Biden talks vaccinations, immigration, filibuster reform at first news conference

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden doubled his initial goal for COVID-19 vaccinations Thursday during his first formal news conference in the East Room of the White House.

The new target is 200 million vaccinations in his first 100 days in office, the president said. “I know it’s ambitious, twice our original goal, but no other country in the world has even come close to what we are doing,” Biden said.

In addition, he discussed immigration, the Senate filibuster and gun control and said he plans to run for re-election in 2024.

The president opened the hourlong news conference by touting his success in passing a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package with direct payments of $1,400, noting that 100 million of those payments are already in people’s bank accounts.

He noted the lack of Republican votes for the package, which public opinion polls show is widely popular with Democratic and Republican voters.

Immigration

The president fielded contentious questions about immigration policy and the surge of undocumented immigrants arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Republicans have called the crush of immigrants the “Biden border crisis” and have pinned the surge on the president’s rollback of Trump administration policies.

Biden said the surge at the border was caused by people fleeing conditions in Central America and Mexico. He has directed Vice President Kamala Harris to head up diplomatic efforts with Latin American countries to stem the flow of immigrants.

The president also blamed former President Donald Trump for cutting assistance to those countries that was designed to slow migration and for implementing border policies that separated children and parents.

Biden said overcrowding in facilities holding children is “unacceptable,” and he committed to allow media access to holding centers to witness the conditions and the process of reunification of unaccompanied minors with parents.

The president said many immigrants have been sent back. “They should all be going back,” he said.

“The only people we are not going to leave sitting there on the other side of the Rio Grande with no help are children,” Biden said.

But the president gave no clear timeline or details on how to improve the situation at the border. He has called on the Senate to pass two immigration bills that have cleared the House to give protections to “Dreamers” covered by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and to agricultural workers.

He also has called on Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform with a path to citizenship to address the status of the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants living in this country.

Filibuster reform

Biden backed reform of Senate filibuster rules that would return to the requirement that senators actually hold the floor and speak to prevent bills from moving to a vote. Currently, senators need only to give notice of their intent to filibuster to trigger a 60-vote threshold to proceed to a vote.

Biden accused Republicans of abusing the filibuster and left open his support for its elimination if GOP lawmakers block his agenda — a scenario favored by progressives in the Democratic caucus.

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

The Senate has already eliminated the filibuster for administration appointees and judicial nominees.

Gun control

In the wake of two mass shootings in the past two weeks, in Atlanta and Boulder, Colorado, Biden noted his support for gun control and eliminating “ghost guns,” but he said legislation is “a matter of timing.”

Ghost guns are those purchased piecemeal on the internet and assembled by the end user, without serial numbers. This makes it difficult for authorities to trace weapons used in crimes.

Biden has called for a ban on assault-style weapons, but he didn’t elaborate on his strategy to move gun control through Congress. The House has passed gun bills to strengthen background checks, something the president has urged the Senate to take up.

During the 2020 campaign, Biden often boasted about taking on the National Rifle Association and winning with passage of the original assault weapons ban. That law was considered flaw and ridden with loopholes, and expired in 2004.

Re-election and more

Although he’s been in office for just two months, Biden said he would seek re-election and that he expected Harris to be his running mate.

“Yes, my plan is to run for re-election,” said Biden, 78.

He also denounced efforts to limit voting rights, calling them “despicable.” Laws introduced around the country would curtail the hours polls are open and limit absentee or mail ballots.

In other domestic issues, Biden hinted at the infrastructure and jobs legislation he plans to unveil in Pittsburgh, a $3 trillion blueprint to improve interstate highways, bridges, water and transportation systems that would increase commerce and provide high-paying jobs.

The president noted that the United States is falling behind with improving its infrastructure, which gives other countries a competitive advantage. Biden ticked off a list of infrastructure needs, including fixing crumbling bridges and replacing lead pipes.

On international issues, Biden said he agreed with former President Barack Obama that North Korea and its nuclear arsenal pose the most-pressing national security concern. Biden said he wants to address the issue with diplomacy.

He said he expects aggressive economic competition from China, but not confrontation. Biden said he would consider sanctions in demanding China play by international rules.

The president said he expects a withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan but voiced skepticism that it would occur by a May 1 deadline established under the Trump administration.

“It’s not my intention to stay there a long time,” Biden said.

Contact Gary Martin at gmartin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @garymartindc on Twitter.