Tumgik
#President Biden committed human trafficking
therealtruthalways · 9 months
Text
BREAKING🚨 Rep. James Comer says six banks, including JP Morgan, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo, submitted over 170 suspicious activity reports to the Treasury Department regarding the Biden family, alleging their involvement in money laundering, human trafficking, and tax fraud.
The American banks also raised concerns about wire transfers received by the Bidens from foreign state-owned entities, notably from the Chinese government, allegedly for the purpose of money laundering and tax evasion.
The foreign wires were found to be directed towards Biden's business associates before being funneled through 20 shell companies associated with the Bidens. Subsequently, the funds were distributed among various Biden family members.
SARs are vital documents that financial institutions must file with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) when they suspect any cases of money laundering or fraudulent activities.
Rep. Comer highlighted one specific SAR linked to a $3 million wire from China to Biden's business partner, Rob Walker. This money was received in an inactive account that had maintained a $50,000 balance for ten years before the significant wire transaction from China.
Within just 24 hours of receiving the wire, Walker initiated incremental payments to several Biden shell companies, eventually disbursing funds to four different Biden family members.
Comer explained that concealing the source of money through the use of shell companies to deceive the IRS is considered money laundering and racketeering.
He noted that if the funds were intended for legitimate purposes, they could have been wired directly to Hunter Biden, but instead, they were routed through business partners and various companies with no clear legitimate purpose.
Senator Ted Cruz asked, "So the Chinese Communist government was sending the money?"
Rep. Comer replied, "Yes."
"If Hunter Biden was doing something legitimate for China, they could have just wired the money to Hunter Biden, but they didn't," he explained.
"They sent it to a company called Robinson Walker. Then they wired it to a company called Owasco. Then they wired it to another company called Bohai. These companies don't do anything with the money."
Senator Cruz responded, "It's just a bucket to pour the water in, then a bucket to pour it into somewhere else?"
Rep Comer said, "That's exactly what it is and it was organized. This is like organized crime."
When the corporate media foolishly asks where is the evidence that the Bidens committed crimes?
American banks have submitted hundreds of suspicious activity reports on the Biden family, alleging their involvement in human trafficking, money laundering, and tax fraud.
Congressional investigators have obtained bank account records and wire transfer statements on twenty shell companies owned by the Bidens, which were allegedly used for laundering illegally obtained money from China, Russia, Ukraine, Romania, and Kazakhstan as unregistered foreign agents.
This evidence is supported by hundreds of thousands of emails, tens of thousands of text messages, photographs, audio recordings, calendar statements, and ten years of data from Hunter Biden's laptop, which the FBI took into its possession in 2019.
@MarcoPolo501c3 published a comprehensive "Report on the Biden Laptop," documenting 459 alleged crimes involving the Biden family and their associates, including 140 business crimes, 191 sex crimes, and 128 drug crimes.
A $1,000 reward is offered for any verifiable corrections, but thus far, no crimes have been disputed.
In addition, credible IRS whistleblowers have accused the Justice Department of obstructing the Hunter Biden investigation by blocking felony charges, search warrants, and interviews while preventing any investigation of the President and his family.
Furthermore, just yesterday, a judge highlighted an unprecedented lenient deal offered by the Justice Department to Hunter Biden, which would result in no felony charges or jail time for tax fraud and lying on a gun form.
This DOJ deal would have also granted protection to the First Son from any future prosecution related to illegally obtained money from foreign nations as an unregistered foreign agent.
What is more corrosive and destructive to our nation than a politicized Justice Department that applies different legal standards depending on whether one's last name is Trump or Biden?
42 notes · View notes
manifestomode · 9 months
Text
BREAKING🚨 Rep. James Comer says six banks, including JP Morgan, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo, submitted over 170 suspicious activity reports to the Treasury Department regarding the Biden family, alleging their involvement in money laundering, human trafficking, and tax fraud.
The American banks also raised concerns about wire transfers received by the Bidens from foreign state-owned entities, notably from the Chinese government, allegedly for the purpose of money laundering and tax evasion.
The foreign wires were found to be directed towards Biden's business associates before being funneled through 20 shell companies associated with the Bidens. Subsequently, the funds were distributed among various Biden family members.
SARs are vital documents that financial institutions must file with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) when they suspect any cases of money laundering or fraudulent activities.
Rep. Comer highlighted one specific SAR linked to a $3 million wire from China to Biden's business partner, Rob Walker. This money was received in an inactive account that had maintained a $50,000 balance for ten years before the significant wire transaction from China.
Within just 24 hours of receiving the wire, Walker initiated incremental payments to several Biden shell companies, eventually disbursing funds to four different Biden family members.
Comer explained that concealing the source of money through the use of shell companies to deceive the IRS is considered money laundering and racketeering.
He noted that if the funds were intended for legitimate purposes, they could have been wired directly to Hunter Biden, but instead, they were routed through business partners and various companies with no clear legitimate purpose.
Senator Ted Cruz asked, "So the Chinese Communist government was sending the money?"
Rep. Comer replied, "Yes."
"If Hunter Biden was doing something legitimate for China, they could have just wired the money to Hunter Biden, but they didn't," he explained.
"They sent it to a company called Robinson Walker. Then they wired it to a company called Owasco. Then they wired it to another company called Bohai. These companies don't do anything with the money."
Senator Cruz responded, "It's just a bucket to pour the water in, then a bucket to pour it into somewhere else?"
Rep Comer said, "That's exactly what it is and it was organized. This is like organized crime."
When the corporate media foolishly asks where is the evidence that the Bidens committed crimes?
American banks have submitted hundreds of suspicious activity reports on the Biden family, alleging their involvement in human trafficking, money laundering, and tax fraud.
Congressional investigators have obtained bank account records and wire transfer statements on twenty shell companies owned by the Bidens, which were allegedly used for laundering illegally obtained money from China, Russia, Ukraine, Romania, and Kazakhstan as unregistered foreign agents.
This evidence is supported by hundreds of thousands of emails, tens of thousands of text messages, photographs, audio recordings, calendar statements, and ten years of data from Hunter Biden's laptop, which the FBI took into its possession in 2019.
@MarcoPolo501c3
published a comprehensive "Report on the Biden Laptop," documenting 459 alleged crimes involving the Biden family and their associates, including 140 business crimes, 191 sex crimes, and 128 drug crimes.
A $1,000 reward is offered for any verifiable corrections, but thus far, no crimes have been disputed.
In addition, credible IRS whistleblowers have accused the Justice Department of obstructing the Hunter Biden investigation by blocking felony charges, search warrants, and interviews while preventing any investigation of the President and his family.
Furthermore, just yesterday, a judge highlighted an unprecedented lenient deal offered by the Justice Department to Hunter Biden, which would result in no felony charges or jail time for tax fraud and lying on a gun form.
This DOJ deal would have also granted protection to the First Son from any future prosecution related to illegally obtained money from foreign nations as an unregistered foreign agent.
What is more corrosive and destructive to our nation than a politicized Justice Department that applies different legal standards depending on whether one's last name is Trump or Biden?
3 notes · View notes
mightyflamethrower · 4 months
Text
Tumblr media
(The Center Square) – Border security is a top priority for Republicans in Congress in 2024, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, said ahead of another congressional delegation trip scheduled Wednesday in Eagle Pass, Texas.
The area has been hard hit by illegal border crossers and is at the center of several lawsuits between the federal government and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott over border barriers.
The congressional delegation will be briefed by law enforcement and local officials about current conditions and hear concerns raised by residents living along the Texas-Mexico border.
Lawmakers also will discuss their plans for this year after Congress adjourned in December without agreeing on funding packages for Israel and Ukraine, which were tied to funding for border operations. Opponents of the funding packages have argued no more taxpayer dollars should be sent overseas. Instead, funding should be prioritized on helping Americans struggling with high inflation and securing the border.
Before the Christmas holiday, Johnson sent a letter to President Joe Biden calling on him to secure the border while also blaming him for the crisis.
“The southern border of our nation is being overrun and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is at a breaking point. This catastrophe requires your administration’s full attention and commitment,” he wrote.
Johnson also cited record numbers of illegal entries, record fentanyl seizures, “countless children and adults” who’ve been trafficked into the U.S., the impact on local communities by violent criminals and Americans being “more vulnerable to a terrorist attack” after Biden took office.
He reiterated claims made by Abbott and others that the border crisis “is the direct result of your administration’s policies.” He said the president has “clearly undermined America’s sovereignty and security by ending the Remain in Mexico policy, reinstating catch-and-release, suspending asylum cooperative agreements with other nations, ignoring existing restraints on the abuse of parole, and halting border wall construction.”
The solution, Johnson said, includes implementing “statutory reforms designed to restore operational control at our southern border,” which “must start now, and it must start with you.”
The letter urges Biden to “immediately take executive actions … to stem the record tide of illegal immigration.” The administration argues the executive actions that have been taken are providing an orderly, humane process to allow more people to enter the U.S.
Johnson called on the president to end the Obama-era catch-and-release policy it reinstated after the Trump administration abolished it, and to turn back or detain all illegal foreign nationals apprehended between ports of entry. The administration has argued in several lawsuits filed over its policies that it does not have enough space to detain everyone illegally entering, which is why they are being released into the country. Plaintiffs argue this policy violates laws established by Congress and that releasing people en masse into the country, instead of processing them for removal, is illegal.
Johnson also called on the president to “stop exploiting” the parole system, when the administration created more parole programs than previous administrations and has said it doesn’t plan on stopping them. He also called on the president to negotiate with Mexico to reinstitute the Remain in Mexico program after both presidents met roughly one year ago and expressed no plans on doing so.
He called on the president to “immediately renew construction of the border wall” after the administration already announced it was doing so in certain areas.
While Johnson urged the president “to regain operational control of the border,” U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas argues operational control exists. And when announcing record high illegal border crossing data for November, CBP Acting Commissioner Troy Miller said the agency needed more funding from Congress to process more people into the U.S.
U.S. House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green, R-Tenn., has scheduled hearings this month to address the border crisis. The committee released a series of reports after a nearly year-long investigation into "the causes, costs, and consequences of the crisis at the Southwest border and how the reckless decision-making and legally dubious policies” of the president and Mayorkas “have precipitated the worst border crisis in American history."
The fifth report was released last month, as well as interview transcripts with Border Patrol chiefs who explained how “illegal aliens are spreading the word the border is open;” and agents being reassigned to process and release “illegal aliens into the country rather than patrolling the border between ports of entry” has increased security risks.
The border trip in Eagle Pass comes as a record number of known, suspected terrorists are being apprehended by CBP agents—including an Iranian national with terrorist ties who was arrested on Dec. 21 near Niagara Falls, New York.
In the first three months of fiscal 2024, 80 KSTs were apprehended, with the majority, 46, at the northern border.
These apprehensions are on track to exceed fiscal 2023 apprehensions of 736. The majority of them, 487, or 66%, were apprehended at the northern border.
0 notes
bllsbailey · 4 months
Text
WH Fails to Mention New Border Agreements Mexico Made With U.S.; Speaker Johnson Calls Them 'Amnesty'
Tumblr media
The audacity of the Biden Administration to pull a fast one on the American people about the border crisis with Mexico is stunning. Most people are checked out and not paying much attention to the news, in the lull between the celebration of Christmas and New Year's Eve. 
Earlier this week, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Secretary of State Antony Blinken met in Mexico City with the Mexican government about the hordes of illegal aliens streaming into the U.S. Here was all we were told in an X post by Mayorkas:
But after the meetings on Wednesday, several government officials, including President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, blew the lid on what was discussed, insisting that some "important" deals/"important agreements" had been struck about illegal immigration and the border:
MEXICO CITY, Dec 27 (Reuters) - Mexico said on Wednesday it had struck unspecified "important" deals with the United States after talks that U.S. officials sought to focus on curbing record-high migration, a key issue in next year's U.S. elections. Secretary of State Antony Blinken led the closed-door negotiations for the U.S. side, and Mexican Foreign Minister Alicia Barcena told reporters she had pushed U.S. officials to ease any remaining curbs on cross-border trade.[...] In a post on social media, Lopez Obrador hailed what he described as "important agreements" following the talks with U.S. officials, but without giving any details on the deals. Lopez Obrador said he had requested the meeting to discuss cooperation on migration, the economy and security.
The White House only got around to releasing a written statement on the meetings on Thursday evening--with no mention of any deals or agreements. The statement, "Mexico-U.S. Joint Communique: Mexico and the United States Reaffirm Their Shared Commitments on an Orderly, Humane and Regular Migration," read, in part: [emphasis added]
The two countries reaffirmed their existing commitments on fostering an orderly, humane, and regular migration. This includes reinforcing our partnership to address the root causes of migration, such as poverty, inequality, and violence, and for the two countries’ initiative for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans. Ongoing cooperation also includes enhanced efforts to disrupt human smuggling, trafficking, and criminal networks, and continuing the work to promote legal instead of irregular migration pathways. Also, both delegations agreed on the importance of maintaining and facilitating the vital bilateral trade at our shared border. President López Obrador highlighted the commitment of President Biden to pursue regular, orderly, and secure migration. He stressed the need to continue the diplomatic and political engagement with all countries in the region, as well as investing in ambitious development programs throughout the entire hemisphere of the Americas.[...]  The delegations also discussed the benefit of regularizing the situation of long-term undocumented Hispanic migrants and DACA recipients, who are a vital part of the U.S. economy and society.
But House Speaker Mike Johnson caught on to what the White House is trying, calling it out in an X post as "amnesty":
He continues:
This development further demonstrates the Administration has no real intention of solving the humanitarian disaster and immediate national security crisis their policies have created, President Biden needs to stop vacationing and take immediate steps to stop the flow of illegal immigration into our country. Our national security and sovereignty depend on it, and the American people demand it.
Unlike in Johnson's statement, I'm sure you also noticed that nowhere in the statements from either country could be found the words "illegal immigration." There's some word salad about "irregular migration pathways," and despite all of Vice President Kamala Harris' efforts, no one has been able to solve the puzzle of the "root cause" of the border crisis. But some of it sounds like more American taxpayer dollars being poured out for nation-building in other countries. God help us, as we move into a new year with these same people ostensibly in charge. Congress needs to get a handle on what these "agreements" are that Team Biden appears to have made. Don't they still hold the purse strings?
Related:
Mexican President Obrador: Mexico to Challenge New Texas Immigration Laws
0 notes
bookoformon · 6 months
Text
Helaman Chapter 4, Part 3. "City to City."
Tumblr media
14 But behold, Moronihah did preach many things unto the people because of their iniquity, and also Nephi and Lehi, who were the sons of Helaman, did preach many things unto the people, yea, and did prophesy many things unto them concerning their iniquities, and what should come unto them if they did not repent of their sins.
15 And it came to pass that they did repent, and inasmuch as they did repent they did begin to prosper.
16 For when Moronihah saw that they did repent he did venture to lead them forth from place to place, and from city to city, even until they had regained the one-half of their property and the one-half of all their lands.
17 And thus ended the sixty and first year of the reign of the judges.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints believes in "necessity". One can commit murder, lie, steal a national election, commit child sex trafficking and pornography, engage in coups, carrry weapons, all because of necessity. No one knows precisely what the necessity is, but that is what they say.
The Republican Party is deeply in league with them, and the result of this noxious mixture of Church and State has resulted in horror all around the world, like 911, which we now know was planned on site by Dick Cheney and George W. Bush in order to sieze the world's oil supplies in the Middle East and conquer the Holy Lands, both at the expense of significant loss of life and damage to the world's political landscape and the environment.
Then came Shock 'n Awe, Iraq, and Afghanistan, then came the Election Fraud of 2016, then came the RVW overturn, then came Jan. 6, and now the Republicans are threatening to close the government down again. The Secret Combination of the Republican Party and the Church is proving not to be a good thing for anyone.
It is way too late for repentance or what is called Moronihah, "The Pillar of the Words of Moses In the House." The repentance is now President Biden's to make.
He has left us exposed and vulnerable to the dirty, filthy, terrorism of the Party and Pro-Life movement that is illegal under international and federal law, is utterly without merits or decency, and has wasted immense amounts of our time and money, and threatens to keep doing it.
The Book of Mormon says until we repent and people like the Republicans are driven from our land, we will not have possession of all of our souls. We will be unrepentant of the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah, "the Scourge of Tyranny" while we sit and wait.
If we repent of this, starting with the White House for allowing this bullshit to languish, and city to city take our lands back, the humane part of our souls, the half Moronihah refers to above, will be restored.
Good things are not in our future if the Republicans and Mormons are permitted to continue to gather. We must accept this. This is our necessity.
0 notes
dertaglichedan · 8 months
Text
A week after then-Vice President Joe Biden began pressuring Ukraine to fire its chief prosecutor in late 2015 by withholding U.S. loan guarantees, the European Union reached internal consensus in a memo saying that Prosecutor Viktor Shokin’s office and the country at large had met its goals for fighting corruption, organized crime and human trafficking.
The newly revealed memo directly undercuts the narrative crafted by Democrats during Donald Trump’s first impeachment and sustained during the 2020 presidential election, namely, that Biden fired Shokin over U.S. and European concerns that he wasn’t fighting corruption aggressively enough.
At the time, Shokin was investigating the activities of energy company Burisma Holdings. And Hunter Biden -- who had no experience in the energy industry -- was being paid at least $83,333 a month by Burisma.
“Based on these commitments, the anti-corruption benchmark is deemed to have been achieved,” the European Commission, a key governing body of the EU Parliament, declared in a December 18, 2015 report that gave a generally rosy assessment of Ukraine’s pace of reforms and specifically the efforts of Shokin’s Prosecutor General Office.
1 note · View note
thxnews · 1 year
Text
President Biden's Conversation with Mexico's President Lopez Obrador
Tumblr media
  Official White House News Release
President Joseph R. Biden Jr. spoke today with President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador of Mexico. The two leaders discussed their ongoing efforts to strengthen the U.S.-Mexico bilateral relationship, including the importance of enhancing cooperation between the United States and Mexico to manage unprecedented migration in the region. Toward that end, they discussed continued close coordination between border authorities and strong enforcement measures, in preparation for the return to full reliance on Title 8 immigration authorities at the U.S.-Mexico border, which carry steeper consequences for those removed than expulsion under Title 42. Both leaders underscored the value of managing migration in a humane and orderly fashion with expanded legal pathways and consequences for irregular migration. They also affirmed their shared commitment to address the root causes of migration from Central America and discussed expanding our two nations’ joint efforts. They discussed the urgency of effectively reducing crowding in northern Mexico. The two leaders affirmed that after May 11th, they will continue to implement the successful joint initiative which, over four months, achieved a 95 percent drop in border encounters of individuals from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela at the U.S.-Mexico border. President Biden and President Lopez Obrador also acknowledged recent positive developments in other areas of bilateral cooperation, including enhanced and accelerated efforts to counter illicit fentanyl and arms trafficking by dismantling criminal networks. President Biden committed to using all available tools to address arms trafficking and reduce the flow of firearms into Mexico. The leaders also reaffirmed their commitment to modernize the shared border and promote inclusive economic growth.   Sources: THX News & The White House. Read the full article
0 notes
goldiers1 · 1 year
Text
Biden and Petro (Columbia) Meet: What's On The Agenda?
Tumblr media
  Transcript of the conversation
PRESIDENT BIDEN:  Well, Mr. President, welcome.  It’s great to see you here in the Oval Office and in Washington. And, by the way, Happy Birthday. PRESIDENT PETRO:  (Laughs.)  Gracias.  Muy amable. (As interpreted.)  It was yesterday.  The 19th of April is a very important date for Colombia, for Latin America, and for me as well. PRESIDENT BIDEN:  Well, it’s very difficult turning 40 years of age.  (Laughter.) PRESIDENT PETRO:  (As interpreted.)  They say that, in this generation, being 63 is like being 40 in the old generation. PRESIDENT BIDEN:  I fully subscribe to that. Mr. President, I’ve long believed, as you probably know, that Colombia is the key to the hemisphere — and I mean that sincerely — the keystone.  And I think we have an opportunity, if we work at it hard enough, to have a Western Hemisphere that is united, equal, democratic, and — and — and — and economically prosperous. Together, Colombia and the United States are leading an effort to deal with climate change and to — I’ve been working for a long time, and we make — we’re going to make a $500 million commitment to deal with preserving the Amazon. And working through the Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity, we’re working to grow our economies from the bottom up and the middle out, not from the top down. And I know we share one view very passionately: that it’s inherent — their inherent dignity and the rights of individual workers. We’re also working together to counter narcotics trafficking and address the historic levels of migration in our hemisphere, especially through the Darién Gap. And, Mr. President, I want to thank you for the hospitality and support Colombia continues to show to Venezuelan refugees.  It’s a humanitarian and a generous thing for you — that you’re doing. And as I know you know, we’re working closely with regional partners to help Colombia meet this challenge, which is consequential and — and costly. And I really want to thank you for your outspoken and strong commitment to peace and human rights across the Americas.  You speak to it all the time. And as we begin the next century of our partnership, I believe we can do even more to deepen and develop cooperation.  So I want to thank you again for taking the time to be here, and I look forward to our conversations. PRESIDENT PETRO:  Gracias. (As interpreted.)  The Americas has, across all the countries, two common elements in its history. Unlike other parts of the world, our countries grew ever since their founding under the concepts of democracy and freedom. The concept of democracy and freedom is not etched in stone; rather, it is a flow.  It flows along, and it evolves with history and becomes ever more profound. So we are going down the same river, a river that leads us to ever greater democracy and ever greater freedom. We also share in common that in this hemisphere there’s almost never been war between the nations, between the peoples.  We are well accustomed to peace and not war.  Therefore, democracy, freedom, and peace constitute our common agenda. And if we look at the economy, today, humankind and the whole Earth calls for an in-depth thoroughgoing economic change. We need to move from a fossil fuel sort of capital, the coveting of fossil fuel — which has evolved like a hurricane that is increasingly threatening our existence — to an economy that does not use coal, oil, or gas. If we put together these pillars of political and economic — on the political side, democracy, freedom, and peace; and on the economic side, building decarbonized economies — then I think we can have a common destiny whereby this region of the Americas can become a beacon for all humankind. I believe that humankind in the Americas may well have the greatest potential for democracy and freedom in the Americas, as well as the greatest potential for green energies — clean energies. So we have a common agenda and a lot of work to do. Thank you so much for having received me in your house. PRESIDENT BIDEN:  Well, I couldn’t agree with you more. By the way, this morning I had a teleconference with 10 other nations in preparation for the next COP meeting.  And I honestly believe we’re making some real progress moving toward a carbon-free environment. And one of the things we may talk about is how we can be of assistance in coming through the Panama Canal to Colombia for your electric needs.  But that’s for a longer discussion. Thank you all.   Sources: THX News & The White House. Read the full article
0 notes
creatiview · 1 year
Text
[ad_1] Democrats in the US House of Representatives issue a letter denouncing Peru’s deadly crackdown against protesters.A group of Democrats in the United States House of Representatives has urged the Biden administration to suspend all security assistance to Peru over a “pattern of repression” against antigovernment protests that has resulted in more than 50 civilian deaths. Their letter, a copy of which was shared with The Associated Press news agency, asked the Biden administration on Monday to halt its security assistance until the government can confirm that the crackdown in Peru has ended and the Peruvian officials responsible for human rights abuses are being held accountable. Peru’s foreign minister is in Washington, DC, this week seeking international support for President Dina Boluarte’s increasingly besieged government. Pressure has been mounting on Boluarte, formerly the vice president under ex-President Pedro Castillo, to resign the post she inherited last month when Castillo was impeached and arrested for his ill-fated attempt to close Peru’s Congress. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0CIZ7_EQf8[/embed] “Security forces have indiscriminately responded with almost no regard for protestors’ human rights,” according to the letter, which was signed by 20 mostly progressive House Democrats. “Rather than working to deescalate tensions, the Boluarte government has substantially increased tensions — including classifying protesters as ‘terrorists’ and limiting citizens’ right of movement.” The US provides more than $40m annually to Peru in security assistance, according to the Washington Office on Latin America, a research nonprofit. The vast majority is aimed at helping Peru counter drug trafficking. While protesters were initially demanding Castillo’s release from jail, the unrest has spread across the country, galvanising the support of many poor, Indigenous Peruvians who have benefitted little from Peru’s mining-driven economic boom. Protesters demand that both Boluarte and Congress stand down and that new elections be held this year. Legislators rejected that on Friday. But after another protester died and Boluarte urged them to reconsider, Congress narrowly agreed on Monday to debate a proposal to hold elections in October, with 66 votes in favour, 49 opposed and six abstentions. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKjwMLncQ9w[/embed] Meanwhile, as the protests stretch into their second month, beleaguered security forces have become more forceful. Among the incidents cited in the letter, organised by Representative Susan Wild of Pennsylvania, was the national police raid on student dormitories at San Marcos University in Lima, which included the mass arrest of nearly 200 people. That shocked many Peruvians because campuses have long been off-limits to security forces except when crimes are being committed. The campus invasion drew sharp condemnation from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, which said it collected testimony from civil society groups who alleged law enforcement officers invaded the bedrooms of student leaders, slung racist remarks at Indigenous activists, and forced women to strip naked and do squats. Officials from the United Nations and European Union have strongly condemned what they consider the disproportionate use of force. The Biden administration has been more measured, calling for impartial investigations into abuses while also expressing support for Boluarte’s efforts to restore calm and seek a political solution. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbXwTjcYYmM[/embed] Amid the unrest, outgoing US Ambassador Lisa Kenna announced an additional $8m in US support for coca eradication efforts in the remote Upper Huallaga valley, part of the Amazon basin in Peru. Kenna has also met with the defence minister and other Cabinet members. Such actions send an “ambiguous message”, according to the letter, which was also signed by representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of
New York, Pramila Jayapal of Washington state, and Jim McGovern of Massachusetts, a longtime voice for human rights in Latin America. “The US government can and must do more,” they wrote. “We believe our proposed actions would send a powerful signal in support of fundamental rights and help promote effective engagement for a political resolution.” A copy of the letter was also sent to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. [ad_2] Source link
0 notes
wintrust · 2 years
Text
Us passport processing time
Tumblr media
#Us passport processing time verification#
Reducing the volume of pending passport applications, shortening processing times, and increasing agency counter services remain top priorities. The Department of State is committed to processing passport applications as expeditiously as possible.
Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs.
Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs.
Bureau of International Organization Affairs.
Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs.
Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs.
Office of Management Strategy and Solutions.
Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations.
Bureau of Information Resource Management.
Bureau of the Comptroller and Global Financial Services.
Office of the Science and Technology Adviser.
Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs.
Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs.
Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment.
Economic Growth, Energy, and Environment.
Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons.
Office of the Special Envoy To Monitor and Combat Antisemitism.
Office of International Religious Freedom.
Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration.
Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.
Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor.
Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations.
Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights.
Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights.
Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation.
#Us passport processing time verification#
Bureau of Arms Control, Verification and Compliance.Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security.Arms Control and International Security.Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization.Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources.Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy.Security Coordinator for Israel and the Palestinian Authority Special Representative for Syria Engagement.Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs.Global AIDS Coordinator and Global Health Diplomacy If you require a visa, we recommend that you apply well in advance of your intended travel date and do not make non-refundable travel arrangements until you have been issued a visa and are in receipt of your passport. All processing periods quoted are estimates only. We cannot guarantee visa issuance or visa processing times in advance. Incomplete applications will take longer. If you were advised at the interview that a waiver of ineligibility is required before the visa can be issued, you can expect your application to take between 6 to 8 months to process from the date of the interview. Please see “Administrative Processing” for further information. In some cases however, processing can take six months or longer. If you were advised at your interview that your application was refused under Section 221(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) pending additional processing, you should allow approximately 60 days from the date of the visa interview for your application to be processed. Successful applications take 3 – 5 workdays to process before the passport is handed to the courier for delivery at least a further 2 workdays should be allowed for delivery. Chargé d’Affaires Reeker Thanksgiving Speech at St.Statement on the 33rd Anniversary of the Bombing of Pan Am Flight 103.Ambassador Jane Hartley presents her credentials to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.Statement by President Biden on Russia’s Unprovoked and Unjustified Attack on Ukraine.Joint Statement on Further Restrictive Economic Measures.Readout of Vice President Harris’s Calls with European Leaders.FACT SHEET: United States Bans Imports of Russian Oil, Liquefied Natural Gas, and Coal.Statement from Press Secretary Jen Psaki on Russian Aggression Towards Ukraine.The Stakes of Russian Aggression for Ukraine and Beyond.Readout of President Biden’s Video Call with European Leaders on Russia and Ukraine.How Russia conducts false flag operations.Citizens: Online Fee Payments Now Accepted for Adult U.S. Citizens: Edinburgh Passport and Citizenship Services Temporarily Unavailable (September 12-16, 2022) Chargé d’Affaires a.i Reeker at the 2021 Fulbright Reception.Chargé d’Affaires Reeker visits RAF Fairford.Chargé d’Affaires Reeker at the Pacific Futures Forum aboard HMS Prince of Wales.Chargé d’Affaires Reeker at the Remembrance Day Memorial Commemoration at Brookwood American Cemetery.
Tumblr media
1 note · View note
whatmattered · 2 years
Text
The WNBA star Brittney Griner is sentenced to nine years in prison by a Russian court
Tumblr media
A Russian court sentences WNBA star Brittney Griner to nine years for drug trafficking. MOSCOW — A Russian court found Brittney Griner guilty of drug trafficking and possession. Under public pressure to secure her release, the Biden administration tried to negotiate with Russia to free her and another imprisoned American, Paul Whelan. In a statement issued shortly after the verdict, President Biden called on Griner to sentence another reminder of what the world already knew. Russia wrongly detains Brittney, and it is unacceptable, and calls on Russia to release her immediately. So that she can be with her wife, her family, her friends, her teammates, and so on. The U.S. states oppose this practice everywhere.
Marijuana card
Griner's defense team notes that he has a medical marijuana card in Arizona to help him cope with injuries sustain during years of competition. They also noted that basketball star-ball was prescribe marijuana for medical purposes by an American doctor to treat chronic pain during the off-season. And that she had still failed a drug test. In his final statement to the judge, Griner reiterated that she had never had the right to break any law or hurt anyone. She is excused to her Russian teammates for any damage she caused; she could have caused, adding that it is my second home and everything I wanted to won the championships and made them proud. In his closing remarks to the judge on Thursday, he alluded to political pawns and politics, but I know that everyone is talking about political pawns, but i hope that it is far from this room audience, & quotation; she said. Here is a brief summary of Griner & as of February 17th, Griner is being held at L' Sheremetyevo International Airport, outside Moscow, May 3rd. U.S. Ambassador to Russia John J. Sullivan calls Griner a "the currency exchange" middle of discussions a possible exchange of prisoners 1 July. Prosecutors open their case in court at the beginning of trial 7 July. Griner pleads guilty to drug charges while l'd talks prisoner exchange Grandit  July 27. Griner, testifies that he has inadvertently brought in July 27th. He offered Russia an agreement to release Griner and another imprisoned American, Paul WhelanAug. She played for UMMC Ekaterinburg, a Russian team owned by Iskander Makhmudov.
Cathy Engelbert and NBA
Tumblr media
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert talks to the media In a statement on Thursday, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver stated that the verdict and sentence are as follows" unwarranted and unfortunate, but not unexpected. "The WNBA and NBA 'l' commitment to its safe return did not falter. And we hope that we are nearing the end of this process of bringing the BG back to the U.S. Dozens of human rights groups including the Human Rights Campaign. The National Organization for Women and the LGBTQ National Working Group wrote a letter to President Biden this summer. Urging him to address his case as a matter of urgency. Read the full article
0 notes
yes4katplz · 3 years
Text
Watch "Bombshell report shows Biden admin secretly transporting migrants around US" on YouTube
Watch “Bombshell report shows Biden admin secretly transporting migrants around US” on YouTube
View On WordPress
0 notes
giftofshewbread · 3 years
Text
Gone            (Prophecy Update)
 By Daymond Duck    Published on: September 26, 2021
After Moses died, Joshua became the leader of the Jewish people. Joshua led them across the Jordan River, took them to a place called Shiloh, and gave Shiloh to the largest and most powerful tribe called Ephraim. The Jews erected a Tabernacle there, priests served there, offered sacrifices there, felt God’s presence there, and it was a special place to God for more than 300 years. But the Jews eventually abandoned God, started worshipping a false God, angered God, stirred His wrath, and He destroyed Shiloh (Psa. 78:56-67).
Those that think that God won’t destroy a nation should go and look at Shiloh (Jer. 7:12).
Those that think that God won’t destroy a city should go and look at Sodom and Gomorrah.
On Sept. 16, 2021, several members of the media reported on an interview that former White House Press Sec. Sean Spicer had with former Pres. Trump.
Trump said, “Our country has gone really downhill in the last eight months like nobody’s ever seen before. And we’re not going to have a country left in three years; I’ll tell you that.”
Is Biden really the end of America?
Will America’s Deep State and the global Deep State succeed in bringing about the demise of America before 2024 and the establishment of a godless world government and religion by 2030 or sooner?
Perhaps, it is time for the Lukewarm Laodicean churches and those that think that God won’t destroy a godless world government and religion to go and look at the tower of Babel.
Without God, America is gone.
Consider the following:
Vice Pres. Harris was part of a group that raised funds to bail rioters, looters, and arsonists out of jail, and one has now committed murder.
The Biden administration knows that human traffickers, drug dealers, terrorists, and people infected with Covid are crossing the U.S. border with Mexico, but they are ignoring it or, in some cases, assisting it.
Biden said he would not leave American citizens in Afghanistan, but he has left hundreds there.
Biden let Taliban terrorists have up to 80 billion dollars of U.S. weapons.
The FBI destroyed Hillary’s cell phones for her.
Biden lied about his knowledge of Hunter Biden’s alleged crimes (he boasted about threatening the Pres. of Ukraine if he didn’t fire the man investigating Hunter; e-mails on Hunter’s laptop have been confirmed to be legitimate), but that is okay with the Democrat Party, and the FBI and DOJ have done nothing.
Pelosi, Schumer, and the Democrats impeached Trump over something he didn’t say in a phone call to Russia, but they are ignoring Gen. Milley’s treasonous calls to China, even though he could have endangered the security of the U.S.
Biden has been warned that too much spending can collapse the U.S. economy, but he continues to propose multi-trillion-dollar stimulus packages.
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that mandated vaccinations are unconstitutional, but Biden is trying to force people to get one.
The Biden administration is trying to force average citizens to get vaccinated, but he has exempted Congress, their aides, the DOJ, the U.S. Supreme Court, and postal workers.
Fauci lied to Congress about funding Covid research in Wuhan, China, but the Biden administration supports him.
The above list shows that the America most of us grew up in is already gone, but there is no need to worry because the Church will soon be gone (Raptured) too.
FYI: Trump’s slogan was “Make America Great Again” (Strengthen America don’t weaken it). Biden’s slogan was “Build Back Better” (Get rid of the old America and build it back with a different America. That is what he is doing). Obama called it “The Fundamental Transformation of America”).
This writer believes the length of the above list could easily be doubled, but readers will get the point, and there are other things that need to be mentioned.
One, concerning the decline of the U.S. and the establishment of the Ten Kings: on Sept. 20, 2021, it was reported that the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) met to discuss weakened ties to the U.S. and the restructuring of CELAC into a block of nations patterned after the E.U.
Ten groups of nations patterned after the E.U. with a leader over each group (Ten leaders or Ten Kings) that would eventually cede their power to one leader has been a globalist goal for many years.
Also concerning the decline of the U.S.: Biden’s surrender to the Taliban in Afghanistan has triggered calls for the E.U. to establish a military that does not have ties to NATO.
Also concerning the decline of the U.S.: France has recalled its ambassador to the U.S. for the first time in history over a deal the U.S. and U.K. made to provide Australia with the technology to build submarines.
Two, concerning world government: the globalists have weakened America, and now China wants to replace America, take over the New World Order (NWO) and dominate it, not submit to it.
The globalists are just as much against China dominating their New World Order as they were against America dominating it.
George Soros and some of his globalist buddies are now getting worried about the growing power of China. They are even trying to cut off investments in China to weaken China like they weakened the U.S.
According to the Bible, the E.U. will be the main power in the coming world government, not China.
Expect China to resist and invade the Middle East as one of the Kings of the East, but don’t expect China to defeat the Antichrist and head up the coming world government.
Three, concerning the Mark of the Beast: it will be a global mandate to identify and track everyone on earth, and it will go into effect at the middle of the Tribulation Period.
There is good reason to believe that Covid-19 vaccine certificates are on the way to becoming a global mandate to identify and track people.
On Sept. 15, 2021, it was reported that 35-40 nations (Israel, the E.U., and other nations that want to join) will have a digital system in place by early October to identify and track those that have been vaccinated and those that have had Covid-19 and recovered. Those that get an approved certificate will be allowed to travel, enter restaurants and other venues, but those that don’t get one will not be allowed to do these things.
Four, concerning Israel and Jerusalem: America’s Deep State has manipulated Pres. Biden into many mistakes since putting him into office.
It seems that God is willing to let America’s Deep State and Biden weaken America because He said He will allow them to establish a godless world government and religion for seven years.
But now, these godless people appear to be preparing to weaken Israel by reopening America’s special consulate for the P.A. in Jerusalem and canceling America’s recognition of Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel.
God will allow them to do this for three reasons:
He is letting Israel learn to trust Him and not the nations.
He is letting the nations choose their own judgment (what they try to do to Israel will come back on them; Zech. 12:3).
He is letting the world know that He is God, He restored Israel, and Israel cannot be destroyed (Amos 9:11-15).
FYI: America’s Deep State apparently does not know, believe, or understand the story about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace (a type of Israel in the Tribulation Period). One like the Son of God delivered them out of it (Dan. 3:25), and all Israel, all that believe in Yeshua, will be saved in the wilderness (Matt. 25:16-22) by a Deliverer out of Zion (Rom. 11:26).
Five, in May of this year, terrorists in Gaza fired more than 4,000 rockets into Israel, but many were shot down by Israel’s anti-missile Iron Dome System.
Israel needs to replace and boost her stock of Iron Dome missiles.
In June of this year, U.S. Sec. of State Lloyd Austin told Israel’s Defense Min. Benny Gantz that the U.S. plans to replace Israel’s Iron Dome missiles. On Aug. 27, Pres. Biden met with Israeli Prime Min. Bennett and said the U.S. will replace Israel’s Iron Dome missiles. Nancy Pelosi recently put $1 billion to replace Israel’s Iron Dome missiles in a bill to raise the U.S. debt ceiling, but the Squad and other leftist Democrats strongly objected to spending money on the defense of Israel. Pelosi removed the money but promised to put it in a later bill.
The Biden administration has made many mistakes (Afghanistan, border with Mexico, etc.), but nothing could be as bad as abandoning its promises to defend Israel.
Six, concerning the division of Israel and the Battle of Armageddon: on Sept. 21, 2021, Pres. Biden repeated his support for the Two-State solution in a speech at the U.N. (but he did say it will be a long time before it happens).
Seven, concerning wickedness and corruption at the end of the age: on Sept. 16, 2021, Special Counsel John Durham got an indictment against a Democrat lawyer for creating and giving false information (lying) to the FBI to smear Pres. Trump during the 2016 Pres. Campaign. According to the indictment, the lawyer’s lies were used to suggest that Trump was colluding with the Russians.
In 2016, the FBI questioned him about it, and he gave the FBI false information while claiming to be an ordinary citizen and denied that he was being paid by anyone to give the FBI a false story.
It is now 5 years later, and the FBI says it has proof that the Democrat lawyer was billing the Clinton campaign, and Clinton’s group was paying him for his work. There are now rumors that Durham plans to go after Mrs. Clinton, but this writer is skeptical. It would not be surprising if Durham goes after some of Clinton’s aides, but Clinton is a prominent member of America’s Deep State.
Some say George Soros is destroying America, and Obama is in his third presidency, but nothing is ever done about what they are doing. Why?
The DOJ and FBI appear to be treating America’s Deep State as a protected class of people. If this is not true, why haven’t they been prosecuted for some of the things they have done? If it is true, it means the DOJ and FBI are protecting the wickedness, corruption, and treason of America’s Deep State (like in the days of Noah when the wickedness of man was great).
FYI: Here is some good news.
If (a big “IF”) God allows the Antichrist to confirm a 7-year covenant with many for peace in the Middle East by 2030, Jesus will be sitting on the throne of David in Jerusalem, and the Kingdom of God will exist on earth by 2037. Christians will be here in new bodies with their loved ones; Christians won’t get sick or die; there will be peace, justice, and righteousness on earth; no Covid, etc.
The bad things mentioned above are signs that a new world is coming soon.
Eight, concerning a falling away in the Church: on Sept. 21, 2021, LifeSiteNews reported that Pope Francis has a history of praising pro-abortion politicians, he supports serving communion to pro-abortion politicians, and he has endorsed gay civil unions.
Pope Francis has the spiritual qualifications of the False Prophet (supports world government, world religion, etc.), but he is getting old. If he is the False Prophet, the Rapture could be very soon.
Before closing, here is a personal message.
I get a little uncomfortable when other ministries ask me to publicize what they are doing because if they or some of their people go astray, I don’t want it to have a negative impact on Rapture Ready or my ministry. Having said this, a Christian group called Tactical Civics is seeking God-fearing patriots that want to restore America. I am thankful for (and support) anyone that wants to restore America. A member of the group has asked me to encourage people that Love Jesus and America to watch the 11-minute video at this link: www.tacticalcivics.com/video
The group wants more people to know what they are doing and perhaps get involved.
Finally, are you Rapture Ready?
If you want to be rapture ready and go to heaven, you must be born again (John 3:3). God loves you, and if you have not done so, sincerely admit that you are a sinner; believe that Jesus is the virgin-born, sinless Son of God who died for the sins of the world, was buried, and raised from the dead; ask Him to forgive your sins, cleanse you, come into your heart and be your Saviour; then tell someone that you have done this.
7 notes · View notes
rjzimmerman · 3 years
Link
Excerpt from this story from Grist:
Vice President Kamala Harris had a simple message for migrants seeking relief during her first international trip in the role: “Do not come.”
Harris, who gave a press conference with Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei after private talks about U.S. President Joe Biden’s goals to curb migration at the southern border, named corruption and human trafficking as among the most pressing causes of migration from the Central American country. What she failed to mention, however, was 2020’s biggest driver of migration: severe weather, which makes the “do not come” instruction nearly impossible to follow. Nearly 600,000 people from Honduras, Guatemala, and Nicaragua were displaced last year due to Hurricanes Eta and Iota.
Harris and the Biden administration haven’t completely ignored migration due to climate change. Right before her trip to Guatemala, Harris’ staff said the “main drivers” of migration to the southern border are climate and the economy. Currently, no nation offers asylum or other legal protections to people displaced specifically because of climate change. But in February, Biden signed an executive order signaling a future where those displaced by climate disasters could one day get refugee status and protection.
That future is still a ways off — the executive order only commissioned a federal report on climate migration. In the meantime, Harris is doubling down on the administration’s current cornerstone plan to tackle migration: a $4 billion investment to “build security and prosperity” in Central America.
The plan, meant to reduce economic inequality and corruption while mitigating the direct fallout from natural disasters, entails sending money to stimulate the region’s economy, including commitments from private American companies such as Mastercard and Microsoft; supporting Central American police departments both financially and logistically through an “Anticorruption Task Force”; and establishing designated processing centers throughout Central America to make applying for U.S. asylum easier. But what it fails to incorporate are solutions to some of the most pressing issues causing displacement: increasing global temperatures, rising sea levels, and severe weather events.
6 notes · View notes
creepingsharia · 3 years
Text
Biden Urges Serbia to Recognize Kosovo -  as his pal and former president Thaci remains jailed for war crimes against Serbs
Tumblr media Tumblr media
U.S. President Joe Biden has urged Serbia to recognize Kosovo.
In a letter to Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Friday, Biden congratulates Serbia on its national day on February 15.
“We remain steadfast in our support for Serbia’s goal of European integration and encourage you to continue taking the hard steps forward to reach that aim – including instituting necessary reforms and reaching a comprehensive normalization agreement with Kosovo centered on mutual recognition,” Biden wrote in the letter published by Serbian and Albanian media on Sunday.
In reaction to the message, Vucic told journalists that Serbia is ready to continue the dialogue with Kosovo but it will not recognize it, Serbian news agency Tanjug reported. He said this request is a new policy by the United States, which is not found in any international document and which he respects, as he respects the positions of Russia and China who oppose Kosovo’s statehood.
Vucic vowed not to sign a document recognizing Kosovo.
--------------------------------------------------------
Why is Biden adamant on statehood for Kosovo? He is finishing the job Bill Clinton started in the 1990′s - which by the way resulted in one of the first waves of Muslim refugees (many terrorists included) to the U.S.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Hillary Clinton continued Bill’s jihad during the Obama regime during which Joe Biden became pals with now jailed KLA terrorist leader Hashim Thaci.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Background on Thaci
Thaci remains in custody: Judge in Hague rejects request for his temporary release
The judge for previous procedure of the Specialist Chambers of Kosovo, based in The Hague, rejected the request lodged by the defense attorneys of the former commander-in-chief of the so-called KLA, and former president of so-called Kosovo Hashim Thaci for his temporary release.
Thaci and the others were arrested in early November 2020. He had previously resigned as president of so-called Kosovo and surrendered to The Hague based court.
All four former bosses of the so-called KLA havr been charged with a number of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed across 40 locations where people were illegally imprisoned, tortured and killed, and face sentences that can go up to life in prison if found guilty.
The indictment alleges that the crimes were committed between March 1998 and September 1999 in several places in Kosovo, as well as in Kukes and Cahan, northern Albania.
According to the indictment, the acts were committed by KLA members against hundreds of civilians and persons who were not active participants in the hostilities.
---------------------------------------------------
Remember, Joe Biden welcomed Thaci to the White House and declared him the George Washington of Kosovo - a country founded on jihad, waged by Islamic terrorists against non-Muslim Serbs, with the help of the U.S. military and U.N. courtesy of Bill Clinton.
Tumblr media
It should also be noted the involvement of the U.S. was based on a lie, the supposed massacre of 8,000 Muslims - because Bill Clinton is reported to have stated it would take at least 5,000 dead for NATO to wage war.
Some of the Creeping Sharia posts on the topic throughout the years:
White House (Biden) Welcomes Former Islamic Terror Leader And Accused Human Organ Trafficker
Kosovo’s Terror-linked Organ-Harvester-in-Chief Rings NASDAQ Opening Bell
National Guard Guns Aimed at Serbs in Muslim Kosovo
America Refuses to Condemn Terrorist Monument in Serbia
Saudi prince to Clinton: “Muslims will never forget your deliverance of Bosnia-Herzogovenia and Kosovo”
Clinton OK’d Iran-Bosnia Arms Sales
6 notes · View notes
little--brittle · 3 years
Link
The White House will soon have a Gender Policy Council.
The council — like many parts of the Biden administration — has its roots in eras past, but a new name, a new structure, a full-time leader and a larger staff will not only make this council the most powerful of its kind to date, it will also help keep gender issues — and yes, “women’s issues” (no eye-rolling, thank you) — at the center of almost everything the administration does.
Consider this: The council will not be relegated to some distant, dusty government building. It will find its home in the White House and it intends to have high-level representation in all offices, including the Council on Economic Advisers and the Defense Department. And it will directly collaborate with every agency across government, working on all of the issues that touch American lives, most notably women’s lives, such as national security, health care and economics. Amid two crises — a pandemic and an economic downturn — that have devastated women professionally and personally, the Gender Policy Council will play a critical role in pushing forward President Biden’s agenda, marking a sharp departure from the last four years when the Trump administration effectively sidelined women’s issues.
All it’s waiting for is Mr. Biden’s signature.
Leading the effort will be two co-chairs: Julissa Reynoso, who served as ambassador to Uruguay, and Jennifer Klein, who served as senior adviser to Hillary Clinton, then the first lady.
This is not the first time the two women have worked together; they started their careers as lawyers at the same law firm. Ms. Klein has worked in feminist organizations for more than 25 years, and Ms. Reynoso formerly served in the State Department. They also happen to share a mentor, Mrs. Clinton. Now they are in charge of ensuring that gender equity underscores the work of all branches of government.
“This is not just a council,” Ms. Klein said in the first interview that they have given since being appointed as co-chairs. “It’s a plan to take a government-wide approach to gender equity and equality.”
That way, Ms. Klein explained, the policy areas traditionally viewed as women’s issues — the pay gap, sexual harassment, reproductive health and child care — won’t be separated from the administration’s broader priorities like climate change or infrastructure.
“The council is an absolutely critical first step,” Mrs. Clinton said in a phone interview. “It sends a very clear policy message to the rest of government that there is going to be constant attention paid to how important it is to integrate the kinds of concerns women are facing, especially post-pandemic.”
How it all began
In 1995, Mrs. Clinton, then a first lady with a reputation for challenging the conventional constraints of her role, flew to Beijing to deliver a speech that echoed around the globe. “Women’s rights are human rights,” she declared. It was a call to action that spurred the creation of the first White House body focused on advancing issues of gender equity across all government offices.
Melanne Verveer, then chief of staff to the first lady, recalled that on the 75th anniversary of women’s suffrage President Bill Clinton interrupted a vacation in Wyoming to announce a new Interagency Council on Women, which would be tasked with weaving the ambitious vision and ideas from the Beijing World Conference on Women into American policies.
The interagency council was initially chaired by Madeleine Albright — the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations at the time — and later by Donna Shalala, the secretary of health and human services.
But it was clear that Mrs. Clinton was driving the effort: “The beehive of activity resided in the first lady’s office,” Ms. Verveer said. “That was where a lot of the leadership was emanating.”
Female representatives from every corner of government enthusiastically approached agency secretaries, who were predominantly male, and urged them to turn their attention to wage inequality, child care, paid family leave and more.
“They were empowered because it was coming from the White House,” Ms. Verveer said. In other words, the mere existence of the council, stamped with the presidential seal, sent a signal that women’s issues were considered a top priority.
But both Ms. Albright and Ms. Shalala were doing their council work in addition to their day jobs, and because the council itself didn’t include cabinet secretaries, it could, at times, be difficult to get upper level buy-in from senior leadership. It didn’t help that the council reported to the first lady, not the president.
In October 1997, for example, the White House hosted its first official conference on child care, with Mrs. Clinton presiding over the discussion.
The first lady invited Robert Rubin, then secretary of the Treasury, to participate in the panel and draw the connection between quality child care and benefits to the economy.
He was perplexed by the request, Mrs. Clinton recalled.
According to Ms. Verveer, he responded, “Well, what do I know about child care?”
He eventually agreed to speak, but “he was taken somewhat aback in being asked — it was a little bit outside his comfort zone,” Mrs. Clinton said.
Taking it a step further
After the Clintons left the White House, President George W. Bush quietly disbanded the Interagency Council on Women, leaving it to Laura Bush, the first lady, to advocate women’s rights out of her office and in conjunction with the Office of Global Women’s Issues. On paper, the Office of Global Women’s Issues was an arm of the State Department, but in reality it was housed far from the action, in a small satellite office on a nondescript street in Washington.
In 2009, the situation changed again. Under President Barack Obama, the White House created a new, slightly more powerful gender-focused council called the Council on Women and Girls.
This time, every cabinet member was involved, explained Tina Tchen, who was appointed as the council’s executive director and who now serves as the president and chief executive of the anti-sexual harassment Time’s Up movement.
Ms. Tchen and Valerie Jarrett, who was named the council’s chair, initially considered creating a cabinet-level gender council position or a broader gender ambassador, but decided against it in the end. It sounds counterintuitive, but they felt that it would give the designated “gender person” less power every time issues like sexual harassment in the military or sexual assault on college campuses arose.
“If you created a separate office and kept all the issues around gender concentrated in one place, the temptation would be to look down the cabinet table, point to the gender person and say, ‘Not my problem, it’s their problem,’” Ms. Tchen said.
Instead, Ms. Tchen and Ms. Jarrett structured the council like a consultancy, pushing each agency to focus on gender issues within its own ranks and broader policy agenda. It worked with the Transportation Department, for example, to train bus drivers and flight attendants to recognize signs of sex trafficking.
The council, however, still didn’t have a full-time leader — Ms. Tchen was also director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, and Ms. Jarrett served as a senior adviser to Mr. Obama — nor did it report directly to the president. And it didn’t have much authority to design policies itself.
“It was situated in the Office of Public Engagement so it had more of a public relations or outreach function,” said Lyric Thompson, the senior director of policy and advocacy at the International Center for Research on Women.
And, Ms. Thompson added, the council tended to neglect foreign policy issues. Much of the activity on global gender initiatives came instead from the State Department, under Mrs. Clinton, who as secretary of state appointed Ms. Verveer to be the country’s first ambassador for global women’s issues.
The council was dismantled again in 2017, under President Donald J. Trump, who also left the role of ambassador for global women’s issues vacant until December 2019.
At various points throughout Mr. Trump’s term, his daughter Ivanka took up the mantle, but it was a piecemeal effort. She publicly pushed for child care and paid leave reforms and, in 2019, she set up a $50 million fund for the U.S. Agency for International Development to help expand what she called “women’s economic participation,” but there were no specifics on how to carry out this plan and no staffing for these projects.
Ultimately, there was no empowered body to ensure her projects were executed.
“The council has to be the driver, the convener, the nudge,” Mrs. Clinton said. “Creating it doesn’t solve anything. But without it, it will be really difficult to get anything done.”
‘We’ve come 180 degrees’
Although Mr. Biden has yet to officially establish the Gender Policy Council through executive order, Ms. Klein and Ms. Reynoso have been at work for weeks putting together their priorities for their first days on the job.
The council will report directly to the president, sending the message that their work is a presidential priority.
Unlike previous iterations of gender councils, this one will consist of four full-time staff members — three senior-level advisers who will craft policy and one staff member who will focus on administration duties — in addition to Ms. Klein and Ms. Reynoso. Ms. Klein will be its dedicated, full-time chair, while Ms. Reynoso is also serving as chief of staff to the first lady, Dr. Jill Biden.
Every cabinet member will participate. This may be more of a formality, but it shows that agency leaders are obligated to make clear commitments to advance the council’s work. And the executive order will call for the cabinet members to designate representatives within their agencies who will be in charge of advancing gender equity work, both within their teams and when it comes to crafting new policies.
“Part of the thinking is to have senior officials who can oversee each respective agency’s work towards advancing gender equity and equality,” Ms. Reynoso explained.
This staffing structure, Ms. Thompson added, will also make it more difficult (though not impossible) for future administrations to dismantle the council. It is easier for presidents to keep existing agencies, she explained, because “there is funding from the last budget cycle and a slot in the ‘Plum Book.’” (The Plum Book is the publication produced by House and Senate committees after every presidential election that lists the thousands of workers in the legislative and executive branches of government, from department heads to clerks, under the previous president.)
From Day 1, Ms. Klein and Ms. Reynoso’s plans will touch on a range of issues. They want to see a national plan for addressing gender-based violence, for example, and they want to see the federal government improve workplace policies for its female employees, serving as a model for other employers around the country to do the same.
They recognize, too, that this work demands partnership. They’re hoping to collaborate with the Democratic Women’s Caucus — a body comprising all of the Democratic women in the House — which has its own set of priorities, including passing the Equal Rights Amendment, pushing for a higher minimum wage and protecting abortion access.
And they will help set in motion key components of the Biden administration’s economic recovery program, particularly to fund caregiving.
“We’ve come 180 degrees from the world where people in power don’t think caregiving is an issue they need to focus on,” said Ms. Klein, who recalled feeling pleasantly surprised when Mr. Biden announced during the presidential campaign that caregiving would be the third plank of his economic recovery plan.
“I thought, ‘OK, this is definitely a new world,’” she said.
2 notes · View notes