorney is handling some of this. given the justice department cited the personal counsel having made this initial outreach to national archives

and been in touch with the justice department, is that the person who these questions should be directed to? >> i will say this again. whatever the white house counsel, my colleague, told you in your conversation -- i know you connected earlier today -- i would ask them that question. anything related to the review i would refer you to the department of justice. >> regarding the extraordinary measures the treasury secretary announced minutes ago, is there a policy that requires her to give advance notice of those plans? >> you would have to reach out to the department of treasury on how that works. when i can say, just so everyone knows, the debt limit is projected to be reached thursday, january 19. the treasury will begin to take extraordinary measures to prevent default. secretary yellen did not name a specific x date.

the day treasury would no longer be able to pay the government's obligations, but quoted from the secretary's letter, "it is unlikely cash and extraordinary measures will be exhausted before early june." but that does not mean congress should not wait until then to raise the debt ceiling, as we have been saying. the sooner congress acts, the better. even the prospect of not raising the debt ceiling will have damage. the full faith and the credit of our nation, and again, we encourage congress to act. as far as the steps and how this works, i refer you to the department. >> two years ago she did about 10 days before. >> i refer you to the department of treasury. >> nothing about the situation -- >> i refer you to the department of treasury. just to be clear, ed, i have been in here almost every day

since we got back from mexico city taking your questions, at length, we are not avoiding anything. you have heard from the president at least twice and we have put forth multiple statements from the white house counsel's office. i disagree. >> thank you so much. does the white house or president agreed to fully cooperate with the special counsel? >> we have said we are going to continue to fully cooperate. we have been. the president's lawyers and team have been fully cooperating with the department of justice and they are going to do that with the special counsel. >> with that reasoning, with the president agree to state on the record -- >> i am not going to get ahead of what is going to happen. i am not going to get into hypotheticals. what i will say is we have addressed this multiple times at length and we are going to continue -- the president's team will completely cooperate with

the department of justice. we respect that process. >> when can people expect to hear from him? >> again, that is something i do not have. i do not have a magic wand. what i can say is his team is going to fully cooperate with the department of justice. let's not forget the president said during the campaign when it comes to the department of justice independence, he respects that. it is incredibly to make sure -- important to make sure they have their independence. that is why i am saying we are going to refer to the department of justice. >> let me ask you the big picture question. does the white house, broadly speaking have an obligation to share not just with the archives but the american people when classified information is sent to a private location?

>> there is a process in this. >> but is it the policy of the white house they should share that information not just of the archives but the american people? >> i will say this. we have been transparent the last couple of days, and remember, there is an ongoing process. we have spoken when appropriate. and we have shared -- i have been here almost every day. not every day but wednesday and today taking your questions. the white house counsel has put out a very extensive, multiple statements on this. you all have been talking -- many of you -- talking to my colleagues in the white house counsel. the actions that we took were the right actions in dealing with the department of justice and the archives. >> but you have not answered when the press has broken -- >> because it is an ongoing

process. it is an ongoing process. there is a process. the department of justice is independent. we respect that process. but i can take two questions to 100 questions. i have answered your questions almost every day on this issue and again, anything else you may have, anything related to the review, i refer you to the department of justice. >> one more question and i will move on. if the president campaigned on the argument he would restore confidence, does this episode undercut that argument? that he would restore confidence? here we have in the headlines he is now under investigation. >> he restored independence to the department of justice. when we say we refer you to the department of justice, that is restoring independence as it relates to issues like this and that is important to the

president. and it has been consistent. what i am saying about investigations has been consistent the last two years. you heard me over and over when it comes to a legal issue or matter like this, we have always referred to the department of justice. there is nothing different here. we have said we wanted to restore the independence of the department of justice and that is what you are seeing. again, this has been done in a transparent way when it relates to how this was dealt with. and the archives, the president takes the seriously. any other questions you may have about this particular issue, about the review, i refer you to the department of justice. you have been in touch with my colleagues at the white house counsel's office and i suggest you continue to reach out. >> i want to push you on that point, disclosure when appropriate. it sort of feels like a strategy. a communication strategy to protect the president.

was the hope and expectation this would remain a private matter and not been subject to public scrutiny? >> that is your opinion. i have answered that question multiple times in different versions the last couple of days. look, i want to be clear. we are going to respect the process. this is part of the department of justice's process. we are cooperating fully. we are cooperating fully in this process. again, the president believes the justice department and its independence needs to be restored. that is what you have seen under this administration. i want to be consistent in what i am saying, i want to be prudent when i say we are going to defer any questions to the department of justice and any other items you have, if you do not want to talk to the department of justice, you can talk to the white house counsel's office.

i know you have been in touch with my colleagues. >> we have done both but often times in careers there comes a time when they are asked what they knew and when they knew it. were you or any member of your staff involved as to when the disclosure should be made in advance of cbs news breaking the story? >> no. did you have a question? [laughter] >> do you have how high the debt limit should be raised? >> i do not have a position. what i can say more broadly -- [crosstalk] -- more broadly speaking, not getting into the specifics, what i can say is we believe when it comes to the debt limit it has been done in a bipartisan way over the years, decades, and it should be done in a bipartisan way and without conditions. that is important. we are going to continue to encourage and ask congress to

take action and we leave it at this time. we are not going to do negotiations and it should be done without conditions. >> [indiscernible] >> i said our office of ledger affairs has been in touch with the new congress to make sure they know who to reach out to. so, we are always having conversation with members of congress. the president always has multiple conversations with members of congress. he has a lot of longtime friends who are over on the others of pennsylvania. that is something that continues. but when it comes to the debt limit it should be done without conditions. it was done under the last president three times in reporter: on the cpi data, it was good results, have you been

jazzed about that in the last 24 hours or so? is the white house thinking this is what a soft landing could look like? ms. jean-pierre: as you said, you've heard from many of my colleagues who are economists and have been working on this issue and pushing their economic plan. it goes back to the president's economic plan. we see it as it's working. the vision the president has for this country, when he came in, he passed the american rescue plan and these other historic pieces of legislation and the bystrom -- and the bipartisan infrastructure plan and i talked about the inflation reduction act. it matters with the vision of a president is an acting out on it and that's what you saw.

when you see inflation down for six months, that matters. that's because of the president's economic plan. annual inflation did dishes down 6.5% from this summer. gas prices are down by more than a buck 70 from its peak. all that matters so that's how we are seeing this. we are seeing and we will continue to put the american families and american people first and work on this issue that when you hear us talk about this all the time is the number one economic issues, bringing down inflation and that's why the inflation reduction act and we think about health care and medicare and negotiating those prices. when you think about what we announced in georgia, 2500 jobs will be created because of the inflation reduction act. all of that matters and all of that is important.

and it's about the president's economic plan. we think we continue to be in this transition of growth and we believe that's what the numbers continue to show as you talk about the jobs report we saw recently. i'm just saying that we are in this transition to stable and steady growth and we believe the economic policy of the president in the last two years, we see that working. reporter: the u.s. attorney was looking into this for several weeks. ms. jean-pierre: looking into what exactly? reporter: he was in touch with president biden's counsel. was -- was the white house surprised that along with merrick garland that they decided that more investigation was needed and the special counsel was appointed?

ms. jean-pierre: we were not given a heads up. attorney general garland was going to make his announcement and he did yesterday on the special counsel. that's something we learned like many of you watching the news. i'm not going to get into anything further from that. i cannot speak to this person you just mentioned who has been having conversations or making comments about this. i'm not going to give reactions from here but i will refer you to the white house counsel and office to talk to my colleagues in any particular questions you may have related to this process. if it's something you want to know specifically about the review, i refer you to the department of justice. ms. jean-pierre: god willing, he hoped to be able to do more. was he surprised the investigation did not end soon? ms. jean-pierre: i will not go

beyond what the president said. we are going to continue to fully cooperate. as i said, we talked about this at length. we've had multiple statements on this. i'm going to be consistent here that any questions you may have about this process i would refute -- i would refer you to the white house counsel. reporter: i want to ask you to the white house appeal of the mass shooting case. is there concern that some gun-control advocates are concerned or worried about the appeal by the doj and that appeal undercuts biden's own stance on background checks? also that the nra is essentially applauding the doj's move. ms. jean-pierre: when it comes to issues like this, legal issues, that is something to the department of justice deals with. they are independent so i would refer you to them on their

decision. the president continues to be committed on making sure we address an issue that is affecting families across the country. it's gun violence and that's why it was critical when he signed the pipe to some piece of legislation on gun violence a couple of months ago this past summer and he will continue to call for the ban of assault weapons and working with congress to make that happen. let's not forget, the first year and a half of this administration, we put forth more executive actions than any other president on dealing with this issue, on dealing with protecting our communities, protecting families dealing with gun violence and that call that he had to action from congress will continue. let's go to the back. reporter: i have two questions on the meeting with the prime minister. on the documents briefly, we have seen online propaganda for those seeking to take advantage of this revelation.

ms. jean-pierre: who is seeking to take advantage? reporter: we have seen propaganda online for those seeking to take advantage of the revelation of the classified document. can you share whether the administration is anticipating any kind of national security reactions and are you doing anything to deter threats? ms. jean-pierre: i will not talk about any intelligence from here. anything that is related to this, i would refer you to the department of justice and refer you to my colleagues at the white house counsel. i just will not go into any national security affairs. i would refer you to them. reporter: can you tell us whether the leaders spoke about semiconductors and whether japan

will limit chinese access to semiconductors and whether the prime minister urged president biden if he would be open to joining cptpp./ ms. jean-pierre: this is not an option we are exploring. we are focused on the ipef the indo pacific economic framework. we want to deepen our ties with those 13 partners many of which are tpp partners so that will be our focus and that has not changed. i don't want to get ahead of the conversation. they are currently still having a dialogue. i expect they will discuss china , russia, the russian war against ukraine and the unlawful missile programs and the leaders will focus on what they can get done together in 2023. japan holds the g-7 presidency

and has just taken a nonpermanent seat on the when security counsel. we are hosting a pack and making sure progress on the indo pacific framework, the prime minister arrived at the white house as you know. they consulted closely with us in europe and i expect the prime minister and the president will debriefing those consultations. we will have a readout for you and they are having this conversation currently and once we have that, we will share that. reporter: let me dig deeper on the apac. this framework was launched last year. it seems like the administration still believes this is the best offer the u.n. can get from the chinese? and my understanding this correctly? ms. jean-pierre: it was announced in tokyo this past may. and japan was a critical partner

in helping us to build support particularly among southeast asian countries. japan has been a critical partner in this. partners represent 40% of the world's gdp and we are united in our belief that much of our success in coming decades will depend on how well governments harness innovation. we have to see how this works through especially the transformation to clean energy, digital technology sectors while defying our economies, the range of threats from agile supply chains and corruption to taxation. with the japanese leadership in the negotiation, we expect to achieve commitments that will deepen our economic engagement in the region and make good progress this year. this is a partnership that is incredibly important. japan played a very big role on it. it represents the 40% of the world gdp.

it's an important partnership and it's a framework we are incredibly committed to and we appreciate japan's partnership in this. reporter: the u.s. chamber of commerce announce the president of the u.s. chamber said the business they represent are fed up with the government making harder to do business and adding new rules and regulations. do you have any response? ms. jean-pierre: the president's first two years in office have been the best for job creation in history when you think about nearly 10.5 million jobs created. manufacturing and small businesses are on the rise and we are seeing progress in our fight against global inflation. that's the first piece to lay out there. i don't think it's all of the chamber presidents who said that. she also called a polarization

and called for permitting reform, immigration reform, improving childcare and climate and funding law-enforcement. those are all areas where the president has called for congress to act we also agree with the chamber that congress must address the debt limit and we can not play chicken with the true faith and credit of the united states. lastly, i think everyone is aware that the last two years should historic bipartisan progress for the american people. those pieces of legislation are historic including our rebuilding of infrastructure and investing in american manufacturing. the president plans nexgen are in research, clean energy and it's supported by business communities. when you outreach to different communities, when we talk about these important pieces of legislation we talk about the presence economic plan, he also

believes big corporations should pay their fair share in taxes and that's not just us. that's also the american public believes they should be doing this. reporter: there is also government regulatory overreach. when regulations are driven by ideological agendas imposed on businesses without clarity, government is not working. will there be changes in the government working? ms. jean-pierre: our administration is leveraging every available tool to advance the president's ambitious agenda for the country and for the american people. that's his primary goal. when he came into the administration and it continues to be the case, he wanted to make sure he was delivering for the american people and delivering for american families and making sure we build the economy from the bottom up in middle out and that's what you are seeing. i was asked about inflation data and the jobs report. while there were still more work to do, we are seeing the president's economic policy is

actually working. go-ahead in the back. reporter: earlier this week, we discussed the situation in florida with 350 cuban migrants coming in. you said it was a political ploy on the part of governor desantis to employ the national guard. his office has said the coast guard requested help patrolling the waters off florida. can you discuss your understanding of the situation in florida and how that understanding has developed? >> ms. jean-pierre: i'm happy to repeat what i said which is governor desantis has made a mockery of the system. he has consistently and constantly done political stunts and has not helped to address the issue but has instead decided to put the lives of migrants who are coming here for

a better life at risk. that's what we have seen from this governor. when it comes to the customs and border protection, they are deploying additional personnel and resources to florida to lead process individuals and place them in removal proceedings. the migrants from cuba who arrived in florida over a week ago were processed and moved out of the state by border patrol within days. at the national park, it reopened this past sunday in the president has expanded safe, orderly, legal pathways including for cubans and we continue to urge individuals who use those instead of risking their lives at the hands of human struggle -- smugglers. you heard that directly from this president a couple of days ago on the world stage in mexico city. i will try to call other folks. reporter: you referred people to

the white house counsel. would you bring the head of the white house counsel here in the briefing room in a formal capacity? ms. jean-pierre: the white house counsel's office has provided information on this as appropriate. i've said this multiple times during the re-think, in the last 24 hours, my colleagues at the white house counsel have been in touch with many of you and has answered a lot of your questions. that will continue. reach out to them and they will certainly engage. i will leave it there but again, anything that is related to this review, i would send you to the department of justice. if there is something specific to this that you want from us, i would refer you to the white house counsel's office. reporter: is the white house concerned that this investigation will overshadow what you are trying to do now? ms. jean-pierre: our message is

very clear and it will continue to be just that. you have seen it and that's white when i started the briefing, i laid out all of the progress we have made. this week alone, when you think about the inflation reduction act and how it will lower cost for american families, when you think about the bipartisan infrastructure legislation, some of you were there in kentucky and we saw part of -- bipartisanship and talking about a bridge that has for decades presidents have talked about fixing that bridge. because of the bipartisanship this president brought together, got that done. we will not stop talking about how we will deliver for the american people. we actually believe that there are people who are watching who want to hear that and they want to hear what i just laid out at the beginning of the briefing. they want to know how this

president and this administration and the federal government is delivering for them. we will continue to have those conversations and you will continue to hear from me speaking about that. you heard the president yesterday talking about cpi data and how important it was to see inflation go down. it's been down for six months and we are seeing record low unemployment and that his conversation and that work will continue. thank you, everybody. host: caller: