President Biden says today’s EOs are designed to “undo the damage Trump has done.”
POTUS waited for the pool to get situated before speaking. He then apologized for keeping us waiting in the cold.
“Since we are socially distanced, I think I can take my mask off and make this very brief announcement.”
“I know you’ve been briefed by the health care team as to what this is about.”
“It’s been a busy week. I’ve signed executive orders tackling Covid 19, economic and climate crises as well as advancing racial equity. But today I’m about to sign two executive orders that basically the best way to describe them is to undo the damage Trump has done. There’s nothing new that we’re doing here other than restoring the Affordable Care Act and restoring the Medicaid to the way it was before Trump became president and by fiat his changes made more accessible, more expensive and more difficult for people to qualify for either of those two items, the Affordable Care Act, for Medicaid. The second order I’m going to be signing also changes what the president has done…the president, the former president has done…and…reverses my predecessor’s attack on women’s health access. As we continues to battle to Covid 19, it’s even more critical that Americans have meaningful access to health care….Again I’m not initiating any new law, any new aspect of the law. This is going back to what the situation was prior to the president’s executive order.”
“Of all times that we need to reinstate access to, affordability of, and extensive access to Medicaid is now in the middle of this Covid crises.”
“The second order I’m signing relates to protecting woman’s health at home and abroad and it reinstates the changes that were made…making it harder for women to have access to affordable health care as it relates to reproductive rights.”
POTUS signed the two executive orders – health care first, abortion second.
“I’m sorry you had to stand in the cold,” POTUS said again before pool was ushered out.
He didn’t respond to shouted questions.