President Joe Biden on Friday convened his first Cabinet meeting in nearly a year to discuss his priorities with four months left in his administration.
Biden in his remarks acknowledged the time left in his administration and said he intends to fulfill several priorities before the end of his term.
“This Cabinet meeting comes at a time when we have four months left in the administration,” Biden said.
“And we’re going to keep running through the tape because the vice president and I are determined to keep making sure that the democracy delivers what the American people are asking for and what we provided.”
The president said he is focused on continuing to implement the “historic laws” that were passed during his term.
Short-Term Funding Bill
Biden stressed that Congress must pass a continuing resolution before money runs out for the federal government.
This comes after the House on Wednesday failed to pass the short-term funding bill proposed by Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).
Johnson’s plan called for an extension of funding at current spending levels for six months through March 2025. His proposal was also linked to the SAVE (Safeguard American Voter Eligibility) Act, a measure requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote.
“We have 10 days for Congress to pass a short-term funding bill that gives them more time to deliver on our national defense, veterans, hardworking families—what we’ve already appropriated,” Biden said. “It’s important we get it done.”
The president said that the only path forward is for lawmakers to reach across the aisle and to have faith that congressional leaders will get it done.
The SAVE Act is backed by former President Donald Trump, who called on Republicans to shut down the government if they could not attach the measure to government funding.
“If Republicans don’t get the SAVE Act, and every ounce of it, they should not agree to a Continuing Resolution in any way, shape, or form,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.
“Democrats are registering illegal voters by the TEN OF THOUSANDS, as we speak—they will be voting in the 2024 presidential election, and they shouldn’t be allowed to.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said in a press briefing that Democrats will oppose any federal funding bill that includes policies pushed by Trump.
Government funding is set to run out at the end of the month.
Lebanon, Ceasefire Deal
Biden told reporters that Israelis and Lebanese civilians must be able to live in their border communities safely. The president said he wants to ensure that people in northern Israel and southern Lebanon can return to their homes.
“And the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, our whole team are working with the intelligence community to try to get that done. We’re going to keep at it until we get it done, but we’ve got a way to go,” Biden said.
His comments come following a series of attacks that targeted Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon in which thousands of Hezbollah operatives’ pagers and walkie-talkies exploded. Hezbollah blamed Israel for the deadly explosions. Israel has not claimed responsibility.
During a press briefing on Thursday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre declined to answer a question about whether the acts might constitute terrorism. She said Biden believes there can still be a diplomatic resolution to escalating tensions between Israel and Hezbollah following the bombings.
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller also declined to comment on if the attacks were a legitimate form of warfare.
The president, in his Cabinet meeting, said that it was crucial to keep pushing for a Gaza ceasefire in pursuit of regional peace. When asked by the media during the Cabinet meeting if a ceasefire deal is still possible under current circumstances in Gaza, Biden said that “a lot of things don’t look realistic until we get them done.”
Women’s Health Research
First Lady Jill Biden joined the Cabinet meeting for the first time and provided an update on the progress of the White House initiative on women’s health research.
In her remarks, she pointed out that women’s health is understudied and research is underfunded.
The first lady said she will attend the upcoming Clinton Global Initiative to make a new announcement as she looks to continue the administration’s efforts to prioritize women’s health research and innovation.