Biden celebration of new gun law clouded by Highland Park mass shooting
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — President Biden hailed Monday a new bipartisan law meant to reduce gun violence as “real progress,” but said “more has to be done.” After just 16 days in effect, the legislation has already been overshadowed by yet another mass shooting.
The bill — passed following recent gun rampages in Buffalo and Uvalde, Texas — incrementally toughens requirements for young people to buy guns, denies firearms to more domestic abusers, and helps local authorities temporarily take weapons from people judged to be dangerous.
President Joe Biden speaks during an event to celebrate the passage of the "Bipartisan Safer Communities Act," a law meant to reduce gun violence, on the South Lawn of the White House, Monday, July 11, 2022, in Washington.
President Joe Biden speaks during an event to celebrate the passage of the "Bipartisan Safer Communities Act," a law meant to reduce gun violence, on the South Lawn of the White House, Monday, July 11, 2022, in Washington. (Evan Vucci/)
But the “celebration” Monday morning at the White House came a week after a gunman in Highland Park, Ill., killed seven people at an Independence Day parade, a stark reminder of the limitations of the new law in addressing the American phenomenon of mass gun violence. And it comes as Democratic governors have taken up the mantle of offering outrage in the face of gun violence.
Biden hosted hundreds of guests on the South Lawn, including a bipartisan group of lawmakers who crafted and supported the legislation, as well as local officials — among them Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering — and the families of victims of both mass shootings and everyday gun violence.
“Because of your work, your advocacy, your courage, lives will be saved today and tomorrow because of this,” Biden said.
Guests listen as President Joe Biden speaks during an event to celebrate the passage of the "Bipartisan Safer Communities Act," a law meant to reduce gun violence, on the South Lawn of the White House, Monday, July 11, 2022, in Washington.
Guests listen as President Joe Biden speaks during an event to celebrate the passage of the "Bipartisan Safer Communities Act," a law meant to reduce gun violence, on the South Lawn of the White House, Monday, July 11, 2022, in Washington. (Evan Vucci/)
The law is the most impactful firearms violence measure Congress has approved since enacting a now-expired assault weapons ban in 1993. Yet gun control advocates — and even White House officials — say it’s premature to declare victory.
The president signed the bipartisan gun bill on June 25, calling it “a historic achievement” at the time.
Guests listen as President Joe Biden speaks during an event to celebrate the passage of the "Bipartisan Safer Communities Act," a law meant to reduce gun violence, on the South Lawn of the White House, Monday, July 11, 2022, in Washington.
Guests listen as President Joe Biden speaks during an event to celebrate the passage of the "Bipartisan Safer Communities Act," a law meant to reduce gun violence, on the South Lawn of the White House, Monday, July 11, 2022, in Washington. (Evan Vucci/)
On Monday, Biden said the law’s passage should be a call for further action to reduce gun violence.
“Will we match thoughts and prayers with action,” Biden asked. “I say yes. And that’s what we’re doing here today.”
White House officials said Biden doesn’t see the passage of the bill as the finish line, but rather as a foundation that needs to be built on. The Illinois shooting occurred nine days after the bill signing.
Gabby Giffords, former U.S. Representative and mass shooting survivor, hugs an audience member during an event to celebrate the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act on the South Lawn of the White House on July 11, 2022 in Washington, DC.
Gabby Giffords, former U.S. Representative and mass shooting survivor, hugs an audience member during an event to celebrate the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act on the South Lawn of the White House on July 11, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Chip Somodevilla/)
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), who attended the White House event, talked about her personal experience in making this legislation come to fruition.
“For over a decade, I fought alongside Jennifer Pryear, Nyasia Pryear-Yard’s mother, to make gun trafficking a federal crime,” said Gillibrand.
Nyasia was a Catholic school honor student from Brooklyn who was shot dead in 2009 as she danced in a teen club. Two other teens were grazed; the NYPD investigated whether rival gangs were responsible for the gunplay involved.
Nyasia Pryear-Yard was a Catholic school honor student from Brooklyn who was shot dead in 2009 as she danced in a teen club.
Nyasia Pryear-Yard was a Catholic school honor student from Brooklyn who was shot dead in 2009 as she danced in a teen club. (Aaron Showalter/New York Daily News/)
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), part of a bipartisan group of senators who emerged with a gun violence compromise package after weeks of closed-door negotiations, said that while the legislation didn’t go far enough, it was an important step toward reform.
“For three decades, shooting after shooting after shooting, Congress did nothing,” said Murphy. “But undeterred by the status quo of inaction and the power of the gun lobby, the anti-gun violence movement grew stronger and more determined to make our country safer with every passing day.”
President Joe Biden speaks alongside First Lady Jill Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House Congressional Picnic on the South Lawn of the White House on Tuesday, July 12, 2022, in Washington, DC.
President Joe Biden snaps a photo with guests at the White House Congressional Picnic on the South Lawn of the White House on Tuesday, July 12, 2022, in Washington, DC.
(L-R) U.S. President Joe Biden, Garnell Whitfield Jr., Vice President Kamala Harris and Dr. Dr. Roy Guerrero arrive for an event to celebrate the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act on the South Lawn of the White House on July 11, 2022, in Washington, DC. Calling the new law "the most significant gun violence reduction legislation in the last 30 years," the White House invited lawmakers, gun violence victims and other supports to the White House to commemorate its passage.
U.S. President Joe Biden signs an executive order on access to reproductive health care services as (L-R) Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra, and Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco look on during an event at the Roosevelt Room of the White House on July 8, 2022, in Washington, DC. President Biden delivered remarks on reproductive rights at the event.
U.S. President Joe Biden presents soccer player Megan Rapinoe with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, during a ceremony honoring 17 recipients in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC on July 7, 2022.
U.S. President Joe Biden presents gymnast Simone Biles with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, during a ceremony honoring 17 recipients in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC on July 7, 2022.
U.S. President Joe Biden (C) participates in a signing ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC on May 25, 2022. Biden signed an Executive Order to advance policing and strengthen public safety.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to Gianna Floyd, the daughter of George Floyd, after an executive order signing event enacting further police reform in the East Room of the White House on May 25, 2022, in Washington, DC. President Biden's executive order intends to improve police accountability and direct federal agencies to revise use-of-force policies, such as banning tactics like chokeholds.
The flags fly at half-staff over the White House by order of President Joe Biden on Wednesday, May 25, 2022, in Washington, DC, following the Texas school shooting that left 19 kids and 2 teachers dead.
President Joe Biden speaks to the nation about the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas from the White House, in Washington, DC on Tuesday, May 24, 2022, as first lady Jill Biden listens.
U.S. President Joe Biden (C) welcomes Sweden's Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson (R) and Finland's President Sauli Niinisto to the White House on May 19, 2022, in Washington, DC. The leaders are meeting with President Biden and other U.S. officials to discuss the two countries' request to join the NATO alliance in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Members of Team USA, first lady Jill Biden, U.S. President Joe Biden, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Douglas Emhoff pose for a photo on the South Lawn at the White House on May 4, 2022, in Washington, DC. President Biden hosts the team to celebrate their victories in the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games and Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games.
U.S. President Joe Biden and U.S. first lady Jill Biden kiss in front of members of Team USA on the South Lawn at the White House on May 4, 2022, in Washington, DC.
U.S. President Joe Biden takes pictures with members of Team USA on the South Lawn at the White House on May 4, 2022, in Washington, DC.
U.S. President Joe Biden watches as First Lady Jill Biden hugs Kurt Russell, the 2022 National Teacher of the Year, during a ceremony honoring the Council of Chief State School Officers 2022 National and State Teachers of the Year in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, April 27, 2022.
U.S. First Lady Jill Biden and U.S. President Joe Biden listen during an event for the 2022 National and State Teachers of the Year in the East Room of the White House on April 27, 2022, in Washington, DC.
U.S. President Joe Biden shakes hands with High School teacher Kurt Russell, the 2022 National Teacher of the Year, after Biden gave remarks during an event honoring the 2022 National and State Teachers of the Year in the East Room of the White House on April 27, 2022, in Washington, DC. Russell is a veteran history teacher from Oberlin High School in Oberlin, Ohio.
Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik speaks alongside U.S. President Joe Biden and members of the 2020-2021 Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning hockey team during a ceremony honoring the team on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC on April 25, 2022.
U.S. President Joe Biden holds a jersey bearing his name as he poses with members of the 2020-2021 Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning hockey team during a ceremony honoring the team on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC on April 25, 2022.
U.S. President Joe Biden provides updates on the Ukraine-Russia conflict in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, DC on April 21, 2022. Biden announced Thursday a new package of $800 million in military aid for Ukraine, saying it would help Kyiv's forces in the fight against Russia's forces in the Donbas region.
(L-R) U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris walk back to the Oval Office after an event about gun violence in the Rose Garden of the White House on April 11, 2022, in Washington, DC. Biden also announced Steve Dettelbach as his nominee to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) at the event.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during an event about gun violence in the Rose Garden of the White House on April 11, 2022, in Washington, DC. Biden announced a new firearm regulation aimed at reining in ghost guns, untraceable, unregulated weapons made from kids.
President Joe Biden looks to former President Barack Obama after signing an executive order during an event about the Affordable Care Act in the East Room of the White House in Washington on Tuesday, April 5, 2022. Also seen are Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, Vice President Kamala Harris, Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., House Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-S.C., House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif. and Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del.
Former President Barack Obama bows in acknowledgment of President Joe Biden as he speaks during an event about the Affordable Care Act in the East Room of the White House in Washington on Tuesday, April 5, 2022.
(L-R) Vice President Kamala Harris, former President Barack Obama and U.S. President Joe Biden arrive for an event to mark the 2010 passage of the Affordable Care Act in the East Room of the White House on April 5, 2022, in Washington, DC. With then-Vice President Joe Biden by his side, Obama signed "Obamacare" into law on March 23, 2010.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during a joint news conference with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore in the East Room of the White House on March 29, 2022, in Washington, DC.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks to reporters before a meeting with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore in the Oval Office of the White House on March 29, 2022, in Washington, DC. President Biden and Prime Minister Loong will deliver a joint press statement later today following their meeting.
President Joe Biden meets virtually with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin in the Oval Office of the White House on March 17, 2022, in Washington, DC. St. Patrick's Day events with Prime Minister Martin are being held virtually after it was announced last night that he had tested positive for COVID-19.
peaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) points to the place where U.S. President Joe Biden is supposed to sign the “Consolidated Appropriations Act" in the Indian Treaty Room in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on March 15, 2022, in Washington, DC. Averting a looming government shutdown, the $1.5 trillion budget, which includes $14 billion in humanitarian, military and economic assistance to Ukraine, will fund the federal government through September 2022.
U.S. President Joe Biden is joined by Vice President Kamala Harris, Office of Management and Budget acting Director Shalanda Young and Congressional leaders as he signs the "Consolidated Appropriations Act" in the Indian Treaty Room in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on March 15, 2022, in Washington, DC.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House March 8, 2022, in Washington, DC.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House March 8, 2022, in Washington, DC. During his remarks, Biden announced a full ban on imports of Russian oil and energy products as an additional step in holding Russia accountable for its invasion of Ukraine.
U.S. President Joe Biden arrives to deliver remarks about Russia's “unprovoked and unjustified" military invasion of neighboring Ukraine in the East Room of the White House on Feb. 24, 2022, in Washington, DC. Biden announced a new round of sanctions against Russia after President Vladimir Putin launched an attack on Ukraine from the land, sea and air on Thursday.
U.S. President Joe Biden addresses the Russian invasion of Ukraine from the East Room of the White House on Feb. 24, 2022, in Washington, DC. Biden on Thursday announced severe new sanctions on Russia in response to the invasion of Ukraine, including freezing assets of major banks and cutting off high-tech exports to the country. "This is going to impose severe cost on the Russian economy, both immediately and over time," Biden said.
U.S. President Joe Biden participates in a virtual meeting about mineral supply chains and clean energy manufacturing in the South Court Auditorium of the White House complex on Feb. 22, 2022, in Washington, DC. Earlier in the day, President Biden spoke about the Ukraine-Russia crisis and announced a first round of sanctions against Russia.
U.S. President Joe Biden, center, joined by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, (D-NY), left, and U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, (D-NY), walk through the Hall of Columns before speaking during a ceremony on the first anniversary of the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2022, in Washington, DC.
Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden arrive to give remarks in Statuary Hall of the U.S Capitol on Jan. 6, 2022, in Washington, DC. One year ago, supporters of President Donald Trump attacked the U.S. Capitol Building in an attempt to disrupt a congressional vote to confirm the electoral college win for Joe Biden.
U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the one-year anniversary of the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol during a ceremony in Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 06, 2022, in Washington, DC.
U.S. President Joe Biden (2nd L) and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris (2nd R) meet with members of the White House COVID-19 Response Team on the latest developments related to the Omicron variant on Jan. 4, 2022, in the South Court Auditorium of the White House in Washington, DC. The U.S. recorded more than one million COVID-19 cases on Jan. 3, 2022, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, as the Omicron variant continues to spread at a blistering pace.
U.S. President Joe Biden listens during a virtual meeting about reducing the costs of meat through increased competition in the meat processing industry in the South Court Auditorium at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on Jan. 3, 2022, in Washington, DC. President Biden heard from Attorney General Merrick Garland, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and independent farmers.
U.S. President Joe Biden joins the White House COVID-19 Response Teams regular call with the National Governors Association to discuss his administration's response to the Omicron variant and to hear from the governors on the needs in their states at the White House in Washington, DC on Dec. 27, 2021.
President Joe Biden participates in the White House COVID-19 Response Team's regular call with the National Governors Association in the South Court Auditorium in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House Campus on Monday, Dec. 27, 2021, in Washington.
President Joe Biden, First Lady Jill Biden and their new dog Commander, a purebred German shepherd puppy, meet virtually with service members around the world on Saturday, Dec. 25, 2021, in the South Court Auditorium on the White House campus in Washington, to thank them for their service and wish them a Merry Christmas.
President Joe Biden, First Lady Jill Biden and their new dog Commander, a purebred German shepherd puppy, meet virtually with service members around the world on Saturday, Dec. 25, 2021, in the South Court Auditorium on the White House campus in Washington, to thank them for their service and wish them a Merry Christmas.
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden talk with patients after reading "Olaf's Night Before Christmas" to patients at Children's National Hospital in Washington, Friday, Dec. 24, 2021.
U.S. President Joe Biden answers questions after speaking about the status of the country's fight against COVID-19 and the Omicron variant in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, DC on Dec. 21, 2021. Biden on Tuesday sought to reassure Americans about the country's ability to battle the rapidly spreading Omicron variant, now the dominant coronavirus strain in the United States, saying the nation was "prepared."
U.S. President Joe Biden signs S. 1095, Colonel John M. McHugh Tuition Fairness for Survivors Act of 2021, at the White House in Washington, DC on Nov. 30, 2021.
U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the Omicron COVID-19 variant following a meeting with his COVID-19 response team, including U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris (L) and Anthony Fauci (R), Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and Chief Medical Advisor to the President, at the White House on Nov. 29, 2021, in Washington, DC.
Anthony Fauci (R), Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and Chief Medical Advisor to the President, speaks alongside U.S. President Joe Biden as he delivers remarks on the Omicron COVID-19 variant following a meeting of the COVID-19 response team at the White House on Nov. 29, 2021, in Washington, DC. The World Health Organization designated it a variant of concern after South African officials discovered the variant last week.
U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks at the start of a hybrid virtual roundtable with CEOs and leaders of retail, consumer products firms and grocery store chains in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on Nov. 29, 2021, in Washington, DC. President Biden spoke on his administration’s plans to keep stores supplied ahead of the holiday season.
U.S. President Joe Biden gestures as he delivers remarks on the debt ceiling from the State Dining Room of the White House on Oct. 4, 2021, in Washington, DC. President Joe Biden on Monday called Republican opponents "reckless and dangerous" for refusing to join Democrats in raising the U.S. debt limit, putting the world's biggest country at risk of imminent default.
U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks ahead of receiving a third dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in the South Court Auditorium in the White House on Sept. 27, 2021, in Washington, DC.
U.S. President Joe Biden receives a third dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in the South Court Auditorium in the White House on Monday, Sept. 27, 2021, in Washington, DC. Last week President Biden announced that Americans 65 and older and frontline workers who received the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine over six months ago would be eligible for booster shots.
President Joe Biden speaks during a virtual COVID-19 summit during the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, in the South Court Auditorium on the White House campus, Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021, in Washington.
President Joe Biden speaks during a virtual COVID-19 summit during the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, in the South Court Auditorium on the White House campus, Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021, in Washington.
U.S. President Joe Biden is virtually briefed by Federal Emergency Management Agency officials on preparations for Hurricane Ida, in the South Court Auditorium of the White House in Washington, DC, on Aug. 28, 2021. Authorities in Louisiana and elsewhere on the U.S. Gulf Coast issued increasingly dire sounding warnings Saturday as Hurricane Ida, a storm expected to pack powerful 130mph (209kph) winds, moved with unexpected speed toward the New Orleans area.
President Joe Biden meets with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on Aug. 27, 2021.
U.S. President Joe Biden pauses while listening to a question from a reporter about the situation in Afghanistan in the East Room of the White House on Aug. 26, 2021, in Washington, DC. At least 12 American service members were killed on Thursday by suicide bomb attacks near the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan.
President Joe Biden takes questions from the press as he delivers remarks on the terror attack at Hamid Karzai International Airport, and the U.S. service members and Afghan victims killed and wounded, in the East Room of the White House, Washington, DC on Aug. 26, 2021.
President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the full FDA approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine in the South Court Auditorium on the White House campus on Monday, Aug. 23, 2021, in Washington.
U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks about the situation in Afghanistan in the East Room of the White House on Aug. 16, 2021, in Washington, DC.
President Joe Biden gestures as he gives remarks on the worsening crisis in Afghanistan from the East Room of the White House on Aug. 16, 2021, in Washington, DC. Biden cut his vacation in Camp David short to address the nation as the Taliban have seized control in Afghanistan two weeks before the U.S. is set to complete its troop withdrawal after a costly two-decade war.
In this photo released by The White House, President Joe Biden meets virtually with his national security team and senior officials for a briefing on Afghanistan on Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021, at Camp David, Md.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during a ceremony commemorating the 31st anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC, on July 26, 2021.
U.S. President Joe Biden signs a proclamation to commemorate the 31st anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), alongside artist Tyree Brown (L), U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (2L), Democrat of Vermont, former U.S. Representative Tony Coelho (3L), Democrat of California, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (3R), Democrat of Maryland, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris (2R) and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (R), during a ceremony in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC, July 26, 2021.
President Joe Biden, surrounded by members of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, poses for a photo holding a jersey during a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House, in Washington on Tuesday, July 20, 2021, where Biden honored the Super Bowl Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers for their Super Bowl LV victory.
President Joe Biden, surrounded by members of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, speaks during a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House, in Washington, Tuesday, July 20, 2021, where the president honored the Super Bowl Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers for their Super Bowl LV victory.
President Joe Biden, surrounded by members of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, listens as Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady speaks during a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House, in Washington on Tuesday, July 20, 2021, where Biden honored the Super Bowl Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers for their Super Bowl LV victory.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks briefly to reporters after having lunch with Senate Democrats at the U.S. Capitol on July 14, 2021, in Washington, DC. President Biden is on the Hill to discuss with Senate Democrats the $3.5 trillion reconciliation package they have reached overnight that would expand Medicare benefits, boost federal safety net programs and combat climate change.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during an East Room event on troop withdrawal from Afghanistan at the White House on July 8, 2021, in Washington, DC. President Biden spoke on the current situation and the role of the U.S. going forward in Afghanistan after he had a meeting this morning with his national security team to receive a periodic update regarding the troop withdrawal.
Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif. stand and applaud as President Joe Biden addresses a joint session of Congress, Wednesday, April 28, 2021, in the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington.
Republican members listen as President Joe Biden addresses a joint session of Congress, Wednesday, April 28, 2021, in the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington.
President Joe Biden elbow bumps with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., left, as he arrives to address a joint session of Congress, Wednesday, April 28, 2021, in the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. Vice President Kamala Harris stands and applauds.
President Joe Biden arrives to speak to a joint session of Congress, Wednesday, April 28, 2021, in the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington.
President Joe Biden addresses a joint session of Congress, Wednesday, April 28, 2021, in the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, as Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., stand and applaud.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about updated CDC mask guidance on the North Lawn of the White House on April 27, 2021, in Washington, DC. President Biden announced updated CDC guidance, saying vaccinated Americans do not need to wear a mask outside when in small groups.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about updated CDC mask guidance on the North Lawn of the White House on April 27, 2021, in Washington, DC.
President Joe Biden speaks during a meeting with members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus in the Oval Office of the White House on Tuesday, April 20, 2021, in Washington. Biden said Tuesday that he is "praying the verdict is the right verdict" in the trial of former Minneapolis Police Officer Dereck Chauvin.
President Joe Biden, alongside First Lady Jill Biden (L) and the Easter Bunny (R), speaks about the Easter holiday and the traditional White House Easter Egg roll, which was not held this year because of coronavirus, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC on April 5, 2021.
President Joe Biden speaks, alongside First Lady Jill Biden (L) and the Easter Bunny (C), about the Easter holiday and the traditional White House Easter Egg roll, which was not held this year because of COVID-19, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC on April 5, 2021.
U.S. President Joe Biden signs a proclamation to mark Equal Pay Day with soccer superstars Margaret Purce (L) and Megan Rapinoe, with members of the U.S. Soccer Women’s National Team joining virtually, in the South Court Auditorium in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on March 24, 2021, in Washington, DC. Highlighting the gender pay gap, Equal Pay Day raises awareness that women in the United States earned $0.82 for every dollar men earned in 2019, according to the National Committee on Pay Equity.
Olympic gold medalist and two-time World Cup champion soccer player Megan Rapinoe delivers remarks during an event to mark Equal Pay Day with U.S. President Joe Biden (L) and first lady Dr. Jill Biden in the South Court Auditorium in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on March 24, 2021, in Washington, DC. Highlighting the gender pay gap, Equal Pay Day raises awareness that women in the United States earned $0.82 for every dollar men earned in 2019, according to the National Committee on Pay Equity.
President Joe Biden (R) looks at First Lady Jill Biden (L) and soccer players Margaret Purce (C) and Megan Rapinoe (2nd R), after signing a proclamation marking National Equal Pay Day 2021, during an Equal Pay Day event in the South Court Auditorium of the White House in Washington DC, on March 24, 2021.
President Joe Biden speaks about the shooting in Boulder, Colo. on Tuesday, March 23, 2021, in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington.
President Joe Biden speaks during a virtual meeting with Ireland's Prime Minister Micheal Martin on St. Patrick's Day in the Oval Office of the White House on Wednesday, March 17, 2021, in Washington.
U.S. President Joe Biden attends a virtual meeting with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on March 1, 2021, in Washington, DC.
U.S. President Joe Biden (L) and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas (C) attend a virtual meeting with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (on monitor) in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on March 1, 2021, in Washington, DC.
U.S. President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau deliver opening statements via video link in the East Room of the White House on Feb. 23, 2021, in Washington, DC. U.S. presidents by tradition invite the Canadian prime minister for their first meeting with a world leader. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic forced the meeting to be held virtually.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris (L), and President Joe Biden participate in a virtual bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on Feb. 23, 2021, in Washington, DC. This is Biden and Trudeau’s first bilateral meeting.
President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris (2nd L), National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan (L), Secretary of State Antony Blinken (2nd R) and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Juan Gonzalez (R) hold a virtual bilateral meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (on screen) in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, DC on Feb. 23, 2021.
President Biden speaks about lives lost to coronavirus after the death toll passed 500,000 in the U.S. in the Cross Hall of the White House in Washington, DC, on Feb. 22, 2021. President Joe Biden called the milestone of more than 500,000 U.S. deaths from COVID-19 "heartbreaking" on Monday and urged the country to unite against the pandemic. "I know what it's like," an emotional Biden said in a national television address, referring to his own long history of family tragedies.
(L-R) U.S. President Joe Biden, First Lady Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff participate in a moment of silence at sundown in the South Portico of the White House on Feb. 22, 2021, in Washington, DC. The four held a candlelight ceremony to mark the more than 500,000 lives lost in the U.S. to COVID-19 since the pandemic hit.
U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris meet with senators from both parties on the critical need to invest in modern and sustainable American infrastructure in the Oval Office of the White House on Feb. 11, 2021, in Washington, DC. An infrastructure bill that creates jobs remains a top priority of the Biden administration.
U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris meet with senators from both parties on the critical need to invest in modern and sustainable American infrastructure in the Oval Office of the White House on Feb. 11, 2021, in Washington, DC.
U.S. President Joe Biden (Center R) and Vice President Kamala Harris (Center L) meet with 10 Republican senators, including Mitt Romney (R-UT), Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Susan Collins (R-ME), in the Oval Office at the White House on Feb. 1, 2021, in Washington, DC.
U.S. President Joe Biden (Center R) and Vice President Kamala Harris (Center L) meet with 10 Republican senators, including Mitt Romney (R-UT), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Susan Collins (R-ME), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and others, in the Oval Office at the White House Feb. 1, 2021, in Washington, DC. The senators requested a meeting with Biden to propose a scaled-back $618 billion stimulus plan in response to the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package Biden is currently pushing in Congress.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about climate change issues in the State Dining Room of the White House on Jan. 27, 2021, in Washington, DC. President Biden signed several executive orders related to the climate change crisis on Wednesday, including one directing a pause on new oil and natural gas leases on public lands.
U.S. President Joe Biden signs executive orders after speaking about climate change issues in the State Dining Room of the White House on Jan. 27, 2021, in Washington, DC.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about climate change issues in the State Dining Room of the White House on Jan. 27, 2021, in Washington, DC. President Biden signed several executive orders related to the climate change crisis on Wednesday, including one directing a pause on new oil and natural gas leases on public lands. Also pictured, left to right, Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris.
President Joe Biden signs an Executive Order reversing the Trump-era ban on transgender individuals serving in the military in the Oval Office of the White House on Monday, Jan. 25, 2021, in Washington.
President Joe Biden meets with, from left, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Jan. 25, 2021, in Washington.
President Joe Biden speaks during an event on American manufacturing in the South Court Auditorium on the White House complex on Monday, Jan. 25, 2021, in Washington.
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden watch fireworks light up the sky from the White House on Inauguration Day on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021, in Washington.
President Joe Biden signs his first executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021, in Washington.
President Joe Biden signs his first executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021, in Washington.
President Joe Biden signs his first executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021, in Washington.
The Oval Office of the White House is newly redecorated for the first day of President Joe Biden's administration, including busts of civil rights leaders Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr. and a bust of Abraham Lincoln, on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021, in Washington.
President Joe Biden speaks during a virtual swearing-in ceremony of political appointees from the State Dining Room of the White House on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021, in Washington.
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden hug as they arrive at the North Portico of the White House, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021, in Washington.
President Joe Biden signs three documents including an inauguration declaration, cabinet nominations and sub-cabinet nominations in the President's Room at the U.S. Capitol after the inauguration ceremony on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021.
President Joe Biden signs three documents including an inauguration declaration, cabinet nominations and sub-cabinet nominations in the President's Room at the US Capitol after the inauguration ceremony, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021.
Most of the new law’s $13 billion in spending is slated to be used for bolstering mental health programs and for schools, which have been targeted by shooters in Newtown, Conn., Parkland, Fla., and many other gun massacres.
It does not include far tougher restrictions that Democrats and Biden have long championed, such as a ban on assault-type weapons and background checks for all gun transactions. Biden reiterated his call for those tougher measures, but prospects are slim for any further congressional action.
