LIVE: White House briefing with Karine Jean-Pierre

US-Ireland Relations

• Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff will host the Taoiseach of Ireland and his wife for breakfast at the Naval Observatory on March 15th.

White House Staff Changes

• Three White House Wranglers, Allison Bess, Silus Woods, and Davis Conger, are moving on to new roles within the administration.

Humanitarian Assistance to Gaza

• The Department of Defense conducted another airdrop of humanitarian assistance into Gaza, delivering over 36,000 meals ready to eat.
• The US is exploring other channels to get aid into Gaza, including a maritime route, and is working with allies and partners to increase the flow of aid through existing crossings.
• President Biden is concerned about the potential for violence in Jerusalem and the region in the coming days.
• The US is working to expedite the deployment of a multinational force led by Kenya to Haiti as soon as possible.
• The US is ready to deploy a multinational security mission to Haiti within 72 hours, but funding, partly from the US, is being held up by Republicans in Congress.
• The Biden administration is working with Kenya and other partners to establish the multinational security mission in Haiti.
• The dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, including lack of food, water, medicine, and fuel, is unacceptable and the US is working with Israel to open more crossings for aid.

US-Israel Relations

• The National Security Council did not ask Vice President Harris to tone down her speech on the situation in Gaza.
• The US has been candid and forthright with Israel about the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the need for Israel to step up and do more.
• Hamas has said they will accept a deal that does not include a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, but Israel has not responded to the deal.
• The US hopes to reach an agreement before the start of Ramadan, but it depends on Hamas accepting the deal.
• The White House is having conversations with Israel about the potential for violence during Ramadan and is working to ensure that Israel can defend itself against Hamas while also trying to get a hostage deal in place.
• President Biden is not meeting with Benny Gantz during his visit to Washington, but Gantz has met with senior administration officials, including Jake Sullivan, the Vice President, the Secretary of Defense, and the Secretary of State.
• The US believes it is important for Israel to have what it needs to defend itself against Hamas and is working to increase the flow of aid into Gaza.
• The US is concerned about Israel's plans to increase domestic production of US-supplied weapons, but respects Israel's sovereignty and their right to make decisions about their defense industrial base.
• President Biden is focused on the humanitarian situation in Gaza and has ordered airdrops and urged Israel to open more crossings to supplement aid.
• The US is working on exploring maritime options to deliver aid to Gaza.

US-Ukraine Relations

• President Biden has been clear that there will be no US troops on the ground fighting in Ukraine, but the US is providing tools and capabilities to support Ukraine's defense.

US-Indonesia Relations

• The US congratulates the Indonesian people on a successful election and looks forward to strengthening cooperation with the new administration, but is closely following the ongoing vote count.
• The US is concerned about allegations of human rights violations by Indonesia's president-elect but will continue to engage with him if he is elected.

Haiti

• The US is continuing to monitor the situation in Haiti and is aware of the State Department's advisory urging Americans to evacuate the country.

State of the Union Address

• President Biden has been working on the State of the Union address for several days and will focus on accomplishments, his vision for the country, lowering costs, democracy, freedoms, and reproductive freedom.

Miscellaneous

• The White House Press Secretary denies the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will ban the iconic Times Square kiss photo from VA facilities.
• The White House has not yet formed a position on the latest bill in Congress to crack down on TikTok.
• The White House declines to comment on the Duke basketball team's decision to vote to form a union.
• The White House acknowledges Senator Dianne Feinstein's announcement of her retirement.
• The $45 million in fees diverted from the Justice Department's antitrust division in the omnibus spending agreement is a concern, but the President strongly supports funding for antitrust enforcement.
• The President will be taking his State of the Union message around the country after the address, visiting multiple states.
• The President has repeatedly called on large corporations to stop taking advantage of Americans and pass along their savings to customers.
• The President had note cards during his border briefing and meeting with the Italian Prime Minister because he wants to deliver for the American people and ensure accuracy in his communication.
• Julia Widow, who was invited to the State of the Union by