Subject: WHITE HOUSE PRESS BRIEFING 05-16-16
From: "Debose, Levi" <[email-masked]>
To: Comm_D <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 16 May 2016 11:31:12 -0700

No flags.

WHITE HOUSE PRESS BRIEFING

SCOTUS

Do you view the move of the SCOTUS this morning due to the vacancy?

*         We are pleased with the announcement

*         Will allow millions of women will get health care coverage that they need

*         Vacancy is still a major concern

*         Vacancy is not good for the country (No one has said it was good)

Are you confident that the administration and groups can compromise?

*         Administration has accommodation

*         These two aren't mutually exclusive

Is it disappointing that this is going back?

We are gratified because women will continue to keep their health care

If the lower court votes against it, then what is your response?

*         They won't

*         We care because we are glad that the SCOTUS didn't strike anything down

*         More people got jobs and more people got insurance

*         POTUS believes quality health care is a right

Do you expect the ruling for GOP senators to not vote for Garland?

*         All democrats and some Republicans believe that he should get a hearing

*         McConnell quote from last week

What is CJ Garland's schedule this week?

*         6 Senator Meetings (All Democrats)

Iran Deal

House is inviting Ben Rhodes to appear tomorrow?

*         If they want to do a hearing on themselves for lying about the deal then they should start that up

*         We will continue to review the letter

*         We are very skeptical about this whole exercise

*         No definitive answer for you

Would a Rhodes appearance be constructive?

*         Ben Rhodes told the truth.... If anything Ben should be asking the questions

*         If they had the same information why would they lie?

*         GOP has been wrong on most measures

Are you suggesting that Tom Cotton is a liar?

*         He either lied or he didn't know what is going on

*         Goes through Cotton's quotes

If Ben Rhodes is so smart on this topic then why doesn't he shed light with the committee?

*         We have sent multiple people from the administration

*         Administration has provided classified briefings 35 times

*         What will one hearing do?

2016

Trump says that he won't have a good relation with David Cameron?

*         Trump can express his own views

*         POTUS has invested deeply in our alliances around the world

POTUS mentioned a Republican in the speech that he gave. Will he address his concerns with Trump more often now?

*         POTUS only mentioned Sen. Inhofe and didn't mention Trump

*         This is a common theme in the GOP

*         Our country has benefitted from leaders who focus on facts and evidence

*         His speech wasn't about Trump. It was about his vision of America.

While he didn't mention Trump's name he did go after the wall and the Muslim ban. Will he go after Trump and his views of women?

*         Many Republicans have said those things

*         They are leaving behind facts and logic

Is Bill Clinton as economic czar a good thing for Democrats?

*         That is up for voters to thing about

*         Look at 2012 National Convention speech that

Does the WH see Trump and GOP as one?

*         We will leave you to think about Trumps campaign

*         POTUS will weigh in when he wants to

Why not use Trump's name?

*         POTUS has spoken directly about Trump, but he will speak up more against Trump

Zika

Is it enough money? May you tell us where the money is going?

*         Here is the packet of what is necessary to protect Americans

*         Congress has only started to decide to give us 1/3 of what we need

*         We got some of the money by digging through the cracks of the sofa seat

They are saying that they don't have enough information?

*         We have given them all the information needed....

*         If they needed any more information they should have called a day later, not 3 months later and requested for the same thing that we gave them

Affordable Care Act

What have you learned from the ACA?

*         GOP will try to tear this bill down no matter what

*         Sometime tax payer funds are being used in order to tear this down

POTUS said that he wanted to tweak it and is there a fear that #45 can change the ACA?

*         GOP called the ACA a 'job-killer', but we are seeing growth

*         We have less people that are uninsured

Transgender

How can you prove that this was not a direct response to NC?

*         There has been an uptick of public discussion from Houston to NC

*         This is what schools have asked for

Is the WH concerned that you have given the GOP base a campaign issue?

*         I am not surprised to see that GOP is using this as a political tool

*         This was a policy recommendation.... Not a political move

*         GOP can't lead because they play politics and not solution