Gender pay gap persists nearly 60 years after signing of the Equal Pay Act 

Progress Iowa Executive Director Matt Sinovic issued the following statement on the anniversary of the Equal Pay Act:

“Most Iowans believe that equal work deserves equal pay, no matter our zipcode, color or sex. And 59 years ago today, President John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act into law, aimed at abolishing the gender pay gap. 

“While women’s wages have risen since the bill’s signing, there is still work to be done. Today, women still make 83 cents for every dollar earned by men. The disparity is even larger for women of color. 

“At the same time, corporations refuse to pay workers what they owe and continue to jack up prices, while Corporate Kim Reynolds and other republicans rig the rules for them with massive tax cuts. 

“We need real leaders who stand with working people and who work to close the wage gap. We need to pass laws to stop corporate price gouging, curb education debt, make childcare and healthcare affordable, and raise our wages.”

Joint Statement on Canada-Mexico-United States Cooperation
06/10/2022 06:52 PM EDT
Office of the State Department Spokesperson
Canada, Mexico, and the United States share a close relationship based on shared values and priorities. We acknowledge that working together as North America we can bring new ideas and energy to the hemisphere, and we commit to reinvigorating how we address together the issues of our time. As three likeminded countries, we affirm our strong commitment to democratic principles and intend to cooperate closely to stand up for multilateralism and the rules-based international order, support the rule of law, promote inclusive growth, invest in the development of communities, protect and promote human rights, advance gender equality, and reinforce democracy at home and inspire democratic development around the world. We worked together towards ending the COVID-19 pandemic and continue to create the conditions for equitable growth and strengthening North American competitiveness. On the occasion of today’s North American Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Los Angeles, our three countries commit to further enhancing our deep partnership and to continue working together in support of peace and prosperity around the globe.
We reaffirm our support for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, and condemn Russia’s unprovoked invasion of its sovereign and democratic neighbor in violation of international law. Canada, Mexico, and the United States have repeatedly condemned civilian deaths resulting from Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine and stated the importance of upholding international law, including the UN Charter. We also emphasize the urgent need to allow and facilitate rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief for civilians in need. These are principles that sustain our rules-based order. We affirm the need to ensure accountability in relevant national and international courts for crimes committed, without exceptions, and support the work of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court and the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine established by the Human Rights Council. We are united in our continued support for the people of Ukraine. We also express our commitment to work together in support of those suffering around the world from the global impacts of this invasion, particularly vulnerable populations now experiencing greater food and economic insecurity.
Our coordinated responses to Russian aggression against Ukraine, including calls to establish a diplomatic path forward, demonstrate the importance of North American solidarity. We call on the Russian Federation to withdraw immediately all its military forces and equipment from within the internationally recognized borders of Ukraine and return to a path of dialogue and diplomacy. Canada,
Mexico, and the United States – as close hemispheric partners and friends – are committed to further strengthening our relations, which is key to our collective security and prosperity.
We reaffirm our commitment to addressing the root causes of irregular migration and poverty and to investing in the region – prioritizing cooperation for development to create economic opportunity for all. In particular, the three governments are united in efforts towards investing in initiatives that directly benefit the most marginalized communities. We support multilateral efforts to develop value chains and physical infrastructure in the Americas that will generate employment and equitable growth. We acknowledge that addressing irregular migration in the region requires a coordinated approach, and we support the Regional Conference on Migration, the Comprehensive Regional Protection and Solutions Framework and the vision of the Global Compact on Migration.
We celebrate the tradition of our region in welcoming refugees and migrants, and we recognize the positive contributions of refugees and migrants to the socio-economic development of their host communities. We applaud the sustained efforts of States in our hemisphere in ensuring safe, orderly, and regular migration by hosting refugees, providing regular migration pathways, promoting local economic and social integration, facilitating voluntary return, and supporting the reintegration of returnees. We remain committed to collectively leveraging the benefits of migration while addressing its challenges in countries and communities of origin, transit, destination, and return.
We are committed to continuing our cooperation to support and strengthen Haiti’s democratic process, including through our collective efforts to promote an inclusive, Haitian-led political path forward. We are also committed to working closely with the United Nations and other regional partners to promote peaceful, fair, and sustainable growth throughout the hemisphere.
We reaffirm our commitment to protect human rights, particularly for members of vulnerable and historically marginalized communities, like the LGBTQI+ and two spirit community, and afro-descendant communities, as well as the rights of Indigenous peoples. We also stress the importance of individual freedom of expression and media freedom, and together advocate for addressing impunity and inequality.
We collectively commit to taking bold, swift, and coordinated action to address the climate crisis. Climate change threatens our economies and our communities, especially those who are vulnerable and underserved. As we work to address the climate crisis, we recognize the tremendous opportunity to build back better, to create well-paying and reliable jobs in ever-growing markets, and to position North America as a global leader in clean energy solutions.
As partner countries in championing development in the Americas, we reaffirm our commitment to advancing feminist approaches, eliminating structural and indirect barriers for women, girls and marginalized people, and to integrate gender perspectives in our shared priorities. We continue to advocate for feminist approaches for a more effective, fair, relevant and accountable United Nations in support of the Sustainable Development Goals.
We recognize the integral place of Indigenous peoples in North America, and their contributions to the diversity and richness of our culture and society. We acknowledge that cultural diversity and linguistic plurality are part of the heritage of humanity, so we place great value in the historical and cultural legacy of indigenous communities in the region.
By recognizing the historical legacy towards indigenous communities, our vision aims to achieve real progress towards reconciliation and a renewed relationship based on respect, truth, cooperation, partnership, and in recognition of the rights of Indigenous peoples. We reiterate our unwavering commitment to ensure that Indigenous rights, interests, and aspirations are recognized in decision-making. We intend to work together, in partnership with Indigenous peoples from our three countries, to attain our goals of safety, security, well-being, socio-economic development, and empowerment for all Indigenous peoples. We also recognize that ending violence against Indigenous women and girls requires a holistic, multidimensional, and multi-sectoral approach.
During our meeting today, we also discussed planning for the next North American Leaders’ Summit in Mexico in December.
We look forward to our increased cooperation in the years to come.

Mason City Room   June 7, 2022

Mason City, Iowa       7:00 P.M.

MINUTES

REGULAR MEETING

OF THE CITY COUNCIL

The City Council of the City of Mason City, Iowa, met in regular session pursuant to law and rules of said Council, in the Mason City Room of the Mason City Public Library, at 7:00 P.M., on June 7, 2022. The meeting was called to order by the Mayor and on roll being called there were present, Bill Schickel, Mayor in the Chair, and the following Council Members: Jaszewski, Masson, Adams, Symonds, Thoma. Absent: Lee.

Adopt Agenda:  Motion, Masson; 2nd, Jaszewski that the agenda be adopted. AYES: All (Motion carried.)

1.  Angie Kolz with WHKS provided a presentation on the findings of Phase 2 of the CCTV Sanitary Sewer Inspection. Council comments and questions followed the presentation.

Prior to adopting the Consent Agenda Item #7 and #9 were removed to be acted upon separately. 

Consent Agenda: Regular Minutes of May 17, 2022 and Joint Council Worksesion Minutes of May 24, 2022; Claims dated May 19, 26 and June 2, 2022 in the amount of $1,990,470.99; Bills BBQ – Class B Beer, Class B Native Wine; Walgreens – Class B Wine/C Beer/E Liquor; Walmart – Class B Wine/C Beer/E Liquor; Northwestern Steakhouse – Class C Liquor License; Mason City Brewing – Class C Liquor License, Special Class A Beer Permit, Outdoor Service; Simply Nourished (New License) – Special Class C Liquor License, Class B Wine, Outdoor Service; The Corner Pizza & Ale House – Class C Liquor, Outdoor Service, Living Quarters; Main Street Mason City – Class B Beer Permit, Outdoor Service (5 day license for RAGBRAI); Appoint/hire Joseph Welsh as Traffic Control Technician; Resolution No. 22-116, approving the purchase of a zero turn radius mower from Floyd and Leonard Auto Electric of Mason City, Iowa for the Water Reclamation Facility; Resolution No. 22-117, award of contract for professional services to WHKS & Co. for the Mason City Water Reclamation Facility Improvements – Facility Plan; Resolution No. 22-118, authorizing approval and execution of a Subordination Agreement between the City of Mason City and First Citizens Bank related to the rehabilitation of 145 6th  Street SW in conjunction with the Corridor Revitalization Loan; Resolution No. 22-119 authorizing approval and execution of an Assignment of and Assumption Note and Mortgage Agreement between the City of Mason City, River City Land, LLC and Philip L. Blanchard and Delora L. Blanchard related to the rehabilitation of 145 6th Street SW in conjunction with the Corridor Revitalization Loan; Resolution No. 22-120, fixing date for a public hearing on the proposal to enter into a Purchase and Sale Agreement with Berta N. and Jack N. Prestholt for property located at 412 3rd Street Southwest and providing for publication of notice thereof; Resolution No. 22-121, approving change order #2 with Henkel Construction Company for construction of the “River City Renaissance Skywalk” Project; Resolution No. 22-122, approving and authorizing execution of a RAGBRAI Event Management Agreement between the City of Mason City, Iowa, Main Street Mason City and Visit Mason City; Resolution No. 22-123, authorizing submission to the Iowa Economic Development Authority for a Destination Iowa Grant titled Bike North Iowa and authorizing execution of grant agreement upon application approval.  Motion, Jaszewski; 2nd, Masson that all items in the Consent Agenda be approved and Resolutions adopted. AYES:  All (Motion carried.)

7.  Order Hearing – Winnebago River Low Head Dam Mitigation No. 2: Motion, Adams; 2nd, Thoma that Resolution No. 22-124, authorizing notice to bidders, fixing amount of bid security, and ordering clerk to publish notice and fixing a date for receiving same, and for a public hearing on plans, specifications, form of contract and estimate of costs for construction of the  “Winnebago River Low Head Dam Mitigation – Winnebago Dam No. 2”, be adopted. Questions followed regarding whether the City was taking out the sewer line and whether the grant would qualify for that, how much the City would be responsible for (50%), what happened to the leftover grant money, etc. AYES:  All (Motion carried.)

9.   Workforce Housing Tax Credits: Motion, Adams; 2nd, Symonds that Resolution No. 22-125, of support for an application to IEDA for Workforce Housing Tax Credits by Dev Partners/Shyft Collective for the development of vacant property at the SE corner of North Federal Avenue and 2nd Street NE be adopted. Comments followed regarding whether the project was dependent on the tax credits, how long it would take to get a response on this type of tax credit, and thanking the developer for their interest in Mason City. AYES:  All (Motion carried.)

Sale and Development Agreement with Talon, LLC and River Mason City, II LLC: The Public Hearing was held as per published notice. Mayor Schickel asked if there were any written comments or objections or anyone on Zoom that would like to comment with Burnett replying there were no written comments and no “raised hands” via Zoom. There being no comments the Public Hearing was declared closed. Motion, Adams; 2nd, Masson that Resolution No. and 22-126, making final determination on potential sale of interest in real property and approving and authorizing execution of purchase, sale, and development agreement by and among the City of Mason City, Talon, LLC and the River Mason City, II, LLC, be adopted. AYES:  All (Motion carried.)

West Lakes P & S, LLC: The Public Hearing was held as per published notice. Mayor Schickel asked if there were any written comments or objections or anyone on Zoom that would like to comment with Burnett replying there were no written comments and no “raised hands” via Zoom. There being no comments the Public Hearing was declared closed. Motion, Jaszewski; 2nd, Thoma that Resolution No. and 22-127, approving and authorizing execution of a development agreement by and between the City of Mason City and West Lakes P & S, L.L.C, be adopted. Discussion followed regarding the timeline and when some of the stores would be open. AYES:  All (Motion carried.)

Ordinance Relating to Consumer Fireworks in Temporary Structures: Motion, Jasewski; 2nd, Symonds to waive First Consideration and move to Second. Discussion followed regarding Iowa Legislature superseding the City Ordinances (already considering applications that allow for those tent sales), the date sales can start (June 13th), whether there was any local control. AYES:  Jaszewski, Symonds. NAYS:  Thoma, Adams, Masson (Motion failed.) Motion, Adams; 2nd, Masson that the Ordinance amending the City Code by repealing Title 8 “Public Safety and Police Regulations”, Chapter 3, “General Offenses” Section 8 “Consumer Fireworks” Subsection B-3-C(1) Sales in a Temporary Structure and adopting a new Subsection B-3-C(1)  in lieu thereof,  be received and placed on file for First Consideration. AYES:  All (Motion carried.)

Prior to adjournment of the meeting Mayor Schickel requested the City Administrator provide an overview of the Destination Iowa Grant titled Bike North Iowa with Burnett providing highlights of the grant.

The Mayor also extended condolences on behalf of the Council to Tom Crowley, the Mason City Room Audio and Visual Engineer, on the loss of his wife Joyce.

Adjourn:  The Mayor adjourned the meeting at 7:45 p.m.

/s/Bill Schickel

Bill Schickel, Mayor 

ATTEST:

/s/Aaron Burnett

Aaron Burnett, City Clerk

Publish 6-16-22
Emailed 6-10-22

STATEMENT from Progess Iowa: Protecting Our Kids Act passes U.S. House

Axne voted to protect our kids, while Hinson, Miller-Meeks, Feenstra sold us out to the gun lobby

Des Moines, Iowa — Progress Iowa Executive Director Matt Sinovic issued the following statement in response to the Protecting Our Kids Act passing the U.S. House:

“No matter where we’re from or what political party we belong to, most Iowans believe all kids and educators deserve to go to school and return home safely at the end of the day. But after years of Republican legislators weakening our country’s gun laws, that hasn’t been possible.

“Tonight, thanks to the help of Iowa Congresswoman Cindy Axne, the U.S. House passed the Protecting Our Kids Act, which will strengthen our nation’s gun laws and make our communities safer. 

“Unfortunately, every Republican in Iowa’s Congressional Delegation has decided that the lives of children don’t matter as much as corporate donations and support from the gun lobby and voted against the legislation. 

“The vast majority of Americans are behind common sense gun laws. The will of the people should matter more than power and profit. It’s time to take real action to prevent gun violence in our schools and communities.”

GALLUP:
Americans Say Birth Control, Divorce Most ‘Morally Acceptable’

Birth control and divorce remain the most morally acceptable of 19 issues measured, and extramarital affairs and cloning humans the most morally wrong.

(Translated: We’re Christians here in USA, but we gonna sin like mad)

NOTICE TO BIDDERS AND NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING ON PROPOSED PLANS, SPECIFICATIONS, FORM OF CONTRACT, AND ESTIMATE OF COST FOR CONSTRUCTION OF “WINNEBAGO RIVER LOW HEAD DAM MITIGATION – WINNEBAGO DAM NO. 2”, IN AND FOR THE CITY OF MASON CITY, IOWA, AND THE TAKING OF BIDS FOR SAID IMPROVEMENTS

Sealed proposals, subject to the conditions contained herein, will be received by the City Clerk of the City of Mason City, Iowa, at the City Clerk’s office in City Hall at Mason City, Iowa, until 10:00 o’clock a.m. on the 12th day of July, 2022 for:

Construction of “Winnebago River Low Head Dam Mitigation – Winnebago Dam No. 2”, as hereinafter described in general and as described in detail in the plans and specifications now on file in the office of the City Clerk, Mason City, Iowa.

Proposals received will be opened, read aloud, tabulated, and referred to the City Council for consideration at 7:00 p.m. on the 19th day of July, 2022.  Bids will be acted upon at such time or at such later time as may then be fixed.  Prior thereto, at said time specified above, in the Mason City Room at the Mason City Public Library, a hearing will be held on the proposed plans, specifications, form of contract, and estimate of cost for said Improvements, and at said hearing any interested person may appear and file objections thereto.

The extent of the work involved is the furnishing of labor and new materials for the construction of mitigation measures for the existing low head dam located on the Winnebago River near East Park. The work will generally involve the construction of a rock weir in the river, encasement of a sanitary sewer pipe, and related work.

The Proposal shall be made out on the form furnished by the City of Mason City and obtained from WHKS & Co., Engineers, Planners, and Surveyors, and must be accompanied in a sealed envelope by either:  (1) a certified check, or a cashier’s check drawn on an Iowa bank, or a bank chartered under the laws of the United States, in an amount of 5% of bid amount; or (2) a certified share draft drawn on a credit union in Iowa or chartered under the laws of the United States, in an amount of 5% of bid amount; or (3) a bid bond executed by a corporation authorized to contract as a surety in the State of Iowa, in the penal sum of 5% of bid amount.

The bid security shall be made payable to the City Clerk of the City of Mason City, Iowa.

The bid security must not contain any conditions either in body or as an endorsement thereon.  The bid security shall be forfeited to the City as liquidated damages in the event the successful bidder fails or refuses to enter into contract within ten (10) days after the award of contract and post bond satisfactory to the City insuring the faithful fulfillment of the contract and the maintenance of said work, if required, pursuant to the provisions of this notice and the other contract documents.  The City will accept bid bond forms that meet the Requirements of Iowa Code, Section 26.8.

Sales Tax Exemption.  Contractors and subcontractors shall not include sales tax for material purchases.  At the time of the contract acceptance by the City Council, the prime contractor and all subcontractors will be issued a certificate of exemption.

Bidders shall not be permitted to withdraw their bids for a period of thirty (30) days after the same are opened.

By virtue of statutory authority, a preference will be given to products and provisions grown and produced within the State of Iowa and to Iowa domestic labor.  

In accordance with Iowa statutes, a resident bidder shall be allowed a preference as against a nonresident bidder from a state or foreign country if that state or foreign country gives or requires any preference to bidders from that state or foreign country, including but not limited to any preference to bidders, the imposition of any type of labor force preference, or any other form of preferential treatment to bidders or laborers from that state or foreign country. The preference shall be equal to the preference given or required by the state or foreign country in which the nonresident bidder is a resident. In the instance of a resident labor force preference, a nonresident bidder shall apply the same resident labor force preference to a public improvement in this state as would be required in the construction of a public improvement by the state or foreign country in which the nonresident bidder is a resident.

Bidders will be required to complete a Bidder Status Form from the Iowa Department of Labor regarding the Contractor’s resident status within the State of Iowa.  Failure to submit a fully completed Bidder Status Form with the bid may result in the bid being deemed nonresponsive and rejected.

Pursuant to City Ordinance No. 94-3, legally known as Title I, Chapter 10, of the Municipal code, general bidders shall include Form DBE 1. Prospective bidders’ or contractors’ attention is specifically called to the Mason City Human Rights Commission Specifications which mandates that female and minority business enterprises shall be afforded the maximum opportunity to participate in the performance of this project.  Prospective bidders’ or contractors’ attention is also directed to the fact that the Mason City Human Rights Commission may notify firms designated as Minority, Women, and/or Disadvantaged Business Enterprises, of this project and determine if they are interested in participating as subcontractors for this project.  Prospective bidders or contractors shall then be notified by the Commission of those interested parties.  Determination of certification of compliance with these specifications shall be conducted by the Mason City Human Rights Director, following receipt of bids from prospective bidders or contractors. 

The established DBE goal for this project is 0% of the total project amount.  The goals are subject to waiver by the commission.

The right is reserved, as the interest of the City may require, to reject all bids, any unresponsive bid and to waive technicalities in bids received.

The Contractor shall commence work after Notice to Proceed is issued and shall be completed on or before July 1st, 2023.

Payment to the Contractor for said Project will be made in cash derived from the proceeds of the issuance of bonds as may be legally used for such purposes, governmental grants and/or from cash on hand.  Any combination of the above methods of payment may be used at the discretion of the Owner. 

The Contractor will be paid each month ninetyfive (95) percent of the Engineer’s estimate of the value of acceptable work completed at the end of the preceding month.  Final payment will be made in accordance with Iowa Code chapters 26 and 573, as amended.   No partial or final payment will be due until the Contractor has certified to the City that the materials, labor and services involved in each estimate have been paid for in accordance with the requirements stated in the specifications.

The successful bidder will be required to furnish a bond in an amount equal to one hundred (100) percent of the contract price, said bond to be issued by a responsible surety approved by the Owner and which shall guarantee a faithful performance of the Contract and the terms and conditions therein contained and shall guarantee the prompt payment of all materials and labor and protect and save harmless the Owner from claims and damages of any kind caused by the operations of the Contractor and shall also guarantee the maintenance of the improvements constructed for a period of one (1) year after completion and acceptance by the Owner.

Plans and specifications governing the construction of the proposed improvements have been prepared by WHKS & Co., Engineers, Planners, and Surveyors, which plans and specifications and the proceedings of the Owner referring to and defining said proposed improvements are hereby made a part of the Notice by reference, and the proposed contract shall be executed in compliance therewith.  Copies of said plans and specifications are now on file with the City Clerk and at the offices of WHKS & Co., and may be examined by the bidders.

Plans and specifications are available to download free of charge at http://www.questcdn.com.  Plans and specifications for private use may also be obtained from WHKS & Co., Engineers, Planners, and Surveyors, 1412 6th Street SW, Mason City, IA 50402-1467, for a refundable deposit of $100.00.  If the plans and specifications are not returned to WHKS & Co. within fourteen (14) days after the award of the project and in reusable condition, the deposit shall be forfeited. 

Published upon order of the City Council of the City of Mason City, Iowa.

CITY OF MASON CITY, IOWA
ATTEST:  /s/Aaron Burnett
City Administrator

 
PUBLISH 7-6-22
EMAILED 6-7-22

June 7, 2022

Testimony of Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen Before the Committee on Finance, U.S. Senate

As Prepared for Delivery
Chairman Wyden, Ranking Member Crapo, thank you for inviting me to discuss the Administration’s budget proposals. This budget prioritizes essential investments in education, medical care, and affordable housing, alongside tax reforms that enable deficit reduction and prioritize a fairer tax system.
Over the past year and a half, we have experienced a robust recovery characterized by strong economic growth, historically low unemployment, and high household savings rates. This rapid, broad-based recovery has been buttressed by the Congressional response to the challenges of the pandemic – beginning with the CARES Act at the beginning of the pandemic, and continuing with the Consolidated Appropriations Act in late 2020, and the American Rescue Plan legislated at the beginning of 2021. As President Biden said last week, we now are entering a period of transition from one of historic recovery to one that can be marked by stable and steady growth. Making this shift is a central piece of the president’s plan to get inflation under control without sacrificing the economic gains we’ve made.
We also managed to avert the far worse outcomes that were forecast at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020. After the onset of the pandemic, CBO forecast that unemployment would exceed 9 percent in 2021; now, we are experiencing historically low unemployment. We are also witnessing sharp reductions in the budget deficit, with CBO recently forecasting the largest nominal reduction to the federal deficit in history. According to their projections, the deficit as a share of the economy this year will be a lower level than CBO projected before the American Rescue Plan passed.
Still, we currently face macroeconomic challenges, including unacceptable levels of inflation as well as the headwinds associated with the disruptions caused by the pandemic’s effect on supply chains, and the effects of supply side disturbances to oil and food markets resulting from Russia’s war in Ukraine. To dampen inflationary pressures without undermining the strength of the labor market an appropriate budgetary stance is needed to complement monetary policy actions by the Federal Reserve. Moving forward, elements of the President’s proposed legislation – including the clean energy initiatives and plans to reform the prescription drug market – can help lower the costs paid by American consumers.
Treasury has been actively working with Congress on many challenges. Most important is our joint response to Russia’s illegal and unprovoked war against Ukraine. Treasury is committed to doing what we can to ensure that Putin’s brutal war continues to be met with fierce resistance internationally. Alongside more than 30 other partners abroad accounting for more than half the world’s economy, the US government has imposed unprecedented financial pressure measures on Russia and its leadership. Today, the Kremlin has been cut off from the global financial system, the Russian economy is experiencing severe contraction with most analysts projecting a double-digit decline in Russian GDP in 2022, and they are experiencing sharply elevated inflation.
We are grateful for the strong support of Congress in this endeavor, including its recent provision of $40 billion in security, economic, and humanitarian aid to the people of Ukraine. Our joint resolve is essential to supporting the people of Ukraine against this brutal invasion of their homeland.
Over the past year and half, we have successfully collaborated with Congress on the bipartisan infrastructure bill, a bill designed to do the hard, generational work of building a more dynamic, structurally sound economy by smartly investing in the future. This law will rebuild America’s roads, bridges and rails, expand access to clean drinking water, ensure every American has access to high-speed internet, and invest in communities that have too often been left behind. However, our work isn’t done. Building a fair and stable tax system that promotes broadly shared growth is important to both adequately funding investments and to reducing deficits and debt. I look forward to working with Congress to ensure that we continue to make progress in this regard.
In the Administration’s FY23 budget, we suggest smart, fiscally responsible investments—cutting deficits and keeping the economic burden of debt low. The Budget’s investments are more than fully paid for through tax code reforms requiring corporations and the wealthiest Americans to pay their fair share, closing loopholes, and improving tax administration.
Finally, it is no secret that I am keenly focused on moving forward on the global agreement on international tax reform, including a global minimum tax that will level the playing field and raise crucial revenues to benefit people around the world. Last fall, 137 countries – representing nearly 95% of the world’s GDP – agreed on a deal that will stabilize our tax systems, provide resources to invest in security and respond to crises like COVID-19, and ensure corporations fairly share the burden of financing government. I am hopeful that Congress will also implement this global minimum tax as part of its legislative agenda.
Thank you, and I look forward to taking your questions.

U.S. State Department Press Briefing – June 2, 2022
06/02/2022 08:54 PM EDT
Ned Price, Department Spokesperson
WASHINGTON, D.C.
2:17 p.m. EDT
MR PRICE: Good afternoon. Quite a crowd today. You have picked a good day to turn up at the State Department, and I say that because we have a special guest, as you can see. It is my pleasure to introduce Rashad Hussain. Ambassador-at-Large Hussain is our ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom. He’s here today to offer some additional remarks on the 2021 International Religious Freedom Report, and then he will look forward to taking your questions.
So without further ado, Ambassador Hussain.
AMBASSADOR HUSSAIN: Thanks so much, Ned. Good afternoon, everyone. Today we released the 2021 International Religious Freedom Report. This comprehensive resource is an indispensable part of our efforts to advance human rights globally. The stories of so many people and the persecution that they face is brought to life in the pages documenting the state of international religious freedom in the report.
The report clearly shows that governments and civil society must collaborate to address deteriorating conditions around the world. During the past year, we have seen increased repression by authoritarian governments and the politicized use of blasphemy, apostasy, and conversion laws, including against Christian communities. We’re also witnessing rising societal violence against communities around the world. We’re seeing increasing anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim attacks from Europe to South Asia.
As the Secretary highlighted in his remarks, we remain concerned about members of religious minority groups in countries around the world, including in Afghanistan, Burma, the People’s Republic of China, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Vietnam. The concerning trend lines in these countries underscore that much work remains to be done.
Yet there is also reason for optimism. We are seeing the progress that is possible when civil society, a coalition of activists, and multilateral bodies work with government, and many – in many cases when they push and when they challenge governments to live up to their obligations. And the Secretary earlier today highlighted just a few positive examples in Morocco, Iraq, Taiwan, and Timor-Leste.
I look forward to the honest, frank conversations with my foreign counterparts and civil society interlocutors that will stem from the release of today’s report. We need those conversations to generate and sustain continued progress.
I’d like to thank those of you who are joining us in person and those that are joining virtually for covering the release of this report, and for your interest to these important issues. Your advocacy is critical to continued progress.
And with that, I’d be happy to take your questions.
MR PRICE: Matt.
QUESTION: Thank you. I’ve got a kind of a semi – there you go. I can see him now. That’s important.
This report covers obviously last year, not this year. But since you brought it up upstairs, you talked a little bit about Ukraine.
AMBASSADOR HUSSAIN: Yeah.
QUESTION: And I had something that I’m not even sure is within your remit, but I’m wondering that if we look at this year, particularly since February but also since January, basically, if you have – your office has any concerns about the role that the Russian Orthodox Church has been playing not just in Russia as it relates to the war in Ukraine but also in Ukraine itself.
AMBASSADOR HUSSAIN: Absolutely. Following their unprovoked and unjustified invasion, Russia has targeted religious minorities in Ukraine. The Kremlin seeks to create division, as you alluded to, within the Orthodox Church and has targeted religious minorities and even damaged religious sites within Ukraine.
We’ve been in communication with the top religious authorities in the Ukraine. I recently actually just met with the Ecumenical Patriarch when I was in Riyadh. And the Ukrainian people continue to inspire the world with their courage. They’ve used, actually, some places of worship to host refugees. They have been doing phenomenal work – the faith-based communities have – at the border.
And so we will continue as a part of our economic and security and humanitarian assistance to do everything that we can to support the courageous people of Ukraine, and that includes the religious communities that are there.
QUESTION: Okay. Well, I was less focused on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church than I was on the Russian Orthodox Church, and particularly – in particular, the patriarch, who you may have seen the reports today that the EU had him on their sanctions list – this is Patriarch Kirill, I believe his name is – and then removed him because of objections from Hungary. But I’m wondering if the United States has similar concerns about the role that the leadership of the Russian Orthodox Church – not the Ukrainian Orthodox, the Russian Orthodox Church – has.
AMBASSADOR HUSSAIN: Of course, yeah. And as I mentioned, the malign influence efforts that they continue to engage in in Ukraine and elsewhere continue to be of deep concern, and we will continue to be in touch with our counterparts in the Ukraine and other parts of the world regarding the concerns that you mentioned.
QUESTION: Okay, I’m sorry, and I don’t mean to belabor this, but you’re talking about the church itself, not the Kremlin per se? I guess one of the —
AMBASSADOR HUSSAIN: That’s right. That’s right.
QUESTION: — that you’re talking about. Thank you.
MR PRICE: Shaun.
QUESTION: Thank you. Two questions that are somewhat unrelated, if you don’t mind.
In China and Tibet, the reincarnation issue – that’s been something that’s gotten a lot of attention recently. What are the – what’s the trajectory that you see there? I mean, do you see any – do you find that there is more adamance on the part of Beijing perhaps to try to force a reincarnation process for the next Dalai Lama? How is the U.S. reacting to that? Do you find – is there a stance that the U.S. has ahead of whenever the reincarnation issue comes to (inaudible)?
AMBASSADOR HUSSAIN: Yeah. The whereabouts of the Panchen Lama remain unknown since his 1995 abduction by PRC authorities, and actually, May 17th will mark the 27th anniversary of his disappearance. And we are concerned that the PRC continues to deny members of the Tibetan community access to the Dalai Lama – the Dalai Lama-designated Panchen Lama, the second most revered figure in Tibetan Buddhism – and instead continues to promote a state-selected proxy.
So we would urge the PRC authorities to account for the Panchen Lama’s whereabouts and well-being immediately and to allow him to fully exercise his human rights and fundamental freedoms in line with the PRC’s international commitment.
I actually had a chance to attend an event here in Washington a couple of months ago commemorating the disappearance of the Panchen Lama and at that time as well worked with some of our civil society partners to urge China to end their interference in the succession.
QUESTION: Could I just ask – if you don’t mind, just something related – unrelated to that? You mentioned and the Secretary as well briefly mentioned India in the remarks. Obviously, India can be quite sensitive about criticism. I know you’re not designating CPCs at this point, but the recommendations from the Commission on International Religious Freedom – how is that decision coming to bear with India? And does the United States actually raise these issues with India despite – in addition to comments (inaudible)?
AMBASSADOR HUSSAIN: Absolutely, and you heard the Secretary’s remarks today. The remarks spoke for themselves. We continue to raise these issues regularly with our Indian counterparts. USCIRF is an important partner, and as we collect our data for our report we take their recommendations into account as well. We are concerned with targeting of a number of religious communities in India, including Christians, Muslims, Sikhs, Hindu dalits, and indigenous communities as well. I welcome the opportunity myself to even visit there and continue our discussions, and we continue to encourage the government to condemn violence that we’re seeing and hold those who engage in violence against minorities communities accountable.
MR PRICE: Said.
QUESTION: Thank you. Should freedom of religion also cover freedom from religion? And the reason I ask this is because atheists in some Islamic countries and societies could be stoned to death and ostracized. Do you have any comment on that?
AMBASSADOR HUSSAIN: Yeah. Well, when we look at the legal obligations that countries around the world have adopted as part of the UN Declaration of Human Rights, it’s for freedom of religion or belief. It’s for freedom of thought and conscience and religion, if you look at the ICCPR Article 18, for example. And we speak regularly with our counterparts, including in the countries that you mentioned, to urge them to uphold this freedom. A constant principle that we hear or a constant refrain that you may be familiar with in Arabic is La ikraha fid-deen, that there is no compulsion in religion, and so that is a principle that we share and that we continue to raise with our counterparts around the world.
MR PRICE: Janne.
QUESTION: Thank you. There is many religious peoples in prison in China and North Korea right now. How is the United States getting involved in North Korea and China, where there is no religion and the oppression of religious peoples?
AMBASSADOR HUSSAIN: Yeah. Well, China continues to be one of the worst abusers of religious freedom in the world. They have engaged in genocide and crimes against humanity against the Uyghurs. They also continue their repression, as I spoke about, of Tibetan Buddhists, but also Protestants, Catholics, the Falun Gong, Hui Muslims.
We’ve taken a number of steps. China has been designated as a CPC since 1999. I alluded to the genocide determination. Congress passed and the President signed the Uyghur Forced Labor Act. As you recall, we decided not to send any diplomatic representation to the Olympics. We’ve implemented a series of financial sanctions, a number of visa restrictions as well.
And with regard to North Korea, we note there that the government continues to execute, torture, arrest, and abuse individuals that are engaged in religious activity, and there’s tens of thousands of political prisoners that are being held because of their religious beliefs, which are highlighted in our report. I’d urge you take a look at that. And we’re continuing to work with the international community to respond to what North Korea is doing as well.
MR PRICE: Alex.
QUESTION: Thank you so much. Ambassador Hussain, let me ask about the tools that you have or you might want to see in your toolkit to move the needles. When I look at the report on Turkey, Azerbaijan, Russia, I see a continuation of same problems. What I also see is some quiet diplomacy going behind the scene – ambassadors meetings with officials. Are there other tools that you would like to see when you try to move the needle in those countries? One of them also used to be the Secretary’s Special Watch List. When should we expect them coming? Thank you so much.
AMBASSADOR HUSSAIN: Yeah. So just like we do every year, we’re releasing the report today, and then consistent with our obligation under the International Religious Freedom Act, we’ll release the CPC and Special Watch List determinations before the end of the year. But for now, we’re – clearly laid out the latest state of religious freedom, including for the countries that you mentioned in our report.
With regard to tools, we are doing our best to use all the tools at our disposal to address these restrictions. We raise individual cases. I do that routinely with ambassadors here in the United States, in our travels overseas. We raise cases of individuals that are being held in prison and being persecuted because of their religious beliefs. We oppose policies and laws that are on the books, such as apostasy laws and blasphemy laws that are used often to restrict religious freedom.
Our report in and of itself is a unique document. It’s over 2,500 pages this year. It meticulously goes through the condition with regard to religious freedom in countries around the world. And we believe that highlighting the status of religious freedom country by country, something that is not done anywhere else in the world, raises the profile of the issues and the cases.
We’re also working within multilateral institutions, including at the UN, at the Human Rights Council. We formed a very powerful International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance that now has 35 countries, and it enables us to come together on a weekly basis to discuss some of the difficult trendlines that we’re seeing around the world. And then of course, there’s sanctions and visa restrictions and other tools.
So you mentioned the toolbox. There’s a number of toolkits. We try to apply them in the most appropriate way in each situation to make progress on these issues.
MR PRICE: Let’s take a couple final questions. Yes.
QUESTION: Thank you so much, sir. Jahanzaib Ali from ARY News TV, Pakistan. So we heard Secretary Blinken’s speech this morning when he talks about religious freedom in many parts of the world. Countries like Pakistan, China, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, and others are in CPC countries. But even after witnessing worst-ever situation of religious freedom in India, this country is still out of red list. So what is preventing State Department to include world largest democracy in CPC countries?
AMBASSADOR HUSSAIN: Well, I think the Secretary’s statement today speaks for itself. In India, we’re concerned that some officials are ignoring or even supporting rising attacks on people in places of worship. And as I mentioned earlier in the briefing, there’s a number of religious communities that are being targeted.
With regard to the criteria that we assess when we’re making these determinations, we’re looking at countries that either engage in or tolerate or allow severe restrictions on religious freedom, and for the CPC designation, both of those factors are present. And so today we’ve issued our meticulous assessment of the current situation, and over the next six months, we’ll be making our determinations for all countries as to which of them should be included on the lists that we did.
QUESTION: The Secretary – excuse me – also spoke about the blasphemy laws in Pakistan.
AMBASSADOR HUSSAIN: Yeah.
QUESTION: So have you ever talked about this in – whenever you engage with the Pakistani authorities?
AMBASSADOR HUSSAIN: Yeah.
QUESTION: I remember you recently met with Pakistani Ambassador (inaudible) in Washington (inaudible)?
AMBASSADOR HUSSAIN: Absolutely. In fact, for a number of years at the UN, there was a resolution passed with regard to so-called defamation of religion, and Pakistan was one of the leading advocates. And our concern with that resolution is that it is an instrument that gives support or sanction to blasphemy laws, and we work with a number of countries around the world, including OIC countries, including Pakistan – Pakistan was a close partner on this – to eliminate the use of that resolution and move towards the Istanbul process, which we continue to seek to energize today.
Now, there is a number of troubling blasphemy cases that continue today and those are cases that we continue to raise, and I raise them regularly with the ambassador here. And we’re – of course, we urge the Pakistani Government, as we have seen in some cases when there’s been mob violence, the government condemning them and actually offering support for investigations in those cases. Those are positive steps, but much work remains, and we continue to be in dialogue with our Pakistani partners about that.
MR PRICE: Yes, sir.
QUESTION: Ambassador, thank you. My question is about Georgia. What are the main challenges the country is facing today in regards of religious freedom? And I wonder if you find any attempts of Russian church to increase its influence. Thank you.
AMBASSADOR HUSSAIN: Yeah. Well, I’d refer you to the report and – but the short answer is yes, we are concerned about the influence of the Russian church, as I mentioned, and we urge the government to not only cease engaging in any actions which may restrict religious freedom, but to also take actions when there is societal violence and threats to religious communities, as we’ve seen in a number of places around the world. We’ll continue to use the whole range of tools that I mentioned to address this concern.
MR PRICE: Yes.
QUESTION: On Hong Kong, there was the arrest of the cardinal in Hong Kong in mid-May. Are there concerns that forms of Chinese religious intolerance are going to be exported to Hong Kong in the future? Do you foresee, for example, greater control over Hong Kong religious institutions in the near future?
AMBASSADOR HUSSAIN: We did express in a statement our concerns about the arrest, and we condemn it. And we are concerned, I would say more broadly, about transnational repression, so the efforts to which China is going to to oppress religious minorities not just in their country, but minority groups that are elsewhere. We’ve seen that with the Uyghurs; we’ve seen that with other communities as well. So yes, it continues to be a concern and something that our office is watching very closely.
MR PRICE: Sir.
QUESTION: On Syria, your report points out that after the Turkish incursion into northwest Syria, members of minority groups have faced execution, extortion, kidnapping, and destruction of religious shrines. As far as – you guys looked at the issues there. As far as you know, is that because – do these things happen because Turkey allows the armed groups to carry out these acts, or is it because Turkey does not have control over the armed groups there? And is it safe to assume that if Turkey attacks other areas of northern Syria, the same fate will await the other minorities there?
AMBASSADOR HUSSAIN: Yeah. Well, we would encourage the government to not only ensure that they’re refraining from taking any actions that would result in increased hostilities, but they are also taking steps to ensure that groups that might do so are held accountable and they’re taking steps to present – to prevent any of the types of atrocities that you mentioned.
MR PRICE: Thank you. We’ll do a final – Michel, final question in the back.
QUESTION: Yeah. Thank you. Secretary Blinken in his statement mentioned Saudi Arabia. Can you elaborate on that? And we didn’t hear anything about Iran from you or from the Secretary.
AMBASSADOR HUSSAIN: Yeah. With regard to Saudi Arabia, we are concerned about the religious freedom situation there. Saudi Arabia has been designated as a CPC country since 2004. They continue to criminalize blasphemy and apostacy and discriminate against the Shia population within the justice system, the educational system, in employment. I just recently came back from Riyadh. The Secretary mentioned that we are seeing some signs of progress. At the conference that I attended, there was representation, which I think was unprecedented, from a number of major religious communities and from some of their top leaders, including the Ecumenical Patriarch, and there was other Christian leadership there, Jewish leadership, Hindu and Sikh community leaders as well. So we are seeing some positive developments, but Saudi Arabia remains a CPC, as does Iran.
Iran has been a CPC for the past 20 years. They are one – they have one of the worst records on religious freedom. I’d urge you to take a look at the detailed reporting on Iran in our report. Iran continues to target minority groups, Bahá’ís, Christians, non-Shia Muslims. And we have implemented a series of sanctions and support actions at the UN to condemn Iran and their human rights record, and we strongly support the mandate of the UN special rapporteur to investigate human rights abuses there.
MR PRICE: Ambassador Hussain, thank you very much. Thank you to your team as well. We hope you’ll come back next year.
AMBASSADOR HUSSAIN: Absolutely. Thank you so much, Ned.
QUESTION: Or come back before then.
MR PRICE: Any day in between.
AMBASSADOR HUSSAIN: All right.
MR PRICE: Any day you’re here is a good day for me.
QUESTION: Maybe ahead of the ministerial.
AMBASSADOR HUSSAIN: Absolutely.
MR PRICE: We’ll find opportunities.
AMBASSADOR HUSSAIN: Good. Great to see you all. Thank you so much.
MR PRICE: Thank you.
QUESTION: Thank you.
QUESTION: Thank you.
MR PRICE: I know we’ve had an extended topper, but if you will indulge me, I have just a couple additional items at the top, before we get to your questions.
First, President Kais Saied’s June 1st decrees dismissing 57 judges and amending the rules governing the provincial – Provisional Supreme Judicial Council – they follow an alarming pattern of steps that have undermined Tunisia’s independent democratic institutions. We have consistently communicated to Tunisian officials the importance of checks and balances in a democratic system. We continue to urge the Tunisian Government to pursue an inclusive and transparent reform process with input from civil society and diverse political voices to strengthen the legitimacy of reform efforts.
Next, today we welcome the announcement by the UN special envoy extending the truce in Yemen by an additional two months to August 2nd. This extension brings further relief and hope to millions of Yemenis. This is a pivotal moment for Yemen. Yemen has the opportunity to continue this progress and choose peace instead of war, suffering, and destruction. And we also very much appreciate Saudi Arabia’s commitment to ending the conflict in Yemen and we thank the Governments of Oman, Jordan, and Egypt for their support in helping secure the truce extension.
We hope the parties to the conflict will seize the opportunity to take further steps to ease the suffering of Yemenis, including urgently opening roads to Taiz city. Most importantly, we hope the parties use this opportunity to begin an inclusive, comprehensive, UN-led peace process. We know that only a durable political agreement and permanent end to the fighting can bring true relief to Yemenis.
As the President said today, ending the war in Yemen has been a priority of this administration from the very start. The United States will remain engaged in this process over the coming weeks and months. The Secretary reiterated that the United States remains committed to an inclusive, durable resolution to the conflict that alleviates the suffering of the Yemeni people, empowers them to determine their future without foreign interference, and addresses their calls for justice and accountability.
Next, as you saw from the Secretary’s statement, yesterday marked the beginning of Pride Month. This is a moment to celebrate the progress we have made and reflect on what more needs to be done to promote and protect the human rights of LGBTQI+ persons around the globe and here at home.
The Department of State is working tirelessly to advance the human rights of LGBTQI+ persons and to understand and address the issues impacting their lives.
We’re implementing the President’s February 4th Memorandum on Advancing the Human Rights of LGBTQI+ Persons around the world through American diplomacy and targeted foreign assistance.
This is also a moment to acknowledge the enormous challenges facing the LGBTQI+ community globally. In many such communities, LGBTQI+ persons face discrimination, violence, and persecution for being who they are and for loving whomever they choose to love. We will continue to stand with likeminded governments, the private sector, and LGBTQI+ activists and organizations and their allies that are working hard to build just and equitable societies globally.
Here at the Department of State, we are committed to ensuring all LGBTQI+ persons are affirmed and celebrated, and that the human rights of LGBTQI+ persons are respected today, this month, and throughout the year.
We know that countries are stronger when people – regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or sex characteristics – are fully recognized as free and equal members of their society.
With that, Happy Pride Month, and I look forward to taking your questions.
QUESTION: Happy Pride Month. I have a Russia sanctions question, but it really isn’t quite worthy of being the lead-off question, so I’ll defer, unless – as long as before we leave the topic of Russia and Ukraine I can get back to it.
MR PRICE: Promise to come back to you. Daphne.
QUESTION: Thank you. Russia regularly fires missiles from its territory at cities in eastern Ukraine. Does the U.S. believe that international law gives Ukraine the right to respond in self-defense? And if so, why is the U.S. denying Ukraine the right to respond with U.S. weapons?
MR PRICE: Everything we have provided to our Ukrainian partners, everything our allies and partners around the globe have provided to our collective Ukrainian partners, has a singular goal in mind, and that is self-defense. That is to say, this is security assistance that will permit and in fact has enabled our Ukrainian partners to defend their democracy, defend their freedom, their sovereignty, their independence, to defend their country. This is what it has always been about, and we’ve seen that our Ukrainian partners, as I alluded to a moment ago, have been in a position to put this equipment to extraordinary – extraordinarily good use.
We are now nearly 100 days into Russia’s war against Ukraine. There were those in the Kremlin who thought this war would be over within 100 hours, who thought that Moscow would essentially be in charge, in control of Ukraine, at least on a de facto basis, within several days. That, of course, is not the case. Our Ukrainian partners have won the battle of Kyiv; they have forced Russia to narrow its objectives and its war aims. Of course, the battle is now ranging in the south and the east. There is tremendous violence that the Russian Federation is inflicting on the Ukrainian people, including Ukrainian forces but also Ukrainian civilians, in the Donbas at this moment.
But we will continue to provide our Ukrainian partners with what they need to defend themselves. You’ve heard about the package we put forward yesterday, an additional $700 million in presidential drawdown authority, bringing our total security assistance to $4.6 billion since February 24th alone, to $5.3 billion since the start of the administration. And that is just what the United States has done. There are dozens of countries around the world, including the some 40 countries that Secretary Austin and the Pentagon regularly convene, that have provided their own forms of security assistance to Ukraine as well.
Yes.
QUESTION: Do you even remember what her question was? Because you didn’t answer it at all. (Laughter.)
MR PRICE: Daphne, go ahead.
QUESTION: Yeah, to follow up and clarify, Ambassador Brink held her first press conference in Kyiv and was asked about whether Ukraine had promised not to use the newly announced rocket systems on targets in Russia. She said the range itself is going to be up to the Ukrainian forces. So just to clarify, is the U.S. position or expectation that the systems not be used on targets in Russia? And why is that the expectation of the U.S.? Does Ukraine not have the right to respond to Russia’s —
MR PRICE: Ukraine absolutely has the right to respond to Russia’s aggression. The fact is that there are Russian forces inside sovereign Ukrainian territory. They have been there in some ways since 2014, but certainly on an expanded basis since February 24th of this year. Ukraine has every right, just as every country does, to defend its territory. That’s precisely why we are providing this security assistance.
Now, it is true that we have received assurances from our Ukrainian partners that they won’t use this weaponry to fire on targets inside of Russia. The fact is, the reality is – and it’s a sad reality – that Russia’s forces are on the ground inside Ukraine at locations that in some places are quite distant from the Russian border. So at every step of the way, when it was for the battle of Kyiv, when it has now shifted to the south and the east, we have provided our Ukrainian partners precisely with what they have requested and when they have requested it to take on the dynamics of the battlefield that they are encountering at this very moment.
QUESTION: So the question initially was: Does Ukraine have the right to respond to Russian attacks on Ukrainian soil that are launched from Russian territory?
MR PRICE: Russia – excuse me. Ukraine has the right to defend itself.
QUESTION: But not with – but not with your missiles?
MR PRICE: We have received assurances that the systems that we announced yesterday won’t be used against Russian targets on Russian territory, but they can be used to —
QUESTION: Even if those targets are where attacks into Ukraine are being launched from?
MR PRICE: As I said before, unfortunately – the unfortunate case is that Russia’s forces are in many places located inside sovereign Ukrainian territory at quite a distance from the Russian border.
QUESTION: In some cases they’re not. So the – and so I think it was a pretty specific question: Does Ukraine have the right to retaliate, to defend itself, against Russian attacks that are launched from inside Russian territory?
MR PRICE: Ukraine has every right to defend itself. We are providing Ukraine with precisely what it needs to fulfill that self-defense mission.
Alex.
QUESTION: Continuing what Matt said to you, could they strike Russian territory? I mean, that – to be the devil’s advocate, if the Russians are striking Ukraine, isn’t it fair that the Ukrainians can strike Russian territory with the same weapons?
MR PRICE: Ukraine has every right to defend itself. I’ll make one additional point. Our goal in all of this is to do everything we can to bring this war to an end, to diminish the violence and to put an end to a conflict that was needless to begin with. So we want to do everything we can to strengthen the hand of our Ukrainian partners both on the battlefield but also at the negotiating table. That’s why we are providing them this security assistance. That’s why we are, including with the tranche of additional sanctions we announced today, continuing to hold the Russian Federation to account.
But we also want to be careful to ensure that we are not doing anything or the international community is not doing anything that would needlessly prolong this conflict. Right now there is only one country that is prolonging this conflict, and of course that’s Russia. If Ukraine stopped fighting today, there would be no sovereign, independent country of Ukraine tomorrow. If Russia stopped fighting today, there would be no war today. That is what it boils down to.
What we are trying to do is to strengthen the ability of our Ukrainian partners to defend themselves, to defend their freedom, to defend their sovereignty, to defend their country on the battlefield as we strengthen their hand at the negotiating table.
Alex.
QUESTION: Thank you. I have two questions. One is on the M270 launchers that the UK needed U.S.’s permission before providing it to the – to Ukraine. The announcement came last night, but it was not fully clear whether or not they have your green light. I know that the Secretary had a phone call with his British counterpart this morning. Do they have your green light?
And separately, you mentioned 100 days that’s approaching. Is it fair for us to expect Russia’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism by the time we reach 100 days?
MR PRICE: So on your first question, Alex, I will leave it to our allies and partners to speak to their specific contributions to Ukraine’s defensive security needs. What I can say is that dozens of countries around the world have provided needed security assistance. In cases where the commitment is U.S. origin, the Secretary of State has himself signed off on an expedited basis on authorization to transfer U.S. origin equipment to Ukraine when those requests have come in, but I’m not going to speak for other countries in terms of their contributions.
In terms of the state sponsor of terrorism list, the point we have made is that – and you saw this again today – we are going to pull every appropriate lever to see to it that we are holding Russia to account, just as we continue to provide significant assistance to our Ukrainian partners: security assistance, economic assistance, and humanitarian assistance as well.
The state sponsor of terrorism statute is a statute. It is defined by Congress; it is written into law. What we are doing with all of the authorities that are available to us, many of which are written into law by Congress, is taking a close look at that law, taking a close look at the facts on the ground, determining whether the facts are, in fact, correspondent with the law. And if we think any such measure would be effective, we would enact it.
But I will make one additional point: With the financial sanctions that we have imposed on Russia, with the export controls that we have imposed on Russia, we have had an enormous effect on the Russian economy, on the Russian financial system. We have isolated Russia diplomatically and politically in a way that no single designation could do. The cumulative toll of every measure we have put in place has been extraordinarily biting on the Russian economy, and if you take a look at the latest facts and figures, the World Bank projects that Russian GDP will contract by about 11 percent in 2022. Inflation has been soaring, with analysts estimating that inflation above 20 percent for Russia in 2022. Our export controls have been biting. We are choking off Russia’s ability to access needed inputs for key strategic sectors – technology, energy, aerospace, defense – the types of sectors that Russia will need to continue to prosecute this war in Ukraine and to continue, for that matter, to potentially even threaten other neighbors. So the cumulative effect of what we’ve done has really been quite tremendous.
Janne.
QUESTION: Thank you, Ned.
MR PRICE: Oh, before we go on elsewhere, I —
QUESTION: Oh, yeah, no, this kind of ties into that.
MR PRICE: Okay.
QUESTION: It’s a sanctions question. Does – I’m just starting to wonder a little bit about these – among the people who were sanctioned today by you guys is your Russian foreign ministry counterpart, who had not been sanctioned before. Was this something that you, like, wanted to do since they sanctioned you, so you wanted to get back at her? I’m just – the reason why I ask this is because when you go after spokespeople, like the Russians have gone – went after Jen, they went after Kirby, they went after you, you guys went after Peskov, and now you’ve gone after Maria Zakharova, right?
Well, as you said at the time that you were sanctioned, this has zero impact on you. It’s not like you were going to go to Sochi on vacation or to somewhere – Moscow. And I’m sure that your counterpart at the Russian foreign ministry, she – I don’t know, but maybe she’s – she might be more upset about the fact that you revealed her age in the notice, the Treasury notice, than any possible sanctions implication. What is the point of going after spokespeople like this?
MR PRICE: Let me make a couple points. One, I can assure you this was not personal. What I will say is that this individual was sanctioned not because of her specific role, but because she is a senior figure in the Russian Government. We have gone after, as you know, a number of senior figures in the Russian Government, and the spokeperson was included in this latest round.
Two, I would dispute the premise of your question when you talk about symmetry. Yes, I was, shall we say, unfazed when I was sanctioned by the Russians, when I was more recently banned from traveling to Russia, for a couple reasons. I have no particular desire to go there, certainly don’t have assets within the Russian economy. I think that is true of my other counterparts and colleagues that have been sanctioned. But —
QUESTION: (Off-mike.)
MR PRICE: Well, I would not say that. There is not exactly symmetry between the United States and Russia when it comes to the allure of this country, when it comes to the strength of our financial system and the centrality of our financial system. I think it is far more likely – hopefully this is a noncontroversial statement – that a financial transaction would touch a United States entity or touch the United States before it would touch a Russian entity or the Russian Federation.
So the fact of the United States designating someone in Russia is in many ways far more biting than what the Russians would do to us. We are the United States of America. Russia, of course, is a country that is far —
QUESTION: Okay. Well, I mean, you can wave the flag all you want, which is fine, but they’re going to wave their flag, too. And I just – I just – I don’t – I’m not quite understanding the point of sanctioning spokespeople.
MR PRICE: We are sanctioning senior members of the Russian Government.
QUESTION: But you know what, Russia has —
QUESTION: Did she have assets in (inaudible)?
MR PRICE: I am not in a position to speak to her particular assets. Yes.
QUESTION: Russia has been coveted by the West. It was attacked by the West. When you say that —
MR PRICE: I’m sorry, repeat that one more time?
QUESTION: No, I said that Russia has been coveted by the West, has been attacked by the West, more than – I mean, if we go back to France, by Europe, let’s put it that way. So it must have some sort of certain sense of allure, to use your word.
MR PRICE: Russia – explain what you mean by “Russia has been attacked by the West.”
QUESTION: You were saying that we have a different country, it’s got a lot more attractive things, and so on. That’s how I understood what you said to me. But Russia has – is a great country, and it has been attacked by the West, the West has tried to conquer, to —
MR PRICE: Said, are you referring to the measures we have imposed to hold Russia accountable for its unprovoked war in Ukraine as the United States or the international community attacking Russia? If so, I – we would, of course, dispute the premise of that.
QUESTION: Okay, fine, I take that back. Let me just ask you on the sanctions. Now, the sanctions that you impose on officials, they are on officials. Most of these officials have no, let’s say, bank accounts in the West. They have no bank accounts in America. They have – so the sanctions you impose really hurt businessmen, the people that you tried to sort of nurture over the past 30 years and establish relations with and so on, and have some sort of a business exchange environment, not these officials. I don’t think Zakharova has any bank accounts in – anywhere. I mean, I assume she doesn’t.
MR PRICE: Said, if you look at the most recent tranche of sanctions, what we announced today, I think you will get a flavor for those individuals we are holding accountable for the Russian Government’s actions in Ukraine. The Treasury Department targeted prominent Russian Government officials and business leaders, the luxury properties of oligarchs and cronies and elites, luxury asset management and service companies key to the Russian attempts to evade sanctions. The Department of State went after additional Russian oligarchs and elites close to President Putin. The Department of Commerce imposed additional export controls.
So I am not – again, I think I would dispute the premise of your question that we are pursuing those that we need to be reaching out to. We are pursuing those who are in many ways either directly or indirectly complicit in or culpable for the Russian Government’s aggression inside Ukraine.
Janne.
QUESTION: Thank you.
MR PRICE: Yes.
QUESTION: (Off-mike.)
MR PRICE: Sure. We’ll close out —
QUESTION: (Off-mike.)
MR PRICE: Yes.
QUESTION: Actually, I just wanted to ask, the question that Matt asked to the ambassador about Patriarch Kirill. Does the United States have any concerns about that, that the EU not sanction him at the behest apparently of Orbán? I know the United States, as far as I am aware, doesn’t have sanctions on the patriarch. Is there a reason why he hasn’t been targeted by the United States yet?
MR PRICE: I will leave it to our European allies to speak to their specific sanctions packages. We certainly applaud the advancement of the most recent sanctions package. Just as we did today, our European allies – in this case, the EU – has been working on their next tranche of sanctions. We have always said that our sanctions need not be identical. And oftentimes, they are not identical, but what they are is complementary. And we have taken actions that complement actions that our European allies have taken and vice versa with, again, the cumulative goal of having a significant bite, not only on senior Russian Government officials but oligarchs, cronies, elites who are in the inner circle of the Kremlin.
Janne.
QUESTION: Thank you. Really appreciate. I have a question on China and North Korea. I have still jetlag. I’m sorry, so I feel like I wake up right now. And China said that – Chinese Government has said that opposed sanction – new sanctions even if North Korea conduct a nuclear test. How do you comment on what China has said and – but done about North Korea protect?
MR PRICE: That we – I’m sorry. Repeat the last part of that question.
QUESTION: Yeah. How would you comment on what China has said and done about North Korea protect.
MR PRICE: We think it is important, especially in the aftermath of the most recent ballistic missile launches, that the international community, including the UN system, make very clear a statement of accountability and hold the DPRK to account for its nuclear weapons program, for its ballistic missile programs, both of which are profoundly destabilizing, represent a threat to international peace and security. Of course, the UN Security Council is the world’s preeminent forum to uphold international peace and security, and I think what Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield said, when she addressed this late last month on May 26th, was that we are beyond disappointed that the council has not been able to unify in opposition to the unlawful WMD and ballistic missile programs that the DPRK has demonstrated all too frequently in recent weeks and recent months.
We encourage all member-states to fully implement existing resolutions and we’ll continue to work with our allies and partners to uphold the sanctions on the DPRK. This is very much in line with what the Secretary laid out in his remarks on our approach to the PRC last week. The same stakes are at play. What we seek to do is to reinforce and preserve and protect the rules-based international order – the rules-based international order, including the idea that no country can engage in, should be able to engage in, provocation or pose a potential threat to its neighbors.
The DPRK’s ballistic missile program, its nuclear weapons program, is a clear threat to our treaty allies, the ROK and Japan. It is a clear threat to American citizens and American servicemembers in the region. And we’ll continue to work with our treaty allies, Japan and the ROK, along with allies and partners around the world, including those within the UN system, to hold the DPRK to account.
QUESTION: Special – excuse me, Special Representative for North Korea Sung Kim’s visit to South Korea, as you know that. He will be discussing this further North Korea’s nuclear test. Is – what is there – his – purpose of his visit this week?
MR PRICE: Well, our Special Representative for the DPRK Ambassador Sung Kim is currently in Seoul. He’ll be there for the next couple days. While there, he will meet with Japanese Director General for Asian and Oceanian Affairs Takehiro. And he’ll also participate in a trilateral meeting hosted by the – hosted by his ROK counterpart.
This is really part and parcel of our bilateral efforts, again, with Japan and the ROK, but also in furtherance of our trilateral efforts. As we have emphasized, the importance of working trilaterally with our treaty allies to hold the DPRK to account, and more broadly, to seek to bring about and to push forward what is our collective goal, and that is the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. That’s a goal we share with Japan; it’s a goal we share with the ROK. And together, in a trilateral format, we’ll continue to discuss ways that we can push forward with that overarching objective.
QUESTION: Ned, on North Korea, did you guys have any thoughts on North Korea taking over the chairmanship of the Conference on Disarmament today?
MR PRICE: It is – certainly, North Korea has been far from a responsible actor when it comes to matters of nonproliferation. In fact, North Korea has been profoundly destabilizing vis-à-vis the global nonproliferation norm.
QUESTION: Well, so does that at all raise any questions about the utility of this organization?
MR PRICE: It certainly calls into question – it certainly calls that into question when you have a regime like the DPRK in a senior leadership post, a regime that has done as much as any other government around the world to erode the nonproliferation norm.
QUESTION: So does that mean that the administration is reconsidering its membership in the —
MR PRICE: I don’t have any announcement —
QUESTION: — ahead of the COD —
MR PRICE: Don’t have any announcement to make at the moment.
Yes.
QUESTION: I don’t know whether you saw the story about the Chinese jets buzzing Canadian aircraft that were enforcing UN sanctions against the DPRK. Has the U.S. also seen an increase in these types of Chinese provocative actions directed at U.S. aircraft or ships that were contributing to this mission of enforcing UN sanctions against the DPRK? And does the U.S. believe that the increase in these provocations, if they have been detected, is timed to overlap with any particular actions that have been taken by the U.S. or the UN in the past?
MR PRICE: Well, I would need to refer you to the Department of Defense to speak to any particular trendlines when it comes to any potential PRC provocations against our forces, our ships, our vessels. We have spoken of PRC’s provocative military activity in the region, of course most recently in – its military activity near Taiwan. We’ve called this activity destabilizing. We’re concerned because it risks miscalculation; it undermines regional peace and stability as well.
Yes.
QUESTION: Sir, (inaudible) media reports suggest that al-Qaida and ISIS are getting stronger in Afghanistan and even providing advice and support to the Taliban groups. Sir, is it a concern for U.S.?
MR PRICE: Excuse me, the media report said that ISIS and —
QUESTION: Al-Qaida are getting stronger in Afghanistan.
MR PRICE: And the last part of your question was – are providing support to?
QUESTION: Advice and support to Taliban.
MR PRICE: I don’t have a comment on that particular report. I would note, of course, that the Taliban and ISIS-K are, in many ways, sworn enemies. The Taliban has made public and private commitments to keep groups like ISIS-K at bay. Certainly, we have a commitment as well when it comes to threats to the American people, threat to – threats to the homeland. Even though we no longer have a military presence inside of Afghanistan, we’re remaining vigilant to potential threats that may emerge from Afghanistan, and we again call on the Taliban to live up to the commitments it has made, the counterterrorism commitments it has made, not to allow such groups to operate with impunity on Afghan soil.
Yes.
QUESTION: Thank you very much. I am Patricia from SPC. Summit of Americas. Next week, the Brazilian delegation is arriving in Los Angeles for the summit and also for the bilateral meeting between President Biden and President Bolsonaro. For United States, what are the main topics to be discussed in a diplomatic level? Is there – are there other meetings being discussed between Secretary Blinken and the Brazilian minister of foreign affairs? And if yes, what are the topics to be discussed, and how do you describe the diplomatic relations between two countries nowadays? Thank you.
MR PRICE: Thank you. So we’ll have more details on Secretary Blinken’s schedule. I assume the White House will have more details on President Biden’s schedule as the summit approaches next week. What I can say is that this summit will focus on the opportunities and challenges that are front and center for the Americas. It includes economic prosperity, climate change, the migration crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic. So of course, in our bilateral engagements, we’ll have an opportunity to discuss each of those with our counterparts, in this case Brazil. We have plenty to discuss in the realm of our economic ties, regional migration, health, climate as well. Food security is another issue that I’m sure will be a topic of discussion at the Summit of the Americas, and, of course, democratic governance and human rights will be the backdrop of this summit as well. So as the summit approaches, we’ll have more on individual engagements.
Nick.
QUESTION: Thanks. On the summit, there are reports the administration is considering inviting (inaudible) representative from Cuba to the summit. I was wondering if you could expand on that. And more broadly, what’s the State Department doing to prevent countries like Mexico from boycotting the summit?
MR PRICE: I am confident that we will have robust representation from throughout the Americas at the summit. I am also confident that the voices of people throughout the Americas will be reflected at the summit. Not only does the summit – not only will the summit include official government, representatives from government; it will include representatives from civil society and the private sector as well.
We have been in close contact with many of our partners throughout the region. Again, without reading out those discussions, we are confident that the summit will represent – the countries will be representative of the opportunities and the challenges that we face together as partners in the Americas.
Yes.
QUESTION: Thank you, Ned. On Bangladesh, Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr. Momen provided a list of questions to the Bangladeshi-controlled media reporters to ask the U.S. ambassador in Bangladesh. In an open statement, he said nearly 100,000 U.S. citizens go missing, extrajudicial killing going on in the U.S. as U.S. security forces have killed over a thousand citizen – mostly African American and Hispanic – each year, America do not have the faith in their election process, and he also criticized the blocking Russian media, RT TV, here in the U.S.
Foreign minister circulated this message a day after the U.S. Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas spoke on the U.S. priorities of human rights, democracy, and media freedom, and he said that they want free and fair elections in Bangladesh. What you would say about this authoritarian regime foreign minister remarks? And one more on Bangladesh.
MR PRICE: Well, we have a robust partnership with Bangladesh. As part of that partnership, we’re in a position to raise a number of issues, a number of shared interests, but also concerns. And we do regularly raise human rights issues with the Government of Bangladesh. We do that publicly, as I’ve done before, but we also do it privately. We urge for the strengthening of democratic processes and political institutions, the rule of law, protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms, workers’ rights and safety, and the protection of refugees as well.
We have worked with the Government of Bangladesh to strengthen these rights and protections. We have provided more than $8 billion in assistance to Bangladesh since its independence. In 2021 alone, USAID provided over $300 million to improve the lives of people in Bangladesh through programs that expand food security, economic opportunity; improve health and education; but also promote democracy and good governance, as well as protection for the environment and increased resilience to climate change.
So we’ll continue to have those conversations with our Bangladeshi partners.
QUESTION: One more on Bangladesh. Countrywide protest going on against Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for her recent remarks on dropping opposition leader and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and the microcredit pioneer – Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus into the river from Padma Bridge. She claimed that Muhammad Yunus uses U.S. influence to stop the World Bank funding for the bridge construction, so they should punish – get punishment like this. She wants to drop them from the Padma Bridge to the river – into the river. See, she openly remarks, and countrywide protest going on. And ruling party (inaudible) alongside of the law enforcers agency the attacking of the peaceful demonstration. So what is your comment on this?
MR PRICE: As we do around the world, our comment is that the freedom of assembly, freedom of expression, the right of individuals everywhere to protest peacefully – that is a universal right. It applies equally to the people of Bangladesh as it does to those anywhere around the world. We call on governments around the world, we call on security services, security forces, civil forces as well to respect that right, to allow for individuals to assemble peacefully to make their voices heard.
Yes.
QUESTION: I have one on Yemen and then follow – or not a follow-up, separate on Horn of Africa. On Yemen, we’ve seen the ceasefire was extended for, I guess, 60 days. In Secretary Blinken’s statement welcoming the extension, he mentioned the need to reopen roads to Taiz. He did not mention, but you guys have repeatedly spoken about the need to access the Safer tank. What – and there was a statement, I guess a joint statement, a couple days ago between you – the U.S. and the Dutch on the need for more funds in the event that there’s an emergency offloading operation. What leverage does the U.S. have now to push for those two things as the ceasefire hopefully continues?
MR PRICE: Well, we are at a point now, months into the ceasefire, with the prospect of two more months with the extension that was announced today, where Yemenis have now had an opportunity to see the benefits that greater levels of stability, greater levels of security, the greater benefits that peace can provide. This is the first time in seven years since the conflict started in 2015 where Yemenis have been able to enjoy greater mobility – mobility in terms of within Yemen but also the flights that have now taken place to Amman, to Cairo as well, but the humanitarian relief that has also been able to flow into Yemen given the ceasefire that has now been in place.
The UN has been working, we have been working assiduously with the UN to, in the first instance, extend the truce which was announced today, but also to take advantage of that truce to flow in humanitarian assistance that has been missing from large parts of Yemen for far too long. So rather than describe it as leverage, I think we can make the point that the benefits of peace, the benefits of stability, the benefits of security, and ultimately the benefits of a ceasefire are becoming clear to the people of Yemen, but they’re, we hope, also becoming clear to the Houthis as well.
We continue to support the work of Hans Grundberg, the UN special envoy, who’s worked very closely with the parties; very much appreciate the efforts of our partners in the region, including the Saudis, for the role they have played in extending the ceasefire that was announced today as well.
QUESTION: And also, on the Horn of Africa, in yesterday’s statement announcing the appointment of Ambassador Hammer as the new special envoy, the statement – the latter part of the statement mentioned Ethiopia but failed to mention Sudan or Somalia. And after so much time and diplomacy has been exerted from the State Department on Sudan, and then I guess a couple weeks ago the decision to redeploy troops to Somalia to fight back or combat terrorism – is there a reason Sudan and/or Somalia were omitted and it was strictly limited to Ethiopia?
MR PRICE: We are absolutely committed to continued robust diplomatic engagement with the Horn of Africa. That includes with Somalia; that includes with Sudan. What we know is that there has been tremendous challenge presented by the violence – the conflict in Ethiopia, a conflict that, with the help of U.S. engagement, including the efforts of outgoing Special Envoy David Satterfield, we have been able to diminish, to certainly bring down in terms of the levels of intensity and, just as we have in Yemen, to restore humanitarian access with additional food convoys, truck convoys that have been able to reach populations in Tigray who have not been able to benefit from humanitarian access for far too long.
So this will remain a priority for us. It’s going to be a priority for Special Envoy Satterfield in the remaining time he has in the post, and when Ambassador Hammer takes on the job in the near term, he’ll be focused on that as well.
Yes.
QUESTION: (Off-mike.)
QUESTION: (Inaudible.) How come Sudan and – more so Sudan and even Somalia weren’t mentioned? It was strictly Ethiopia.
MR PRICE: We are very much engaged on the challenge that’s been presented by the setbacks we’ve seen in Sudan. Molly Phee, other senior officials have traveled there recently. We’re engaging with senior Sudanese officials, military and civilian, civil society as well to try to set Sudan back on the path to democracy.
Yes.
QUESTION: Iain Marlow from Bloomberg. I’m just wondering if I could get a quick question on Turkey. What signs do you see, if any, that Turkey’s president is willing to dial back opposition to Finland and Sweden’s NATO membership applications?
MR PRICE: I will let the Turkish Government speak to their position on this. As you know, the NATO secretary general was here yesterday. He and Secretary Blinken had an opportunity to speak to a range of issues as it pertains to the NATO Alliance. One of those issues was the upcoming summit and the candidacies of Sweden and Finland to join the NATO Alliance, something we remain confident that can be completed swiftly. We are in discussions with our Turkish allies. We’re also in discussions with our Swedish and Finnish partners. Of course, yesterday there were extended discussions with the NATO secretary general on this topic as well. This is not a bilateral issue between the United States and Turkey or between the United States and Sweden and Finland, for that matter. But as a member of the Alliance, as an Ally and partner to the countries in question, we are engaging as appropriate to see to it that the consensus, the widespread consensus within the Alliance for a swift accession of both Sweden and Finland, is something that we can realize in short order.
Yes.
QUESTION: Can I just follow up?
MR PRICE: Sure.
QUESTION: Yeah, at press conference yesterday here in the State Department, NATO secretary general has said that he will be hosting a meeting in a few days with senior officials from Turkey, Sweden, and Finland. I wonder if Washington is planning a similar meeting, any official from Washington is going to meet with officials from these countries.
MR PRICE: Again, this is not a bilateral issue between the United States and any of these countries. This is an issue between these countries, Turkey, and of course, NATO being at the center of it. I am not aware that we will have any official representation at that meeting, but we’ll continue to support our Allies and our partners through this process.
Yes.
QUESTION: (Inaudible) on Iran, (inaudible) the U.S. will seek a formal resolution rebuking the country at the Board of Governors meeting next week. And I think we all know how that’s going to go over with Tehran. What do you anticipate will be the repercussions, the impact on those already admittedly dim negotiations to return to the JCPOA?
MR PRICE: Well, just more broadly, we’ve made clear – and we’ve spoken to this in recent days – but our very serious concerns that Iran has failed to credibly respond to the IAEA’s questions regarding potential undeclared nuclear material and activities in Iran. And we’re continuing to work closely with the IAEA, with the director general, as well as with allies and partners on the Board of Governors as the agency pursues its investigations into the safeguard issues in Iran.
As you alluded to, we are currently consulting closely on the reports recently issued by the director general in advance of the Board of Governors meeting next week, and we can confirm that we plan to join the UK, France,