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      Big oil could bring US gas prices down but won’t – so hit it with a windfall tax | Robert Reich

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      Big oil could bring US gas prices down but won’t – so hit it with a windfall taxRobert ReichIn the US, in times of crisis, the poor pay the price and the rich cash in. Democrats know it doesn’t have to be this way This morning I filled my car with gas, costing almost six dollars a gallon. My car is a Mini Cooper I bought years ago, partly because it wasn’t a gas-guzzler. Now it’s guzzling dollars.Putin and Trump have convinced me: I was wrong about the 21st century | Robert ReichRead moreWhen I consider what’s happening in Ukraine, I say what the hell. It’s a small sacrifice.Yet guess who’s making no sacrifice at all – in fact, who’s reaping a giant windfall from this crisis?Big oil has hit a gusher. Even before Vladimir Putin’s war, oil prices had begun to rise due to the recovery in global demand and tight inventories.Last year, when Americans were already struggling to pay their heating bills and fill up their gas tanks, the biggest oil companies (Shell, Chevron, BP, and Exxon) posted profits totaling $75bn. This year, courtesy of Putin, big oil is on the way to a far bigger bonanza.How are the oil companies using this windfall? I can assure you they’re not investing in renewables. They’re not even increasing oil production.As Chevron’s top executive, Mike Wirth, said in September, “We could afford to invest more” but “the equity market is not sending a signal that says they think we ought to be doing that.”Translated: Wall Street says the way to maximize profits is to limit supply and push up prices instead.So they’re buying back their own stock in order to give their stock prices even more of a boost. Last year they spent $38bn on stock buybacks – their biggest buyback spending spree since 2008. This year, thanks largely to Putin, the oil giants are planning to buy back at least $22bn more.Make no mistake. This is a direct redistribution from consumers who are paying through the nose at the gas pump to big oil’s investors and top executives (whose compensation packages are larded with shares of stock and stock options).Though it’s seldom discussed in the media, lower-income earners and their families bear the brunt of the burden of higher gas prices. Not only are lower-income people less likely to be able to work from home, they’re also more likely to commute for longer distances between work and home in order to afford less expensive housing.Big oil companies could absorb the higher costs of crude oil. The reason they’re not is because they’re so big they don’t have to. They don’t worry about losing market share to competitors. So they’re passing on the higher costs to consumers in the form of higher prices, and pocketing record profits.It’s the same old story in this country: when crisis strikes, the poor and working class are on the frontlines while the biggest corporations and their investors and top brass rake it in.What to do? Hit big oil with a windfall profits tax.The European Union recently advised its members to seek a windfall profits tax on oil companies taking advantage of this very grave emergency to raise their prices.Democrats just introduced similar legislation here in the US. The bill would tax the largest oil companies, which are recording their biggest profits in years, and use the money to provide quarterly checks to Americans facing sticker shock as inflation continues to soar.It would require oil companies producing or importing at least 300,000 barrels of oil per day to pay a per-barrel tax equal to half the difference between the current price of a barrel and the average price from the years 2015 to 2019.This is hardly confiscatory. Those were years when energy companies were already recording large profits. Quarterly rebates to consumers would phase out for individuals earning more than $75,000 or couples earning $150,000.Republicans will balk at any tax increase on big oil, of course. They and the coal-industry senator Joe Manchin even tanked the nomination of Sarah Bloom Raskin to the Fed because she had the temerity to speak out about the systemic risks that climate change poses to our economy.But a windfall profits tax on big oil is exactly what Democrats must do to help average working people through this fuel crisis. It’s good policy, it’s good politics and it’s the right thing to do.
      Robert Reich, a former US secretary of labor, is professor of public policy at the University of California at Berkeley and the author of Saving Capitalism: For the Many, Not the Few and The Common Good. His new book, The System: Who Rigged It, How We Fix It, is out now. He is a Guardian US columnist. His newsletter is at robertreich.substack.com
      TopicsOil and gas companiesOpinionOilCommoditiesEnergy industryUkraineRussiaUS domestic policycommentReuse this content More

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      Progressive Democrats set out list of executive orders to push Biden agenda

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      Progressive Democrats set out list of executive orders to push Biden agendaCongressional Progressive Caucus urges president to bypass legislative logjam and give Democrats record to campaign on The leftwing Congressional Progressive Caucus unveiled its highly anticipated list of suggested executive orders on Thursday, outlining a strategy for Joe Biden to advance Democrats’ policy priorities in the US while much of his legislative agenda has stalled on Capitol Hill.The move reflects pressure from the left of the Democratic party to try to keep Biden pushing an ambitious program of action, despite setbacks and as November’s midterm elections are widely expected to favor a resurgent Republican party.Manchin ‘very reluctant’ on electric cars in ominous sign for Biden’s climate fightRead moreThe list covers a wide range of progressive wishlist items, including lowering healthcare costs, canceling federal student loan debt and reducing America’s dependence on fossil fuels. The agenda also calls for raising wages by increasing the threshold to be eligible for overtime pay and reducing police violence by establishing national standards for law enforcement officers.“Taken together, these actions will have an immediate and meaningful impact on people’s lives: lowering costs and raising wages for working people to provide urgently needed economic relief, advancing racial and gender equity by investing in communities that have historically been neglected, and delivering on our promises,” said Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, chair of the CPC. The list was crafted in consultation with the 98 members of the CPC, as well as a number of progressive grassroots groups. Dozens of progressive organizations have endorsed the agenda, calling on Biden to act quickly to sign the suggested executive orders.“As we face a historic crossroad in the fight to protect democracy and defeat white supremacy, it’s beyond time for Biden to use the full powers of the presidency to deliver for the people who elected him and address the interlocking crises of our times,” said Lauren Maunus, advocacy director for the climate group Sunrise Movement. “If he doesn’t, Biden risks not only alienating his own base, but failing to stop the worst of the climate crisis while he had the chance.”Jayapal said the CPC and the White House have had many conversations over the past several months as the caucus worked to develop its list, with the hope of avoiding potential legal challenges to the orders. Jayapal told reporters she planned to discuss the newly released agenda with Biden as early as this week.“The reason it took us so long to put this together, from when we first started talking about it at the end of December, is because we did want to make sure that these are things that the White House can do,” Jayapal said on a press call on Thursday. If Biden takes the CPC’s advice and signs more executive orders in the coming months, they believe it could help Democrats’ prospects in the midterm elections this November.As of now, Republicans are heavily favored to retake control of the House and possibly the Senate as well. With the Build Back Better Act stalled in the Senate, executive action may be Democrats’ best hope of enacting meaningful change between now and November, making it easier for members to campaign for re-election.“If we cancel student debt, that would be a huge thing all across this country,” the progressive Congresswoman Cori Bush said on Thursday. “We keep saying that Democrats deliver, but people don’t know we’re delivering if they can’t feel that difference, and people need to feel the difference.”Jayapal emphasized progressives were not giving up on implementing portions of the Build Back Better Act, the $1.7tn spending package that includes significant investments in healthcare, childcare and climate-related initiatives. But she argued the executive orders proposed by the CPC could provide immediate aid to families struggling to financially recover from the coronavirus pandemic, while also boosting Democrats’ midterm prospects.“We’ve got to make sure that we’re addressing the increase in housing costs, in childcare, in gas prices, and all the things that we’re seeing right now – and addressing that for people who are on the margins,” Jayapal said. “Let’s deliver some relief quickly for people. And yes, anything we do between now and November helps us.”TopicsDemocratsBiden administrationUS CongressUS politicsUS domestic policynewsReuse this content More

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      Zelenskiy captivates viewers with truth telling in address to Congress

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      Zelenskiy captivates viewers with truth telling in address to CongressUkrainian president, a former actor and comedian, has an understanding of the camera, and is proving a more serious man for more serious times For four long years members of the US Congress had to smile or scowl as a TV star played the role of president.Donald Trump became infamous for the art of lying. On Wednesday another TV performer turned national leader came before Congress. But this one captivated his viewers with truth telling.The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, a former actor and comedian facing down the Russian war machine, has an instinctive understanding of the camera but is proving a more serious man for more serious times. Despite being under siege in Kyiv, Zelenskiy has been on a virtual tour of western capitals over the past three weeks, tailoring his speeches to each nation. Speaking virtually to the British parliament, he cited William Shakespeare and Winston Churchill, while he asked members of its Canadian equivalent to imagine waking at 4am to bombs dropping on Ottawa’s airport or Toronto’s CN Tower.The Axios website described it as a “signature blend of praising, chastising and pleading with his audience to understand the global stakes of Ukraine’s resistance” which has produced unexpected commitments such as oil and Swift banking sanctions.So it was that in a packed auditorium in the basement of the US Capitol in Washington, Zelenskiy, whose words were translated from Ukrainian into English by a female interpreter, conjured the demons of two days when America was attacked from the skies to renew his plea for a no-fly zone above Ukraine.“Remember Pearl Harbor, the terrible morning of December 7, 1941, when your sky was black from the planes attacking you,” said Zelenskiy, looming large on a cinema screen, wearing perfectly trimmed hair and beard and a green T-shirt, against a white backdrop with a Ukrainian flag to one side.“Remember September 11, a terrible day in 2001 when evil tried to turn your cities, independent territories, into battlefields. When innocent people were attacked from the air. Our country is experiencing the same every day, right now, at this moment. Every night for three weeks now … Russia has turned the Ukrainian sky into a source of death for thousands of people.”Combined with references to Mount Rushmore and Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream speech”, Zelenskiy, was pushing America’s most emotive buttons with words. But he also knows that this is the nation of network television, cable news, Hollywood, Netflix and social media. So words alone would not do.Zelenskiy asked the members of the House of Representatives and Senate to watch a searing video compilation showing the hell that Russian troops have rained down on Ukraine and its citizens. It contrasted idyllic images of children playing in peaceful towns and cities with explosions, destruction, sobbing, refugees, hospitals and corpses, accompanied by the lament of a violin.According to a pooled report by the Associated Press, “As Zelenskiy played the video of violence, the room was very quiet and members were mostly still. Some shook their heads or wiped eyes or took video. Small amount of applause afterward.”Then came a simple message written in white letters on a black backdrop: “Close the sky over Ukraine.”Tragic in the truest sense because this is the one thing that Congress, and Joe Biden, will not do, fearing that a no-fly zone, in which US pilots shoot down Russians, could trigger a third world war. Perhaps aware of this reluctance, Zelenskiy did not dwell on the issue for long, pivoting to a request for surface-to-air missile systems and urging Washington to “do more”.But the video had a wider purpose. It was shown to millions of American TV viewers just after 9am. It caught TV executives by surprise and they did not have time to censor it; some anchors apologised for its graphic content. It spread far and wide on social media. In the court of public opinion, the video humanised the victims and conveyed the message that our struggle is your struggle.Zelenskiy had again shown himself to be a master of the medium, inviting comparisons with Vladimir Putin’s efforts to lie low, clamp down on media, crush all dissent and turn Russia into North Korea. Zelenskiy is running rings around Putin in the soft power arena with his speeches and intimate phone videos; Russia is not faring especially well with hard power either.On Wednesday the Ukrainian president ended his speech by addressing the room in English. “Now, I’m almost 45 years old,” he said. “Today my age stopped when the heart of more than 100 children stopped beating. I see no sense in life if it cannot stop the deaths.”There was also a direct appeal to Biden: “I wish for you to be the leader of the world. Being the leader of the world means to be the leader of peace.”The auditorium erupted in a bipartisan standing ovation. Chris Murphy, a Democratic senator, tweeted: “There’s no member of Congress left that room without thinking what more the United States can do to stop this carnage. Just a gut wrenching speech. #SlavaUkraine.”In an era of Trumpism, fake news and disinformation, Zelenskiy, who used to play a fictional president, had cut through with his sincerity. For him and Ukraine, it already feels like a third world war; that is their truth. And the temptation for America to flex its superpower muscles is stronger than ever.TopicsVolodymyr ZelenskiyUS CongressBiden administrationJoe BidenUkraineRussiaEuropefeaturesReuse this content More

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      ‘No more switching clocks’: Senate passes act to make daylight saving time permanent

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      ‘No more switching clocks’: Senate passes act to make daylight saving time permanentSunshine Protection Act needs approval from the House, and the signature of Joe Biden, to become law The Senate unanimously approved a measure Tuesday that would make daylight saving time permanent across the United States next year.The bipartisan bill, named the Sunshine Protection Act, would ensure Americans would no longer have to change their clocks twice a year. But the bill still needs approval from the House, and the signature of Joe Biden, to become law.“No more switching clocks, more daylight hours to spend outside after school and after work, and more smiles – that is what we get with permanent daylight saving time,” said Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts, the original cosponsor of the legislation, in a statement.Markey was joined on the chamber floor by senators from both parties as they made the case for how making daylight saving time permanent would have positive effects on public health and the economy and even cut energy consumption.“Changing the clock twice a year is outdated and unnecessary,” said Republican Senator Rick Scott of Florida.“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Americans want more sunshine and less depression – people in this country, all the way from Seattle to Miami, want the Sunshine Protection Act,” added Senator Patty Murray of Washington.Nearly a dozen states across the US have already standardized daylight saving time.Daylight saving time is defined as a period between spring and fall when clocks in most parts of the country are set one hour ahead of standard time. Americans last changed their clocks on Sunday. Standard time lasts for roughly four months in most of the country.Members of Congress have long been interested in the potential benefits and costs of daylight saving time since it was first adopted as a wartime measure in 1942. The proposal will now go to the House, where the energy and commerce committee had a hearing to discuss possible legislation last week.Representative Frank Pallone, the chairman of the committee, agreed in his opening statement at the hearing that it is “time we stop changing our clocks”. But he said he was undecided about whether daylight saving time or standard time is the way to go.Markey said Tuesday: “Now, I call on my colleagues in the House of Representatives to lighten up and swiftly pass the Sunshine Protection Act.”TopicsUS newsUS politicsUS weatherUS CongressnewsReuse this content More

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      Zelenskiy to address US Congress and call for tougher line against Russia

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      Zelenskiy to address US Congress and call for tougher line against RussiaUkrainian president expected to press once again for no-fly zone and urge US to facilitate transfer of fighter jets The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, will deliver a virtual address to the US Congress on Wednesday, the latest in a series of speeches to western leaders as he works to galvanize support for his besieged nation.‘Would-be tyrant’: Republican targeted by Trump at rally hits backRead moreThe remarks to both chambers of Congress come on day 21 of the battle for Ukraine’s survival under an intensifying assault from Russia.Russian troops are advancing on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, in a war that has already killed hundreds of civilians in aerial and artillery bombardment, including at least 100 children.More than 3 million people have fled Ukraine since the invasion, causing the fastest-growing refugee crisis in Europe since the second world war.Zelenskiy’s speech follows similar addresses to the UK parliament, in which he invoked Shakespeare and echoed Winston Churchill’s famous wartime oration to the House of Commons about defiance in the face of an apparently overwhelming aggressor.On Tuesday, Zelenskiy appealed to Canada’s parliament, and the nation’s large Ukrainian diaspora, to rally behind his country. That evening, the prime ministers of Nato allies and Russian neighbors Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovenia traveled by train to Kyiv, which was under a 35-hour curfew as Russian shells and missiles rained down on the capital, striking residential areas and civilian infrastructure.It came on the same day Zelenskiy acknowledged that Ukraine’s longstanding hope of joining Nato was unlikely.“For years, we heard about the apparently open door, but have already also heard that we will not enter there, and these are truths and must be acknowledged,” the Ukrainian president said in a speech before the leaders of the Joint Expeditionary Force, a UK-led initiative bringing together 10 north Atlantic countries to create a capability for responding rapidly to crises.In his remarks on Wednesday, which will come nearly two weeks after Zelenskiy met virtually, behind the scenes, with a small group of members of Congress, he is expected to call on the US once again to “close the skies” over Ukraine.He is also likely to press to be supplied with fighter jets by Nato allies that Ukrainian pilots can fly up against Russian air forces, and steeper economic sanctions in the face of an advancing Russian assault.The Biden administration has so far flatly ruled out an option of the west imposing a no-fly zone over the country, determined to avoid inevitable direct combat between the US and Russian forces – a conflict the US president has said would lead to “world war three”.The Biden administration also rejected an offer from Poland to turn over its Soviet-era fighter jets to Ukraine, which had been made only if the US and Nato facilitated the transfer. Administration officials argued the move could be seen as escalatory by Moscow.But Biden is facing growing pressure to reconsider his position. A growing chorus of lawmakers on Capitol Hill are publicly pressuring Biden to increase military aid to Ukraine, including sending fighter jets and air defense systems.The calls come as the US and allies tighten their economic vice on Russia, apparently leading Moscow to turn to China for financial support.On Tuesday, Biden signed into law a funding measure that will provide a record $13.6bn in emergency aid to Ukraine and its European allies.This week, lawmakers are expected to take up legislation that would end normal trade relations with Russia after Biden last Friday said the US would join Europe and other allies in revoking its preferred trade status.Biden will travel to the Belgian capital, Brussels, next week for a meeting with Nato leaders to discuss the ongoing crisis in Ukraine and reassure allies of the US’s commitment to the defense alliance.“His goal is to meet in person, face-to-face with his European counterparts and talk about where we are at this point in the conflict in the invasion of Ukraine by Russia,” the White House press secretary, Jen Psaki, said on Tuesday.She added: “We’ve been incredibly aligned to date – that doesn’t happen by accident. The president is a big believer in face-to-face diplomacy, so it’s an opportunity to do exactly that.”TopicsUS CongressUS politicsUkraineRussiaVolodymyr ZelenskiyEuropeJoe BidennewsReuse this content More

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      Biden to visit Nato and EU in Brussels as pressure over Ukraine increases – as it happened

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      Biden administrationBiden to visit Nato and EU in Brussels as pressure over Ukraine increases – as it happened
      Congress pressures president to transfer jets from Poland to Ukraine
      Sarah Bloom Raskin withdraws nomination from Federal Reserve Board
      Ukraine crisis – live updates
      Sign up to receive First Thing – our daily briefing by email
       Updated 9m agoVivian HoTue 15 Mar 2022 17.09 EDTFirst published on Tue 15 Mar 2022 09.22 EDT Show key events onlyLive feedShow key events only
      Joe Biden will meet with Nato alliance leaders and the European Commission next week about the situation in Ukraine.
      Fox News cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski, 55, and Ukrainian journalist Oleksandra “Sasha” Kuvshynova, 24, were killed when their vehicle was struck by incoming fire. Fox News correspondent Benjamin Hall was also wounded in the incident.
      Sarah Bloom Raskin withdrew her nomination for Federal Reserve Board following staunch opposition from Republicans.
      The White House is warning of dire consequences should Covid-19 relief funding remain stalled in Congress.
      That’s all for today – thanks for following along. You can keep up to date with news from Ukraine here, in our dedicated live blog:Ukraine-Russia war latest: More than 3m have now fled Ukraine, says UN, as Czech, Polish and Slovenian leaders arrive for Zelenskiy meeting – liveRead moreWhile Joe Biden hasn’t changed his stance on facilitating the Polish fighter jets to Ukraine or establishing a no-fly zone, it looks like there’s still some movement in Congress to exert some pressure. McConnell signals that GOP still undecided on trying to force administration’s hand on Ukraine fighter jet issue. Asked him if getting MiGs to Ukraine is an issue he’ll insist on getting into legislation, and he said “exactly how to make that happen is still under discussion.”— Manu Raju (@mkraju) March 15, 2022
      Talks between Dems and GOP over stripping Russia of its trade status have yet to lead to an agreement as the two sides are still haggling over the bill language.Pelosi promised to pass the bill in the House this week. But a bipartisan deal would ease its passage in the Senate.— Manu Raju (@mkraju) March 15, 2022
      Sherrod Brown, the chair of the Senate banking committee, has made a comment on Sarah Bloom Raskin: Sherrod Brown, Senate Banking chairman: “Republicans engaged in a disingenuous smear campaign, distorting Ms. Raskin’s views beyond recognition and made unsubstantiated attacks on her character. Committee Democrats were united, and we did our jobs.” (Manchin not on the committee)— Manu Raju (@mkraju) March 15, 2022
      Joe Biden has issued a statement about Sarah Bloom Raskin withdrawing her nomination from the Federal Reserve Board:
      After serving as the second-in-command at treasury and with prior service on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, Sarah Bloom Raskin knows better than anyone how important the Federal Reserve is to fighting inflation and continuing a sustainable economic recovery. She has unparalleled experience pursuing solutions to enhance our country’s critical financial infrastructure, with expertise in cybersecurity and climate risk, and protecting consumers in the financial marketplace.
      Sarah’s nomination had broad support—from the banking and financial services community, former members of the Board of Governors, multiple Nobel Prize winners, consumer advocates, and respected economists from around the country. That experience and support are among the many reasons why I nominated Sarah to be the vice chair for supervision, a critical role in regulating our nation’s financial institutions.
      Despite her readiness—and despite having been confirmed by the Senate with broad, bipartisan support twice in the past—Sarah was subject to baseless attacks from industry and conservative interest groups. Unfortunately, senate Republicans are more focused on amplifying these false claims and protecting special interests than taking important steps toward addressing inflation and lowering costs for the American people.
      I am grateful for Sarah’s service to our country and for her willingness to serve again, and I look forward to her future contributions to our country.
      I urge the senate banking committee to move swiftly to confirm the four eminently qualified nominees for the Board of Governors—Jerome Powell, Lael Brainard, Philip Jefferson, and Lisa Cook—who are still waiting for an up-or-down vote. This group has the experience, judgment, and talent necessary to lead the Federal Reserve at this critical moment in our economic recovery, and the senate should move their nominations forward.
      Ukrainian journalist Oleksandra “Sasha” Kuvshynova was killed in the same attack that killed Fox News cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski and wounded Fox News correspondent Benjamin Hall yesterday. Adding to our sadness at @FoxNews – Ukrainian journalist Oleksandra “Sasha” Kuvshynova was also killed in the attack against our Fox News team. Sasha was working for us as a local producer. Prayers going out to her family.— John Roberts (@johnrobertsFox) March 15, 2022
      This comes a few days after Brent Renaud, an award-winning US film-maker, was killed reportedly by Russian forces in the town of Irpin. A US photographer, Juan Arredondo, was wounded in the same incident.More than half of Americans do not think Joe Biden will run for re-election in 2024, a new poll has found. The poll, conducted by the Wall Street Journal between 2-7 March, revealed that 52% of Americans do not think Biden, 79, will run again in two years while 29% expect him to do so.41% of Democrats indicated that they think Biden will pursue re-election while 32% said otherwise. 26% remained uncertain. Biden has said that he plans to run. At the first formal news conference of his presidency, he said: “My answer is yes. I plan on running for re-election. That’s my expectation.” In December, Biden reiterated his plans to run again, telling ABC News: “If I’m in the health I’m in now, if I’m in good health, then in fact, I would run again.” In 2021, Biden made history by being the oldest American president sworn in for the firt time. Before that, Donald Trump was the oldest president inaugurated for the first time, at 70. The WSJ poll also revealed that 49% of Americans expect Trump to run for a third time while 27% did not. Just under a quarter of voters remained unsure. Among Republicans, 60% believed Trump will pursue reelection. Asked who they would vote for in a hypothetical rematch, voters were split 45%-45%, unchanged since the WSJ’s previous poll, in November. Following staunch opposition from the Republicans, Sarah Bloom Raskin has withdrawn her nomination from the Federal Reserve Board, the New Yorker is reporting. Breaking: Sarah Bloom Raskin Withdraws Her Nomination to the Federal Reserve Board https://t.co/IPoDqYH0Mv— Jane Mayer (@JaneMayerNYer) March 15, 2022
      Republicans last month boycotted a meeting to vote the nominations for Federal Reserve Board – including the chair – to the next step in the process because of their opposition to Raskin. In particular, they were concerned that her views on the climate crisis could harm fossil fuel companies. In addition, she is married to Democratic congressman Jamie Raskin, who helped lead the second impeachment of Donald Trump.But the White House has stood by their nomination, with press secretary Jen Psaki saying yesterday, “She is one of the most qualified individuals to be nominated to this position.”Though the White House said they would work on garnering bipartisan support for Bloom after senator Joe Manchin announced he would be parting with the Democrats on this vote, Psaki would not confirm any actual Republicans they had on board.Joe Biden said the US and its allies were overcoming “exceedingly difficult” conditions to get humanitarian supplies into Ukraine.Speaking at the White House, as he signed the consolidated appropriations act into law, the president said his administration’s priority was to provide essential supplies for civilians suffering during the “rapidly evolving crisis” caused by Russian attacks.“We’re airlifting emergency relief supplies in staging positions in the region, thermal blankets, water treatment equipment, so they can be shipped into Ukraine,” the president said. “Essentials like soap, laundry detergent, simple sounding things to refugees who fled really with nothing but the clothes on their backs.“It’s exceedingly difficult to get supplies into Ukraine while the Russian onslaught continues. But we’re managing to get supplies in… thanks to the bravery of so many frontline workers who are still at their posts.”Biden said the world food program, with US support, had purchased 20,000 metric tons of food “to address the growing needs of individuals affected by this conflict” at refugee reception centers in countries neighboring Ukraine.“With billions more included in this bill for new humanitarian assistance, we’re going to be able to quickly ramp up our response and help alleviate the suffering that Putin’s war is causing the Ukrainian people in the region.” Biden added.The US Congress last week passed a $13.6bn aid package for Ukraine, which Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer said was more than double what Biden’s administration originally asked for.
      Joe Biden will travel to Brussels next week to meet with the leaders of the Nato alliance and the European Commission about the war in Ukraine.
      The announcement of the trip comes as pressure on Biden grows to establish a no-fly zone over Ukraine and to facilitate the transfer of fighter jets from Poland to Ukraine. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden’s stance on those points have not changed.
      The White House warned of dire consequences if Covid relief funding remains stalled in Congress.
      Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell called for the White House to pull their nomination of Sarah Bloom Raskin for Federal Reserve board following yesterday’s announcement from Democratic senator Joe Manchin saying he will not vote to confirm her.
      White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that the administration is having “ongoing internal discussions about how we can play the most effective role in supporting the large number of refugees who are coming out of Ukraine” but would not reveal anything more about actually bringing refugees to the US. Psaki said most of the assistance the US has been providing in terms of the refugee crisis has been in the “large number of humanitarian assistance that we are providing not just to Ukraine but to neighboring countries that are providing a haven for refugees as they’re leaving Ukraine.” When pushed further, Psaki said, “The president would welcome Ukrainians coming here. Currently they can apply through the refugee process, but we’re discussing what other options may exist.”Russia today announced personal sanctions against Joe Biden and a number of other administration officials, including White House press secretary Jen Psaki.When asked about the sanctions at today’s press briefing, Psaki responded, “I would first note that President Biden is a junior, so they may have sanctioned his dad, may he rest in peace.”She continued: “The second piece I would say that won’t surprise any of you is that none of us are planning tourist trips to Russia and none of us have bank accounts that we won’t be able to access, so we will just forge ahead.” White House press secretary Jen Psaki took a moment at the beginning of the briefing to go off on how the US has struck Russia on an economic front since the invasion began: “We’ve made President Putin’s war of choice a strategic failure,” she said. “The unprecedented cost we imposed with allies and partners have reversed 30 years of economic progress, something that President Putin himself has pushed for, and that has happened in less than a month. She continued: “It hard at the things that President Putin cares for the most – degrading his military, access to cutting edge technology, an ability to exert power and influence.”Psaki pointed out that with the central bank reserves, about half of Putin’s war chest has been immobilized. “He can’t use these rainy day funds to support his war in Ukraine,” she said. Psaki continued: “The ruble is less than penny. It’s the worst performing emerging market currency. The Russian stock market has been closed for nearly three weeks, the longest in its history as they try to prevent a market crash. Inflation in Russia is rampant. Some forecasters are predicting 20% inflation for Russia by the end of the year. Trillions in dollars of businesses have been disrupted by sanctions, putting the Russian financial sector in severe stress. The economic outlook for the country. Forecasters around the world are projecting a collapse for the country.”In the private sector, major companies either have left or are leaving Russia as world leaders look to “ratchet up pressure on Putin’s oligarchs”. Janet Yellen, the treasury secretary, and attorney general Merrick Garland will tomorrow announce the creation of the Russian elite proxies and oligarchs multilateral task force as “a way to go after corrupt gains of some of the individuals closest to Putin,” Psaki said. In terms of security assistance, the omnibus package that the president is secheduled to sign this afternoon will provide $13.6bn for Ukraine. That comes in addition to the $1.2bn in security assistance already provided, including $550m in the last two weeks. Psaki noted that Biden has also approved four emergency security assistance packages to provide Ukraine with “the type of weapons they are using so effectively to defend their country”. Despite rising pressure from Congress and the public, Joe Biden remained steady on his stance on establishing a no-fly zone over Ukraine and facilitating getting the fighter jets in Poland to Ukraine. “Nothing has changed about the analysis that the Department of Defense has provided last week,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said. “Because of the challenges in delivery and the impact, providing these would be greater risk than there would be benefit.” Psaki on Biden: “He continues to believe that a no-fly zone could be escalatory and could prompt a war with Russia.”— David Smith (@SmithInAmerica) March 15, 2022
      The way the US has been aiding Ukrainians in their fight against Russian aggression is by “providing the type of military assistance and equipment that the Ukrainians have used to push back and fight in the last 19 days. “That is what we will continue to do with the omnibus,” Psaki said. White House press secretary Jen Psaki kicked off today’s press briefing by warning of “dire consequences” should Covid-19 relief funding remains stalled in Congress. The White House had originally requested $22.5bn in Covid relief funding, which Democrats negotiated down to $15bn. Ultimately, however, the funding had to be taken out of the $1.5tn omnibus package in order for it to pass.Psaki warned that without the funding, there will be “fewer monoclonal antibodies sent to states, an inability to purchase additional treatments, fewer tests, less surveillance for future variants and a risk of running short on vaccines.”Democrats have expressed frustration with how the White House has handled the funding issue, but Psaki made it clear that the administration has been communicating with Congress about the funding since January, in more than three dozen calls and meetings and briefings with committees. “With cases rising abroad, scientific and medical experts have been clear that in the next couple of months, there could be increasing cases of Covid-19 here in the United States as well,” Psaki said. “Waiting to provide funding until we’re in a worse spot with the virus could be too late. We need more funding now so that we’re prepared for whatever.”Joe Biden will travel to Brussels next week to meet with the leaders of the Nato alliance and the European Commission to discuss the Russian invasion of Ukraine. White House press secretary Jen Psaki confirmed Biden’s planned 24 March meeting at today’s press briefing. President Biden @POTUS comes to @NATO HQ next week to participate in an extraordinary meeting of the leaders of all #NATO Allies. #WeAreNATO pic.twitter.com/Pd08Tk2KTs— US Mission to NATO (@USNATO) March 15, 2022
      Joe Biden came into the White House vowing to restore American leadership on the world stage. But the tumultuous end to the war in Afghanistan last year shook Americans’ confidence, raising doubts about Biden’s competence and judgment and sending his approval rating tumbling.Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has given Biden a second chance to demonstrate the steady leadership he promised, raising hopes among Democrats that the White House’s efforts to punish Moscow for its shocking aggression will resonate with voters in this year’s midterm elections.But Democrats face stiff headwinds in their attempt to defy historical trends and maintain their narrow majorities in Congress. Among their biggest obstacles are Biden’s deep unpopularity and the rising cost of gas, food and rent, for which Republicans have faulted Democrats.At the Democrats’ annual retreat in Philadelphia last week, party leaders spoke of a world – and an electorate – reshaped by Russia’s invasion of its democratic neighbor. They said the conflict provided a new clarity of purpose – and a new villain: Russian leader Vladimir Putin.As the war in Ukraine threatens to push already rising gas prices even higher, Democrats are blaming “Putin’s tax hike”. At the same time, they are touting the administration’s role coordinating a worldwide response to Russia, and the devastating impact of economic sanctions, highlighting a contrast with former president Donald Trump, who has continued to praise Putin.Full story:Will Biden’s handling of the Ukraine crisis prove popular with US voters?Read moreThe White House is reopening again for public tours. INBOX: Public tours are coming back to the White House! pic.twitter.com/AMPasjhUS1— Asma Khalid (@asmamk) March 15, 2022
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