International Women’s Day: Young Women Leading Change Globally
Every person deserves the chance to live up to their full God-given potential, without regard for gender or other factors. Ensuring that every woman and girl has that chance isn’t just the right thing to do — it’s also a strategic imperative that advances the prosperity, stability, and security of our nation and the world. Yet too often, in too many places, women and girls face obstacles that limit their possibilities and undermine their participation in economic, political, and social life. These barriers have been exposed and exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which disproportionately affected women’s labor force participation, elevated the burden on both paid and unpaid caregivers, and increased the incidence of gender-based violence.
Improving the status of women and girls strengthens economies, democracies, and societies across the board. That’s why I made gender equity a cornerstone of my Administration by creating the White House Gender Policy Council shortly after taking office a year ago. It’s why we issued the first-ever National Strategy on Gender Equity and Equality — an ambitious agenda to support women and families through both domestic and foreign policy. It’s why we’ve invested in child care and supported women’s economic opportunity through the American Rescue Plan; fought to reauthorize and strengthen the Violence Against Women Act; addressed the scourge of sexual assault in the military through sweeping military justice reforms; signed the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act into law; launched a whole-of-government effort to protect reproductive rights; advanced women’s participation in conflict prevention and resolution, stability and security; and created a Gender Equity and Equality Action Fund to promote the economic security of women around the world. And it’s why I’m proud that my FY 2023 Budget will request $2.6 billion for foreign assistance programs that promote gender equality worldwide, more than doubling the amount requested for gender programs last year.
On this day and every day, let us recognize that all of us have a better future when women and girls can reach their full potential — and together, let’s renew our efforts to advance dignity, equality, and limitless possibilities for all."
A half dozen suspects have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the shooting, and we are grateful to Des Moines law enforcement and first responders for their quick work and professionalism.
But these swift arrests cannot obscure the reality that too many families have had to bury a piece of their soul after yet another tragic shooting. It comes less than a month after we marked four years since the shooting at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, and three months after the shooting at Oxford High School in Oakland County, Michigan. Between these tragedies are shootings that happen every day without making headlines.
Enough. Our young people should be safe in and around school, in their neighborhoods, and in their homes. Every American should be able to visit a house of worship, a grocery store, a night club, or any other place without fear of being gunned down. That too many cannot is a stain on our national character and an urgent call to action.
Last June, I put forward a comprehensive national strategy to reduce gun violence. In carrying out this strategy, I have taken more executive action to reduce gun violence than any other president in their first year in office—more than a dozen necessary actions, from cracking down on gun trafficking and rogue gun dealers, to promoting safe firearm storage, to reining in the proliferation of hard-to-trace “ghost guns” that can be bought online and made at home. Now, Congress must do its job. As I reiterated in my State of the Union address last week, it is up to Congress to pass proven measures to reduce gun violence—including universal background checks, a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, and a repeal of the liability shield protecting gun manufacturers who knowingly put weapons of war on our streets. These laws don’t infringe on the Second Amendment, but they will save lives.
May God bless the lives that have been lost or forever altered."
PRESIDENT JOSEPH ROBINETTE BIDEN, JR. ~ TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 2022
Then at 10:45 AM EST, President Biden announces actions to continue to hold Russia accountable for its unprovoked and unjustified war on Ukraine. President Biden's remarks will be presented at the White House Roosevelt Room in Washington, DC, USA on Tuesday, March 8, 2022.
After, President Biden will travel to Fort Worth, Texas. President Biden departs from the White House South Lawn en route to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland at 11:15 AM EST. Then at 11:35 AM EST, President Biden departs from Joint Base Andrews en route to Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth in Fort Worth, Texas. At 1:45 PM CST, President Biden arrives at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth.
In the afternoon at 2:30 PM CST, President Biden and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough will visit the Fort Worth VA Clinic in Fort Worth, Texas to: speak with VA health care providers about addressing the health effects of environmental exposures such as burn pits and receive a briefing on primary care and specialty health services for veterans. They will also speak with veterans and patient advocates about different challenges facing the community.
Later at 3:30 PM CST, President Biden and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs will present remarks on expanding access to health care and benefits for veterans affected by military environmental exposures such as burn pits, as part of the President Biden’s Unity Agenda for the Nation. President Biden will discuss his Administration’s actions to address these issues, including a new proposed rule to consider adding certain rare cancers to the list of those presumed to be service-connected, and he will urge Congress to send him legislation that ensures we honor our commitment to veterans exposed to toxic substances. President Biden's remarks will take place at Resource Connection of Tarrant County in Fort Worth, Texas.
In the evening, President Biden will return to the White House from Fort Worth, Texas. President Biden departs from Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base in Fort Worth, Texas en route to Joint Base Andrews at 5:25 PM CST. At 9:00 PM EST, President Biden arrivaes at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland en route to The White House in Washington, DC. President Biden is schedued to arrive on the White House South Lawn at 9:20 PM EST.
BRIEFING SCHEDULE ~ TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 2022
FIRST LADY DR. JILL BIDEN ~ TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 2022
At 1:00 PM MT, the First Lady and the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Xavier Becerra, will visit the San Xavier Health Center in the San Xavier District of the Tohono O'odham Nation, as part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Cancer Moonshot initiative. Their tour will focus on Tohono O’odham Nation’s cancer program and services, including those provided in partnership with the University of Arizona Cancer Center. Then, the First Lady and Secretary Becerra will tour the San Xavier del Bac Mission and attend a traditional dance performance by Tohono O’odham members.
At 3:30 PM MT, the First Lady and Secretary Becerra will participate in a local celebration of Women’s History Month with Mayor Regina Romero and several local residents.
