For Immediate Release

THE WHITE HOUSE

 

Office of the Vice President

______________________________________________________________________

For Immediate Release                             August 16, 2017

 

 

REMARKS BY VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE

AND PRESIDENT MICHELLE BACHELET OF THE REPUBLIC OF CHILE

IN A JOINT PRESS CONFERENCE

 

La Moneda Palace

Santiago, Chile

 

 

     PRESIDENT BACHELET:  (As interpreted.)  Mr. Vice President of the United States of America, Mr. Michael Richard Pence, and distinguished delegation, Mr. Foreign Minister Heraldo Muñoz, representatives of the diplomatic corps of the U.S., and dear friends, today, we received the Vice President of the United States, Michael Pence, in our country, and his visit is an example of the strength of our ties.  It’s an expression of interest of working with Chile in a broad agenda — regional, multilateral, and national issues. 

 

     The relationship with the United States is strategic — politically and economically.  We share views on democracy, human rights, and opening of markets.  And today, we’ve approached different issues of interest.  Among them, the program related to visa waiver U.S.  And Chile the only country of Latin America — of the 38 states — beneficiary of the program.  And this has involved that.  After three years of coming into force, more than 400,000 tourists of Chile have gone to the United States.

 

     With the Vice President, Mike Pence, we have discussed our sound trade and economic relationship within the FTA, as subscribed by both countries.  And this agreement has more than one decade.  One hundred percent of the products is tariff-free.  Likewise, the agreement provides access to services guaranteeing intellectual property rights and incentivizes investments of the U.S. in different sectors of our economy.

 

     In addition to that, we discusses our very fruitful political relationship, underlining our ties, not only federally and with different states.  In areas like energy, science, technology, and renewable energies, we are discussing with (inaudible) and researchers.  And also, we have reaffirmed our interest and commitment to work jointly with countries of the Northern Triangle of Central America and Haiti in order to cooperate for institutional strengthening and governance.

 

     Likewise, we have spoken about the peace process of Colombia, a country that has received Vice President Pence.  Chile has been fully committed to support Colombia in all of its projects to create peace and well-being for its citizens. 

 

And also, in Latin America, allow me to refer to Venezuela — something that we have also discussed.  Chile, like 11 countries of the region, subscribed the Declaration of Lima a week ago, and this explains our ways to contribute to restore democracy in Venezuela through a peaceful and negotiated way out.  There is high concern for the levels of violence and humanitarian crises experienced by Venezuela, generating a tremendous wave of migration to neighboring countries.  Chile will do its utmost to support Venezuela to find a peaceful way out.  But Chile will not support military interventions, nor coup d’état.  As to sanctions, we’ll support all those adopted by the Security Council of the U.N. 

 

As to sensitive issues, Chile has expressed in the General Assembly, Security Council, and OAS, its concern for the nuclear weapons program of Northern Korea.  It calls to renew all the diplomatic efforts and conversations — tripartite — to the North, South Korea, China, the Russian Federation — in order to have nuclear Korea — rather, a Korean Peninsula without nuclear weapons. 

 

And also, in our energy and climate partnership of the Americas, ECPA, that will be held in Chile in September next.  And Chile will be the venue of the next meeting of APEC 2019.  And on that occasion, we hope to have all the collaboration of the United States.

 

Thank you very much.

 

Now we invite and recognize His Excellency, Vice President of the United States of America, Mr. Michael Pence.

 

VICE PRESIDENT PENCE:  President Bachelet, thank you for your words and for your warm hospitality that you have shown to me and my wife on our very first visit to Chile.  It’s a great honor to join you here at the historic La Moneda Palace.  So thank you again.

 

I’m here today on behalf of the President of the United States of America, President Donald Trump, to reaffirm to you and the people of Chile the strategic partnership and valued friendship between the United States and Chile.

 

Madam President, Chile is a beacon of freedom in the Western Hemisphere, and the United States of America is proud to call you our partner in prosperity and security, and we are proud to call Chile our friend.

 

Under President Donald Trump, the United States will always put the security and prosperity of America first.  But as I hope my presence today demonstrates, America First does not mean America alone.

 

As President Bachelet and I discussed today, the security and prosperity of our two countries are deeply intertwined and have been so for generations.

 

Just over four decades ago, Chile reoriented its economy on a free-market foundation.  The result was nothing short of extraordinary — “The Miracle of Chile.”

 

Millions rose out of poverty.  Living standards soared for the Chilean people, and Chile’s embrace of free markets ultimately gave rise to a free society overall.  And today Chile is a flourishing democracy with a flourishing free-market economy.

 

Chile’s continued success is inspiring.  And, Madam President, your country’s excellent example has moved your neighbors across Latin America to enact their own market-based reforms to spur growth and generate prosperity for their citizens.  Your example shines for all in the Western Hemisphere to see.  And it’s an honor to be with you today.

 

And Chile’s embrace of freedom has brought this country into a closer relationship with the United States.  In fact, Chile is the only Latin American nation to participate in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program, a sign of the high standards that define Chile today.

 

Madam President, as we discussed, under your leadership and that of President Trump, we will continue to strengthen the bonds between our nations, especially in terms of commerce.

 

Today, our two-way trade in goods and services totals nearly $30 billion, with a $4.1 billion surplus for the United States, and the United States has been Chile’s largest source of foreign direct investment for years, while Chileans have invested $414 million in our country in recent years — in mining, forestry, banking.  And U.S. exports to Chile support some 93,000 jobs in the United States.

 

This is a remarkable story of success, and it stems in large part from our free trade agreement that you just mentioned, signed in 2003.  It’s caused trade between the United States and Chile to soar by more than 350 percent.

 

In many ways, the U.S.-Chile Free Trade Agreement is a model of a mutually beneficial agreement between two nations.  But as I discussed today with President Bachelet, we believe it would be important for Chile to take steps to comply with the agreement’s intellectual property rights chapter to ensure a fair and level playing field for U.S. companies.  We also believe such actions will bring renewed economic benefits to both our countries.

 

Now, tonight, I will address two institutions that epitomize the deep and longstanding commercial ties connecting our two nations — the American Chamber of Commerce in Chile, which is kicking off its centennial celebration this year, and the Association of American Chambers of Latin America, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary.  There, I’ll speak to businesses that are already and are ready to invest even more in Chile and across the wider region.

 

But as Chile well knows, security is the foundation of our prosperity, and, Madam President, you know that the United States is truly grateful — truly grateful for Chile’s leadership in promoting regional security in partnership with our country.

 

Today I thanked your President for her strong leadership and consistent statements about the provocative behavior by the regime in North Korea.  The United States is grateful for Chile’s support to promote peace and stability and a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula.

 

As President Trump has made clear, the era of strategic patience is over.  With regard to North Korea, all options are on the table, and the United States will continue to bring the full range of American power — economic and diplomatic — until North Korea abandons its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

 

With the strong leadership of President Donald Trump, our administration has been marshalling the support of nations around the world, and as the President acknowledged this morning, we are beginning to see progress in dealing with North Korea’s provocations and pursuit of a nuclear and ballistic missile program.

 

But more must still be done, much more.

 

As President Bachelet and I discussed today, the United States places great importance on the ongoing diplomatic isolation of the Kim regime.  And we strongly urge Chile today, and we urge Brazil, Mexico, and Peru to break all diplomatic and commercial ties to North Korea.

 

We would especially welcome Chile reclassifying exports of Chilean wine, as the President and I discussed — reclassifying the wine as a luxury good under current U.S. [sic] sanctions to prevent North Korea from obtaining these commodities and converting them into hard currency that support the regime.

 

Closer to home, here in our hemisphere, there is another rogue regime.  And a tragedy of tyranny is playing out before our eyes in Venezuela.

 

As President Trump has said, in his words, the Venezuelan people “are suffering and they are dying.” 

 

I saw firsthand talking with refugees during my visit to Colombia, refugees from Venezuela.  I heard about the grinding poverty, how families cannot find the food and medicine they need to survive, how innocent children are literally perishing every day from starvation and deprivation.

 

Let me be clear:  The once-free people of Venezuela are being forced to endure that fate by the brutality of the Maduro regime.

 

Venezuela is sliding into dictatorship, and as President Trump has said “the United States will not stand by as Venezuela crumbles.”

 

President Trump has said that a stable and peaceful Venezuela is in the best interest of our entire hemisphere.  And, Madam President, I know that you agree with that strongly.  Be assured that we will continue to stand with free nations across our hemisphere until democracy is restored for the Venezuelan people.

 

Madam President, President Trump and I are grateful for Chile’s leadership in condemning the Maduro regime, and we recognize Chile and 11 other countries for signing the Lima Declaration just last week, sending a powerful message that the free peoples of the Americas will stand with the Venezuelan people and stand up to their oppressors.

 

But President Trump and I call on Latin America to do more.  And know this:  The United States will continue to bring the full measure of our economic and diplomatic power to bear until democracy is restored in Venezuela.

 

As President Trump has said just a few days ago, the United States has “many options for Venezuela.”   But the President also remains confident that working with all our allies across Latin America we can achieve a peaceable solution to the crisis facing the Venezuelan people.

 

Madam President, as I assured you today in our meeting, I assure you now:  What we do for Venezuela, we will do together.

 

We all live in the same neighborhood.  We succeed when our neighbors succeed.  We struggle when our neighbors struggle, and so we will continue to act, together, to support the people of Venezuela in their fight for freedom.  And I believe with all of my heart, the Venezuelan people will be free once more and their democracy restored.

 

The people of the United States and the people of Chile know that freedom is the source of our prosperity and security.  And, Madam President, I am confident that Chile will continue to be a model of freedom that shines throughout the Western Hemisphere and the wider world.

 

And know that the United States cherishes our friendship with the Chilean people.  And even now, our bond is growing, and our security and prosperity are advancing hand-in-hand.  And I have faith that together, the United States and Chile will continue to achieve great progress for our people and our hemisphere.

 

So, President Bachelet, I thank you again for your hospitality.  It is an honor to be with you today, and I look forward to our continued discussions.

 

(Applause.)

 

PRESIDENT BACHELET:  (As interpreted.)  I’m going to leave you know for a couple of moments — and we will meet again — so you can speak to your press.

 

Thank you.

 

VICE PRESIDENT PENCE:  Thank you.

 

Louise Radnofsky. 

 

Q    (Inaudible.)

 

VICE PRESIDENT PENCE:  Would you come again?  I’m sorry.  Thank you.

 

Q    Mr. Vice President, on North Korea, do you believe that other countries including China should take the same steps as the Latin American countries that you urged to do so today?

 

VICE PRESIDENT PENCE:  President Trump sent me to the Asian Pacific earlier this year, and he sent other representatives of our administration to send one clear message to North Korea, and that is that the era of strategic patience is over.

 

Literally for decades, the world community has practiced a patience with North Korea in the hopes that they would someday abandon their nuclear and ballistic missile ambitions.  And all along the way, North Korea has simply used delay and used feigned negotiations to continue to — in their headlong rush to obtain usable nuclear weapons and a ballistic missile program.

 

     And the President has made it clear that those days are over.  We truly believe that it’s imperative that the regime in Pyongyang understand that all options are on the table.  The United States of America will simply not permit a rogue regime in North Korea to possess usable nuclear weapons that can reach the continental United States and threaten our people.

 

     But that being said, we believe that the ongoing economic and diplomatic pressure that’s being brought to bear by our allies in the region, by allies here in Latin America, and renewed pressure by China itself is resulting in what we believe represent glimmers of hope that we can achieve by peaceful means that which nations around the world have sought on the Korean Peninsula now for decades.

 

     My call today here in Chile and our efforts with regard to Brazil, Mexico, and Peru is simply to call on our friends in this hemisphere and call on nations around the world to continue to use the economic and diplomatic tools that they have to further isolate North Korea. 

 

We truly do believe that we are seeing progress, which I mentioned the President acknowledged this morning.  But more needs to be done, and it is our hope that Chile, Brazil, Mexico, and Peru will join us in breaking all diplomatic and commercial ties with North Korea.  And as that isolation — economically and diplomatically — continues, the hope for a peaceable solution and a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula we believe becomes more attainable. 

 

Q    Just to be clear, by cutting diplomatic ties, do you mean that there shouldn’t be embassies within North Korea or ambassadors to North Korea?  And are you concerned that given that the threat to Guam was withdrawn, essentially yesterday, your comments today could ratchet the situation up again?

 

VICE PRESIDENT PENCE:  The policy of the United States is that we are working with nations around the world to isolate North Korea economically and diplomatically.  At present, Chile essentially has — if I describe it correctly, they essentially have a joint arrangement of their diplomatic relations with China and with North Korea.  But to the credit of Chile, they have not presented credentials for the last four years, and I requested President Bachelet today simply to terminate that relationship formally. 

 

We believe that that will facilitate a peaceable outcome.  We want North Korea to understand there is a cost among the family of nations to their ongoing provocations.  As the President did today, we welcome the statements of the Kim regime this week with regard to Guam.  But our objective is clear:  It is a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula.  We want the regime in Pyongyang to permanently abandon its nuclear and ballistic missile programs and ambitions.  And we’ll continue to bring pressure to bear till we achieve that goal.

 

Phil.

 

Q    Mr. Vice President, we appreciate you taking a couple questions, sir.  Thank you.

 

VICE PRESIDENT PENCE:  Sure. 

 

Q    The remarks made by President Trump yesterday about the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia alarmed many Americans, including Republican supporters.  Do you agree with the President that there were good people among the white supremacist protesters and that there was blame to be had on both sides?  And more broadly, sir, do you believe that Confederate statues should be removed as is happening in many cities across the South?  Or do you agree with the President that the Confederate General Robert E. Lee should be considered in the same pantheon as George Washington?

 

VICE PRESIDENT PENCE:  What happened in Charlottesville was a tragedy, and the President has been clear on this tragedy and so have I.  I spoke at length about this heart-breaking situation on Sunday night in Colombia, and I stand with the President, and I stand by those words.

 

     But today while I’m here in Chile, our hearts are in Charlottesville because just a few short hours ago, family and friends gathered to say farewell to a remarkable young woman, Heather Heyer.  And we’ve been praying.  We’ve been praying for God’s peace and comfort for her family and her friends and her loved ones.

 

     And we’re also praying that in America that we will not allow the few to divide the many.  The strength of the United States of America is always strongest, as the President has said so eloquently, when we are united around our shared values, and so it will always be.

 

     But let me say it’s about the strength of the United States of America that the President sent me here to Latin America.  And as we prepared to end our trip a little bit early tomorrow, after we stop in Panama, I leave here greatly encouraged that across South America and Central America and with the United States and Canada, that there is — this is a new era here in the New World.  Chile is a shining example of a nation that first chose economic freedom decades ago, and now is experiencing a vibrant, democracy.  And it’s inspiring nations across Latin America who have followed Chile’s lead.

 

     And I return from this trip more encouraged than ever that not only will our commerce grow — strengthening jobs and opportunities in America; strengthening the prosperity across Latin America; but I truly do believe that the unity that I have experienced in our determination to ensure that we will not permit a failed state in Venezuela in this hemisphere is more true than ever. 

 

     The determination, Phil, that I have heard among the nations that I visited about ensuring that we stand with the Venezuelan people, that we bring the full measure of economic and diplomatic power to bear until democracy is restored has truly been inspiring.

 

     I’ve made it clear that — as the President has, that the United States of America has many options.  We reserve those options to advance the security of the United States with regard to Venezuela.  But I will return home tomorrow more confident than ever that freedom-loving countries across Latin America, along with the United States can continue bring pressure to bear; the kind of pressure that President Bachelet and I discussed today in increasing measure onto Venezuela and create the kind of conditions where we see democracy restored.

 

     Phil, thank you very much.

 

     Thank you, all.

 

                               END

 

 

THE WHITE HOUSE

 

Office of the Vice President

________________________________________________________________

                  For Immediate Release                            August 15, 2017

 

 

REMARKS BY VICE PRESIDENT PENCE

AND PRESIDENT MACRI OF ARGENTINA

IN JOINT PRESS CONFERENCE

 

Quinta de Olivos

Buenos Aires, Argentina

 

 

 

     PRESIDENT MACRI:  (As interpreted.)  Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.  And thank you joining us on a special morning.  I would like to welcome and thank the Vice President of the United States for this official visit. 

 

     This truly certifies the level of interest and enthusiasm with regard to our country, given that we’ve started to build trust, to become predictable, and, clearly, that is the beginning of a process of employment generation in our country as it brings investments, most definitely — investments which are necessary for our country’s development.

 

     In addition, this reflects a relationship which began to heal 19 months ago, by starting to look for common areas.  And this was obviously certified when I went to Washington and met with President Trump.  This involves the affection there is between our countries.

 

     I would like to thank you, Mr. Vice President, for your presence here.  Your visit with leading companies of the United States, some companies which are ratifying and confirming investments, and companies that are interested in taking part in the development of our country in the near future.  Again, we need to generate employment, as that is a solution to poverty.  We need to create a lot of jobs, and your companies that are determined to invest in our country are most welcome.

 

     During our working meeting, we also discussed trade matters, and we are obviously willing to exchange what both the Argentinians and the Americans produce.  We also discussed the G20 and the WTO meeting at the end of the year.  We think these are meetings that will provide an opportunity to boost the development of the whole continent.

 

     I also conveyed our deep gratitude, considering the clear and conclusive position of the United States in favor of Argentina’s bid to join the OECD.  We think this is a very important step as part of our transformation process.  We do wish to become members of such a distinguished group of work.

 

     I also reiterated that we are very happy to be able to continue fighting against drug-trafficking, terrorism, money-laundering, and corruption.  We have worked very collaboratively and intelligently in recent months, and we hope to continue to do so, as this is a path that guarantees the growth of our countries and development and peace of mind for our communities, essentially.

 

     And we also talked a bit about Venezuela.  We share the concern over developments in our beloved Venezuela.  We feel for the suffering of Venezuelans.  And we reiterated, both of us, the need to continue to demand President Maduro an electoral schedule, respect for individual liberties, for the independence of the powers, and to stop actions that have only impoverished Venezuela and have greatly damaged its population.

 

     This has been a truly important meeting for us.  Your presence is important, Mr. Vice President.  We believe in a mature, intelligent relationship between our countries, and we think, on that basis, we can build a better future for the Argentinians and the Americans. 

 

So let us hope this will be the first of many visits.  You will always be welcome.  I know last night you had a very nice meal with your wife — a very romantic evening at your hotel.  (Laughter.)  So I do hope you’ll visit us once again with your wife and that you will get to see other parts of our country, which is a large country, like your own.  It has beautiful spots that are worth visiting.

 

     Thank you once again. 

 

     VICE PRESIDENT PENCE:  Well, thank you, President Macri.  Thank you for the warm hospitality that you’ve shown to me on my very first visit to Argentina.  I extend the warm and personal greetings of your friend of many years, the President of the United States of America, President Donald Trump.

 

I spoke with the President this morning, and he wanted me to convey his gratitude to you, not only for your hospitality, but for the growing partnership and strong relationship that is now enjoyed under his leadership with the United States and your leadership here in Argentina.

 

It was my honor, along with the President, to welcome you to the White House just a few short months ago, and now it’s my honor to be welcomed by you to Argentina and to your beautiful capital city of Buenos Aires, where my wife and I did enjoy a date last night.  (Laughter.) 

 

I’m here today to reaffirm the enduring bond between the United States and Argentina.  And I’m here to commend you, President Macri, for your bold reform agenda, an agenda that’s transforming Argentina’s economy at home and restoring its reputation around the world.  Argentina, in many ways, is an inspiration across this hemisphere and across the wider world.  And I’m here to tell you, on behalf of President Trump, the United States is with you.

 

Under President Trump, the United States will always put the security and prosperity of America first.  But as I hope my presence here demonstrates, America first does not mean America alone.

 

The United States and Argentina are woven together by geography and history, and a tapestry of liberty.  It was nearly 250 years ago that the founders of the United States of America proclaimed our independence.  It was only 40 years later — almost to the day — that the forebears of Argentina followed their own path to freedom. 

 

Where the United States has George Washington, Argentina has San Martín, whose mausoleum I had the privilege to visit earlier today.  Where the United States has our Declaration of Independence, Argentina has the Acta de Independencia.  The United States is proud to stand with Argentina to this day in defense of freedom, democracy, and the rule of law.

 

President Macri, under your leadership, Argentina has reemerged as a strong advocate for these values and as a symbol of the productive and positive future that Latin America is building for itself.  Today, Argentina has embarked on a great economic and political revival.  And as our President said to you in his meeting at the White House, we applaud your political and economic reforms.

 

Over the past 18 months, President Macri has taken important steps to break down barriers to growth, eased currency controls, reentered global capital markets, cut import and export tariffs, modernized labor rules, and invested in much-needed infrastructure.

 

As we share your view that membership in the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development will help consolidate these reforms in Argentina, on behalf of the President, let me reiterate again that the United States of America strongly supports Argentina’s bid to join the OECD.

 

Under your leadership, Mr. President, Argentina holds the promise of a stronger commercial partnership with the United States.  Today, President Macri and I spoke about increasing our two-way trade for the benefit of both our countries.  Our trade currently totals more than $24 billion, and our investment stands at more than $13 billion.  This is a solid foundation for shared prosperity, as we look forward to building on it to our mutual benefit.

 

     Furthermore, as President Trump has said, we welcome Argentina’s growing leadership role on the world stage.  Last year — or, excuse me, later this year, as we discussed, Argentina will host the World Trade Organization’s Ministerial Conference, and next year, of course, you’ll assume the G-20 presidency.

 

     Argentina’s global leadership is good for our hemisphere.  And, President Macri, let me thank you again for your actions, which are renewing Argentina’s leadership and prosperity.

 

But as we know and as we discussed, security is the foundation of our prosperity, and today, our nations face many threats to our security, most especially the threat of global terrorism.

 

Argentina, of course, is no stranger to this enemy.  This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Israeli Embassy bombing, which was followed two years later by the AMIA bombing — the deadliest terrorist attack in the history of Argentina. 

 

These two attacks claimed the lives of 114 innocent citizens.  Earlier today, it was my great privilege to visit the memorial for these victims at the Metropolitan Cathedral, to breathe a word of prayer and respect for the loss.

 

A quarter-century later, terrorism still threatens our nations, our people, and our very way of life.  And President Macri, I can assure you:  The United States will continue to stand with Argentina to confront this enemy and ensure our mutual security.

 

As a result of your visit to Washington, D.C., the United States will continue to strengthen our partnership to combat terrorist financing, as well as money laundering, and other illicit financial activities by transnational criminal organizations.  And we are grateful for the full partnership in this cause.

 

The newly established Argentina-United States Dialogue on Illicit Financing, and our new bilateral Cyber Policy Working Group are protecting the security and economic interests of both our countries.  And President Trump and I appreciate Argentina’s partnership in this critical area, in this challenging time.

 

Argentina is boldly leading Latin America toward a brighter future, but your progress, and the progress of the wider region, sadly stands in stark contrast to the collapse that we see in Venezuela.

 

In Venezuela, we are seeing the tragedy of tyranny play out before our eyes, in our own hemisphere.  As President Trump has said, in his words, “The [Venezuelan] people are suffering and they are dying.”  And they’re experiencing grinding poverty; families cannot find the food and medicine they need to survive; innocent children are perishing from hunger every single day.

 

Today, the once-free people of Venezuela are being forced to endure this fate by the brutality of the Maduro regime.  The Maduro regime has ignored and undermined the National Assembly; stifled the voices of the free media and the people alike; and has imprisoned countless political opponents.  And, most heartbreakingly, more than 130 brave Venezuelans have died in the desperate fight to restore democracy.

 

Venezuela is sliding into dictatorship.  And as President Donald Trump has said, and I quote, “The United States will not stand by as Venezuela crumbles.”  President Trump has said that a stable and peaceful Venezuela is in the best interest of our entire hemisphere.  And you can be assured, Mr. President:  We will continue to stand with free nations across this hemisphere until democracy is restored for the Venezuelan people.

 

As I told you today, President Trump and I are especially grateful for Argentina’s regional leadership in this cause.  We applaud the measures you’ve taken to track down corrupt Venezuelan officials.  We are grateful that Argentina voted with Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay to suspend Venezuela from Mercosur until democracy is restored.

 

And we thank Argentina for joining 11 other countries to sign the Lima Declaration just last week — sending a powerful message that the free peoples of the Americas will stand with the Venezuelan people and stand up to their oppressors.

 

But President Trump said, and we call on Latin America to do more.  And know this:  The United States will continue to bring the full measure of American economic and diplomatic power to bear until democracy is restored in Venezuela.

 

As the President mentioned a few days ago, the United States has, in his words, “many options for Venezuela.”  But the President and I remain confident that, working with all our allies across Latin America, we will achieve a peaceable solution to the crisis facing the Venezuelan people.

 

And know this, Mr. President:  What we do for Venezuela, we will do together.  We all live in the same neighborhood.  We succeed when our neighbors succeed.  We struggle when our neighbors struggle.  And so we will continue to act, together, to support the people of Venezuela in their fight for freedom.

 

Mr. President, President Trump and I believe that Argentina will continue to be an exemplar of a better path in Latin America, under your leadership — the path toward prosperity, security, and freedom.  The United States is proud to partner with Argentina as you continue your march toward progress.

 

And with the leadership of President Trump and the United States, and your leadership, President Macri, and with faith in the good people of both of our countries, we’re confident that the best days for the United States and for Argentina are yet to come.

 

President Macri, thank you again for your hospitality.  It’s a great, great honor to be with you today.

 

MODERATOR:  (As interpreted.)  We will next begin the actual press conference offered by the President of Argentina, Mr. Macri, and the Vice President of the United States, Mr. Pence.

 

Martin Dinatale from Infobae takes the floor.

 

Q    (As interpreted.)  Good morning.  We would first like to ask President Mauricio Macri, what position did you convey for Argentina regarding President Trump’s position a few days ago on his statement regarding a possible military intervention in Venezuela?  Do you agree with that position?  Have you discussed the possibility of other either economic or political sanctions that could be implemented?  And this position stated by President Trump, couldn’t it somehow conspire against the peaceful, pro-peace position of Latin America thus far?

    

     And we would also like to ask Vice President Pence specifically whether there has been any progress in terms of agreements on cybersecurity, which you referred to, and what sort of progress has there been.  And what kind of advances could you mention in the fight against terrorism, considering, as you yourself stated, that Argentina has been targeted by terrorism?  And, accordingly, whether there’s any cooperation being provided by the United States with regard to the death of prosecutor Nisman.  Thank you very much.

 

     PRESIDENT MACRI:  (As interpreted.)  The statement that the Vice President has just made clearly shows the level of agreement between us on how to tackle the issue of Venezuela.  We must refine diplomatic and economic skills in order to ensure that a democracy is restored as swiftly as possible; that Venezuela, again, has an election schedule; that there are no normal political detainees; and that the powers are again independent in a framework of democracy. 

 

That’s the contents of our Mercosur communiqué, and we think that is a way to go.  The way to go is not the use of force, but to deepen the political demand, taking into account the economic dimension, as well, to see how we can help ensure that democracy is restored in Venezuela.

 

     VICE PRESIDENT PENCE:  Well, thank you for the question.  Specifically on the issue of counterterrorism, the President and I spoke at some length about enhanced cooperation and intelligence-sharing that’s been taking place since President Macri’s meeting with President Trump at the White House earlier this year.  We pledged our mutual support to continue to work in a collaborative way, and we are grateful for President Macri and his government’s full cooperation. 

 

     To see the tragedy that took place a quarter-century ago here in Argentina, to think of 9/11 in the United States, to see the unfolding asymmetrical threat that global terrorism presents, we greatly welcome and appreciate the expanded cooperation that President Macri and President Trump initiated in their meeting in Washington, D.C.  And we’ll continue to work in those ways to see to the security of the people of both of our countries.

 

     With regard to Venezuela, we spoke about that issue as well.  And as I just stated, President Trump sent me here to make it clear, in Argentina and across Latin America, that the United States will not stand by while Venezuela crumbles.  And the President had made it clear, as well, that the United States has many options, and we reserve those options. 

 

But we truly believe that by increasing economic and diplomatic pressure on the Maduro regime — not just across the Americas, but across the wider world — that we can achieve a restoration of democracy in Venezuela by peaceable means.  And we’ll continue to work very closely.

 

     I’m grateful to President Macri for his leadership over the last year and a half, speaking out boldly on the slide into dictatorship in Venezuela.  We’ll continue to work with countries all across the region to achieve that objective.

 

     But President Trump is determined to bring the full weight of American economic and diplomatic power to bear until we see the suffering relieved in Venezuela, and democracy restored. 

 

     MODERATOR:  Our next question is from Shannon Pettypiece of Bloomberg News. 

 

     Q    President Macri, given your desire for a diplomatic solution to the situation in Venezuela, if the United States was to move forward on a military option, given all options are on the table, how would you respond?  And do you feel that that type of language is helpful?

 

     And then, for Vice President Pence, as you travel around the world trying to present this strong, unified message, back in Washington there continues to be this infighting in the West Wing, in particular these attacks on the National Security Advisor.  Does that hurt your efforts abroad?  And do you think there are additional changes needed in West Wing staff to eliminate or tamp down some of that very public infighting?

 

     PRESIDENT MACRI:  (As interpreted.)  Again, within Mercosur, we do not see force as an option to resolve the conflict in Venezuela.  And we are very pleased to see unanimity across the continent.  And with the leadership of the United States, in order for democracy to be restored in Venezuela, we need to carry on working in all fields of diplomacy to ensure that this is achieved — because, every day, Venezuelans lose the lives while defending their rights to freedom.  And we can’t continue to tolerate that.

 

     VICE PRESIDENCE PENCE:  Well, thank you for the question.  Our administration, not some seven months old, has seen America restore more than a million jobs at home.  But also, what the world has seen, under President Donald Trump, is an American President who is once again embracing our historic role as leader of the free world without apology.

 

     I think you can see the results of the President’s strong leadership in the unanimous vote in the United Nations Security Council on additional sanctions in North Korea.  I think you can see the result of the President’s strong leadership in the 12-0 vote last week, embracing the Lima Declaration, further isolating Venezuela as its nation collapses into dictatorship.

 

     In a very real sense, I believe that President Trump has restored the credibility of American power by being willing to take American values and American interests onto the world stage.  And while we’re putting America first, as I said earlier, I think the world is also getting the message that America first does not mean America alone. 

 

And my presence here, and in this swing across Latin America, as when the President himself has traveled around the world, is to bring together nations around the world, to work toward our common interests and to achieve results.  And I believe the results speak for themselves.

 

So it’s my great honor to represent the President this week in Latin America.  And we’re encouraged by the level of agreement among Latin American countries, and countries across the wider world, for what needs to be done with regard to isolating North Korea economically and diplomatically, to achieve the objective in North Korea of a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula.  And I know that President Trump is encouraged by the level of support and the response to American leadership — bringing a focus on the tragedy in Venezuela.  We were just there yesterday.

 

     President Macri told me there are some 60,000 Venezuelan refugees here in Argentina.  There are more than half-a-million, by some reports, in Colombia, where we were yesterday. 

 

I met with families who were fleeing the deprivation and persecution of the Maduro regime, and to hear from a grandmother who told me that she went and collected her five grandchildren because poverty had become so severe in their hometown.  The children had to rise at four in the morning in Venezuela to get a ticket and then wait all day to use that ticket to buy one piece of bread.  It’s extraordinary to think.  Venezuela has the potential to be one of the wealthiest nations in our hemisphere with its oil reserves alone.  And yet the poverty and deprivation that is resulting from their collapse into dictatorship speaks for itself.

 

And President Trump is going to continue to provide that strong unambiguous leadership on the world stage, and I think we’re going to continue to see the progress that we’ve seen in Asia and as well as in our own hemisphere.

 

     MODERATOR:  (As interpreted.)  Next, Martin Ceval (ph) from El Cronista.

 

Q    (As interpreted.)  Good morning.  Mr. Vice President Pence, me and my colleagues would like to ask the following:  Since the beginning of the Trump administration, negotiations between Mercosur and the EU have sped up for a trade agreement.  Does the United States feel any threat to its predominant position on that front?  And do you intend to state any particular position during the upcoming WTO meeting?  And we’d also like to know whether the White House intends to again get Argentina within the General System of Preferences and what the position of Argentina will be within the market.

 

And for President Macri:  Since the government has repeatedly spoken in favor of the multilateral trade system, does the bilateral position shown by the United States perhaps conspire against the goals of the December summit? 

 

Thank you.

 

VICE PRESIDENT PENCE:  Well, thank you for the question.  President Macri and I spoke at some length about expanded trade opportunities between the United States and Argentina.  And we think they are significant, particularly in the area of agriculture.

 

I come from an agricultural state in the United States.  I was governor of the state of Indiana before I became Vice President.  And I know the quality of American pork, and I know that President Trump and President Macri have spoken, as well as officials — even in the last week — about expanding access of American pork to the market here in Argentina.  And we’ve made great progress.  We’re going to continue to work toward making that progress.  We also discussed the interest in exporting and importing beef on both sides.  And, of course, lemon exports from Argentina were a topic. 

 

So we had a very extensive conversation on commodity-specific areas, and those will continue.  And our hope is that, with the energy that our administration and that President Macri’s administration are placing behind this, we may have a breakthrough soon that will expand the economic relationship between Argentina and the United States, particularly on agricultural goods.

 

That being said, I’ll speak later today at the stock exchange about the extraordinary economic relationship between the United States of America.  We are greatly encouraged by the economic reforms that President Macri is advancing here.  We believe that those reforms will further enhanced and strengthened in Argentina with membership in the OECD.  And President Trump has weighed in strongly in favor of Argentina’s membership in the OECD.

 

     But I can assure you that a strong relationship — economic relationship between the United States and Argentina, I think, can grow even stronger, still, to the benefit not only of your economy, but of ours.  We believe that Argentina’s turn towards free-market principles, reentering global capital markets, bringing about the kind of reforms that President Macri is advancing will support jobs and opportunities in the United States, and it will invite more foreign direct investment from our country here.  And we look forward to building that relationship.

 

     PRESIDENT MACRI:  (As interpreted.)  I agree with the Vice President.  We have so many opportunities to enhance relations between the United States and Argentina.  We think that will bring prosperity, jobs, and development for our own country, and we hope that in December, at the WTO meeting, we’ll find areas in which to deepen the potential, aside from the fact that the United States may not see multilateral relations as attractive as bilateral relations at this stage. 

 

But we hope to achieve a balance at the meeting — because, clearly, our possibilities — the possibilities in relation to the growth of our relationship are vast.  We can create a lot of jobs through increased trade with the United States and through U.S. companies, which have always led investment in Argentina over the past century.  We hope that they will continue to invest further in Argentina.

 

MODERATOR:  Our next question — David Rennie of The Economist.

 

Q    A question for President Macri.  You’re probably the leader in Latin America that’s closest to President Trump.  You have an agenda that’s very much aligned with free markets.  You’re proud of your meeting coming up hosting the WTO.  Does it make your life harder when you’re trying to speak to the anti-American forces that do exist in this continent when President Trump says things like the WTO is another one of our disasters, when he withdraws from TPP, when he has very harsh language about NAFTA that sounds protectionist, or when he says that a military option could be on the table for Venezuela?  Does that make life harder for a pro-American leader like yourself in a continent like Latin America?

 

And a similar question, Vice President.  You’re now going on this continent as an envoy of President Trump.  You’ve been explaining how America First does not mean America alone.  But when the President steps on his own message with things like the military options or when he gives people the impression he might be about to attack North Korea, does that mean that you have work to do?  And have leaders told you that they’re worried that America First looks and sounds like the ugly American of the past?

 

PRESIDENT MACRI:  (As interpreted.)  I’ve had the honor and responsibility of leading the Argentine Republic for 19 months now.  Right from the outset, I told the Argentine people that if we were isolated from the world the way we were for seven decades — we didn’t do very well, we did quite badly.  One-third of Argentines are in poverty.  And I propose intelligent mutual benefit relations with all countries all around the world, especially the countries that respect our own country; the countries that respect our own identity. 

 

And right from the start with the visit of President Obama, and then with the new administration that welcomed me in Washington — and we were very warmly received not just by the President, but by the U.S. Congress, and the American community at-large, which showed a degree of interest and affection for our country that really touched us all — let me say that we were truly moved.

 

So I would much rather focus on the fact that President Trump has reiterated his deep affection for Argentina, his great respect; the fact that he believes in our country.  He sees our country as one with vast potential, and the United States wants to be part of that process of development and growth.

 

So we’re at a very good stage.  We are seeking commonalities.  Trade will increase, as well as investment flows.  We shall continue to work together in the fight against corruption, against drug trafficking, against organized crime generally, which afflicts us so much in our everyday lives. 

 

So I think we have a very positive era ahead of us for both countries.

 

VICE PRESIDENT PENCE:  Well, thank you for that, Mr. President.  I couldn’t agree more. 

 

We do have before us a very opportune era, not only between our two countries, but across this hemisphere.  And I believe it is a result of the strong leadership that President Donald Trump has brought back to the world stage as President of the United States of America. 

 

I’ve had the great privilege to represent the President in Europe now twice, in South Asia, and now here in Latin America.  And what I hear again and again from leaders around the world is that they welcome — they welcome American strength back on the world stage.  In President Donald Trump, President Macri has known for a very long time we have an American President who says what he means, and means what he says.

 

The American people appreciate his strength, but I am convinced, from not only public events but private conversations with leaders around the world, free nations around the world welcome the President’s leadership as well.  In a very real sense, President Donald Trump has restored the credibility of American power and has demonstrated that America is once again willing to step onto the world stage, put our interests first — as every President of every nation should put their people first — but then bring together nations of common interests — free nations around the world — to pursue our common objectives.

 

President Trump, in a very real sense, I believe has brought the kind of broad-shouldered leadership to the world stage that has been lacking for too long, and the world welcomes it.  And it’s my great honor to be able to represent him around the world. 

 

And the progress that we are seeing, the strengthening of our relationships and alliances, and, frankly, the result of the strengthening of an American economy — more confidence among our businesses than it’s been for some 20 years; one million new jobs created in the first seven months of this administration; and a world community once again understanding that America is embracing our role and our responsibility as leader of the free world — I think is all evidence of what strong and resolute American leadership means.  And that’s the kind of leadership that President Donald Trump will continue to provide.

 

PRESIDENT MACRI:  (As interpreted.)  Thank you very much.

 

                                           END          

 

THE WHITE HOUSE

 

Office of the Vice President

________________________________________________________________

               For Immediate Release                             August 11, 2017

 

 

REMARKS BY VICE PRESIDENT PENCE

AT OFFICIAL GOVERNOR’S PORTRAIT UNVEILING

 

Indiana Statehouse

Indianapolis, Indiana

 

 

 

2:27 P.M. EDT

 

     THE VICE PRESIDENT:  To Governor Holcomb, thank you for those overly generous words.  You have known me too long to believe them.  (Laughter.)  But I couldn’t be more proud of the job Governor Eric Holcomb and First Lady Janet Halcomb are doing for the state of Indiana.  (Applause.)

 

     And to my friend, Jim Atterholt, my chief of staff here at the State House, thank you for your efforts in putting together this incredible reunion.   And thank you for your integrity, and thank you for your ongoing service to the people of Indiana.  Jim, you are a cherished friend, and you are loadstar of what service to the people of Indiana really means.  Thank you.  (Applause.)

 

     On behalf of my family, my extended family, my mom, and all the people of the Pence team who have come near and far to be with us today, it is great to be back home again.  (Applause.) 

 

I want to thank so many distinguished public officials who are here.  Senator Todd Young, thank you for joining us today, for your great leadership in Washington.  Congressman Luke Messer; Congressman Todd Rokita; Lieutenant Governor Crouch and former Lieutenant Governor Ellspermann; Speaker Brian Bosman, my great partner in this general assembly; Senator David Long, President Pro Tem of the Senate; Auditor Klutz; Attorney General Hill; Superintendent McCormick; and I see all these great members of the best state legislature in America.  Would you give all these public officials a great, great round of applause?  (Applause.) 

 

And I’m so touched to be here by so many long-term members of our team, most of which we have taken to Washington with us.  (Laughter.)  People like Jennifer Pavlik and Matt Lloyd, Lani Czarniecki, and others.  I’m grateful to you all.  I’m grateful for your ongoing service to the country.  And to my dear friend, Bill Smith, my former chief of staff who is with us here today; Mark Ahearn, Micah Vincent, and others.  It’s deeply moving to share this moment with you.

 

And to my extended family — and to know the Pence family is to know a big family — my brother Greg, who is with us today with his wonderful wife Denise; my brother Ed and his wife Kim; Annie and her daughter Gracie; my father-in-law Bernie; my mother’s husband, Basil; and to my incredible mom, Nancy Pence-Fritsch, who inspires me every day and is so responsible for this day.  (Applause.)  And, of course, I’ll mention her more in just a moment, but to be joined here today by at least one out of three of our great kids, our youngest daughter Audrey Pence who is with us today.  And to my incredible wife of 32 years, the Second Lady of the United States of America, Karen Pence.  Thanks for getting us here.  (Applause.) 

 

I stand before you today deeply humbled — deeply humbled to be able to continue to serve this state as the 48th Vice President of the United States.  And I owe it all — I owe it all to the confidence of the 45th President of the United States, President Donald Trump.  And he wanted me to tell the great people of Indiana that he said hello and wanted to thank you for this great honor — for his running mate.  (Applause.) 

 

But I owe this moment to my family — my immediate family and my extended family.  Mostly, I owe this moment to the good people of Indiana.  Words really cannot describe the honor it has been to serve the people of this state.  You know, I grew up the grandson of an Irish immigrant who came to this country when he was about my son’s age, in his 20s.  And he raised that precocious redhead at the end of the stage.  And she and my late father lived the American Dream. 

 

I grew up in a little house in Columbus, Indiana on 31st street — a little cornfield in the backyard that’s still there to this day.  And we were all raised to believe that anybody can be anybody in this country; that if you work hard, pray harder, if you look after your family, you grab your dreams, the sky is the limit.  But it’s to my family, to their legacy, and it’s to the people of Indiana that I came today to say thank you — to say thank you for the opportunities that you’ve given me to serve; the support that you continue to give me and my family through your encouraging words and most especially your prayers.

 

And let me say that wherever we go in our lives and our service for the next seven-and-a-half years as Vice President of the United States or beyond — (applause) — I want the people of Indiana to know that you’re always in our hearts, and the depth of our gratitude is inexpressible for the privileges and opportunities you’ve given us to serve.

 

Now, for a word about this portrait.  I just wanted you to know a few things about it.  And maybe, Governor Holcomb, you can have the tour guides mention this when they’re passing through.  First off, let me just say I do have more than one tie.  (Laughter and applause.)  But I’ll explain in just a few moments why I wore it again today.

 

First, let me just express a debt of gratitude to those that have gone before.  It’s deeply humbling for me to think that this image will be added to a historic collection here at the State House.  I’ve had the privilege to know many of my predecessors, and I consider them all my betters, Republican or Democrat notwithstanding.

 

Today, I want to honor Governor Whitcomb, Governor Bowen, Governor Orr, Governor Bayh, Governor O’Bannon, Governor Kernan, and Governor Daniels.  It is my great honor to join them in this pantheon of public service in the state of Indiana.  We honor their service today.  (Applause.)  Eric, I often thought, as I came to work in the morning, of that verse in the Old Book that says you’re surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses.  So I hope you feel the same when you’re coming into the office.  (Laughter.)  

 

Secondly, I want to thank this extraordinary artist, Mark Dillman, and to no less extent, his wife, Lynn, who was his full partner in this effort.  We interviewed a fair number of great artists, and then I talked to a guy who was a Southsider — from the Southside of Indianapolis — and we just immediately bonded.  Mark told me he’d been following my career long before it was successful.  (Laughter.) 

 

And, Mark, I have to tell you, I’m inspired by your gifts and I want to thank you publicly for your efforts in putting together this extraordinary portrait.  Would you thank Mark for me?  (Applause.)  Mark told me he wanted it to be his best one ever.  And given what you had to work with, I think it is.  (Laughter.)

 

The portrait is really just about paying tribute to all those that are not the subject of the portrait.  First, the flags.  The flags are my tribute to the great Americans and the great Hoosiers I’ve had the privilege to serve.  When I took my oath of office just out on the West steps on a cold day in January, I took my oath of office on a verse that’s a prayer.  And that prayer is, “Give [me] a discerning heart to distinguish between right and wrong; for who is able to govern this great people of yours?”  And I always thought that was a particularly apt verse for the people of Indiana.  It is my great honor to serve the great people of Indiana.  And the flag in this portrait and the American flag are my tribute to them.

 

Secondly, just to the side of me, you might see a short stack of books.  And that’s really a tribute to my folks.  One gone and one still the apple of my eye.  Mark was able to recreate a short stack of law books that I inherited from my dad.  And there’s a great story about my dad actually went to one semester of law school, but he had to drop out because he met this redhead and he figured he better get on with his life and go make a living.  But those law books now are in the Vice President’s House in Washington, D.C., but they’re the tribute to my parents — because we all stand on the shoulders of those who went before, and everything I am is owing to the sacrifices, the successes, and the efforts of my dad, Ed Pence, and my wonderful mother, Nancy Pence-Fritsch.  (Applause.) 

 

     And the kids, you can see them in the picture.  That was behind my credenza when I was governor, when I was a congressman, and now it’s in the West Wing of the White House.  And it’s one of those pictures your kids just don’t like anymore because they’re all so little and cute.  (Laughter.)  But I’ll tell you, I just got one of them here, our wonderful daughter Audrey.  But from that very first campaign when they were five, six, and seven, and we headed out to county fairs and started shaking hands, to this very day, these three and now our new wonderful daughter-in-law have held up my arms and kept their dad grounded and humble every step of the way.  So, Audrey, Charlotte, Michael, thank you.  (Applause.)  I love you.  (Applause.) 

 

     And second-to-last, there’s multiple tributes to the last person I will mention.  The tie that I wear was designed by the First Lady of Indiana, and I thought it was the right tie to wear in this portrait.  My wife Karen is an accomplished artist that during her years as First Lady of Indiana, she was an extraordinary champion not only for the arts but for children.  She helped found the art therapy program at Riley Children’s Hospital, and now she’s made it an international cause as Second Lady of the United States.  Her artwork around my neck is not the only tribute to my wife.  She’s featured in the photograph, of course, with the children. 

 

But I’ll tell you one other little secret.  When Mark and Lynn came to Washington to take some pictures for this portrait, Mark had me leaning against something and arms folded, and I was completely uncomfortable.  And Karen came down — I think she must have sensed that things weren’t going well.  So she came downstairs and said, “How’s it going?”  And she stood behind Lynn as she was taking a picture, and she snapped a picture of me looking at my wife.  It was just one.  And when all the pictures came back, the consensus choice of everyone was the smile on Mike’s face when he was looking at Karen.  Thank you for putting that smile on my face.  (Applause.)  Thank you for bringing us here.  (Applause.)  Thank you for being the love of my life.   

 

And lastly, I want to give glory to God for the opportunities in my small life.  It’s incredibly humbling to me and hard to describe what it was like to step on to the floor of the Congress; what it was like the day I took my oath of office as the 50th governor; or what it was like to stand on that platform in January as the latest Hoosier Vice President.  It is evidence — interestingly, I think — of exactly the verse that Pastor Vroegop prayed, a verse that I mentioned at that national convention, Governor Holcomb, that I often think, who am I, and who is my family that you brought me this far? 

 

And the little book to the right-hand side of me there is a copy of a well-worn Bible that sat on my desk as governor all throughout my years.  It’s the one I took my oath of office on, and I just wanted to make sure that, years from now, schoolkids might be passing through the governor’s office, they might glance, and they might see in one portrait that we honored the people that we served and the flags that represent the state and the nation.  That we honored our parents, without whom we would not be here.  That we honored a family, without which we never would have spent a day in public service.  And that we honored God and the foundation that he poured in our life and the sustaining grace that continues to support us this day.

 

And so I thank you all for being here.  Thank you for hearing my musings about this in this too emotional of a moment.  In just a few hours, we’ll head back to Washington, D.C. to continue to stand by a President who is making America great again every single day.  (Applause.) 

 

But as I leave, it just blesses our hearts to think that this portrait will be hanging where our hearts will always be, where the moon shines bright upon the Wabash.  And until we come back home again, I pray that God will continue to bless the great state of Indiana and all who go by the name Hoosier.

 

God bless you all for being here, and God bless the United States of America.  (Applause.) 

 

                        END                2:47 P.M. EDT

 

 

 

THE WHITE HOUSE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 11, 2017

 

ARTISTS COMPETE FOR A CHANCE TO HAVE THEIR ARTWORK APPEAR ON DESSERT PLATES AT THE VICE PRESIDENT’S RESIDENCE
 

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Second Lady Karen Pence visited the Indiana State Fair in Indianapolis to view pieces of art displayed by members of the Indiana World Organization of China Painters, who are competing for the chance to hand paint a design on porcelain china plates for the Vice President’s Residence in Washington, DC.  

 

“Hoosier China Painters are gifted artists and I am thrilled that they want to contribute their time and talent to painting china plates for the Vice President’s Residence, which will become a part of our country’s history,” said Karen Pence.  “The artists have amazing examples of their work on display at the Indiana State Fair and I can’t wait to find out who Hoosiers decide will participate in the project.”

 

The artists submitted examples of their work to the Indiana State Fair where people who attend the fair are able to cast a vote at the Indiana China Painters exhibit in the Indiana Arts Building at the fairgrounds.  The voting ends at the conclusion of the Indiana State fair on Sunday, August 20. The winning artists will paint a design on 100 salad and dessert plates for the Vice President’s Residence.

 

“It is our pleasure as Indiana artists to make this contribution to the history of china painting and the history of our nation by sharing our talents in this project, said Ellen Wilson-Pruit, Indiana WOCP President.  “We will be painting the 50 state flowers on the reception plates.  Each plate will be one of a kind but yet part of a collective work. Our painting is permanent once fired in the kiln. This means that these plates will be a lasting testament to the commitment to and appreciation of the arts by the state of Indiana and our nation.”

 

The World Organization of China Painters estimate that 30-40 artists will participate in the project and they hope to have the project completed in time for the Christmas holiday season.

 

When Mrs. Pence served as the First Lady of Indiana, the Indiana World Organization of China Painters participated in a project for the First Lady’s Charitable Foundation Luncheon in 2014. Eighty artists painted 150 bowls with the Indiana state flower, the Peony, for the event. The Indiana World Organization of China Painters recently offered to do a similar project with china as a gift to the Vice President’s Residence.

 

To stay updated on Mrs. Pence’s events, follow her on Twitter at, @SecondLady.

 

About Indiana World Organization of China Painters

The Indiana World Organization of China Painters is comprised of local guilds that meet monthly with the purpose of sharing, studying and promoting the art of china painting.  The first Indiana guild was organized in 1969.  Indiana belongs to the World Organization of China Painters, which is an international group of porcelain artists with headquarters and a museum in Oklahoma City, OK.  Select pieces are chosen each year at the Indiana convention to represent the state at the world museum for one year.   You can  learn more about the organization at www.indianawocp.com.

 

 

 

THE WHITE HOUSE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 10, 2017

 

READOUT OF THE VICE PRESIDENT’S CALL WITH AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER MALCOLM TURNBULL

 

Vice President Mike Pence spoke today with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull of Australia. Prime Minister Turnbull offered his sympathy for the Osprey incident off the coast of Queensland, Australia. The two leaders discussed the recent counterterrorism operation in Sydney and agreed on the importance of fighting terrorism and radicalism in all their forms. Vice President Pence and Prime Minister Turnbull also discussed the grave and growing threat North Korea poses to countries near and far. Reflecting on joint counterterrorism initiatives and the shared North Korea threat, Vice President Pence and Prime Minister Turnbull reaffirmed the enduring bonds, deep friendship, and close alliance between the United States and Australia.

 

###

 

 

THE WHITE HOUSE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 8, 2017

 

President Donald J. Trump Approves Oregon Disaster Declaration

 

Today, President Donald J. Trump declared that a major disaster exists in the State of Oregon and ordered Federal assistance to supplement State, tribal, and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe winter storms, flooding, landslides, and mudslides from January 7 to January 10, 2017.

 

Federal funding is available to State, tribal, and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe winter storms, flooding, landslides, and mudslides in the counties of Columbia, Deschutes, Hood River, and Josephine.

 

Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide. 

 

Brock Long, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, named Willie G. Nunn as the Federal Coordinating Officer for Federal recovery operations in the affected areas. 

 

Additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the State and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.

 

###

 

THE WHITE HOUSE

 

Office of the Press Secretary

________________________________________________________________

For Immediate Release                             August 8, 2017

 

 

PRESS BRIEFING

BY SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, TOM PRICE

AND COUNSELOR TO THE PRESIDENT, KELLYANNE CONWAY

ON THE OPIOID CRISIS

 

Marriott Bridgewater

Bridgewater, New Jersey

 

 

 

 

4:40 P.M. EDT

 

     SECRETARY PRICE:  Good afternoon.  We just have come from an extremely productive meeting with the President and the First Lady gathered to talk about the opioid crisis.  The President and the First Lady are absolutely fully engaged on a tragedy that is crossing the country. 

 

     The President understands the magnitude of this challenge, how devastating it is, how it’s devastated individuals and families and communities large and small.  He understands the effect that it has had on our nation, especially on families and on children. 

 

     The numbers are absolutely daunting — 52,000 overdose deaths in 2015; 33,000 of those approximately related to opioids.  The numbers in 2016 are no better, and the numbers in 2017 are even worse than 2016.

 

So we briefed the President on our strategy through Health and Human Services Department, a strategy that includes making certain that we have the resources and the information necessary for prevention and treatment and recovery; providing best practices for states and those that are engaged in that process; making certain that we have overdose reversing medication — naloxone and Narcan — as present as needed and possible anywhere across the country; making certain that we’re doing the data — identifying the data, the public health aspect of it — of this:  Why is it that 52,000 Americans succumbed to an overdose death in 2015 and those numbers continue to increase?  Fourth is the research aspect of this.  What is the NIH doing?  What can they do?  And of exciting things to provide for, hopefully, pain medication that is not addictive or is not euphoric.  

 

One of the exciting things that they’re actually working on is a vaccine for addiction, which is an incredibly exciting prospect.

 

And then, finally, how do we treat pain in this nation?  As a formerly practicing physician — orthopedic surgeon — I know that physicians and other providers have oftentimes sensed that there is an incentive to provide narcotic medication.  And we need to do all that we can to make certain that, yes, people are provided appropriate narcotic medication when necessary, but no more than necessary. 

 

We wanted to make certain that the President understood that it was his entire Cabinet and the federal government that were involved in this process.  This is an interdepartmental, interagency process that’s moving forward.

 

     We’ve met previously with the Department of State, Justice, the Department of Homeland Security, ONDCP, and others to make certain that we’re working together on a comprehensive strategy that we’re in the midst of right now and that we will be presenting to the President in the near future. 

 

     At the end of all of that, the President made certain that we understood that he was absolutely committed to making certain that we turn this scourge in the right direction, turn this tide in the right direction; make certain that we see the number of overdose deaths and the number of individuals addicted to medication decreased.

 

     And he has made certain that we understand and appreciate that this is an absolute priority of his administration, as it has been from day one.

 

     One of the things that we’ve done to try to bring a voice to it and bring faces to it is to go around the country in multiple states and to visit communities and try to find those best practices — what’s working out there?  What hasn’t worked?  Talk with those families that have been devastated by the addiction crisis; talk with folks who’ve been addicts and have recovered.  What is it that worked?  And it’s so uplifting and inspiring to hear the stories of many of those individuals.

 

     One of the President’s senior counselors, Kellyanne Conway, has accompanied me on many of those trips, and she was at our meeting today, and I know that she wants to say a few words, as well.

 

     Kellyanne.

 

     MS. CONWAY:  Thank you, Secretary Price.  And it’s very nice to have the acting Director of ONDCP Richard Baum with us today, as well. 

 

     The Secretary and I have traveled to a number of different states, and we have heard the harrowing and very sad stories, but we also have increasingly met those who have successfully gone through treatment and recovery.

 

     We’re very heartened to learn many people who are beating opioid epidemic, and we recognize this is a polydrug problem in our nation, that we are a nation that consumes legal and illegal drugs at a very high and alarming rate.

 

The problem is very complicated, and currently we’re on the losing side of this war.  With the President’s leadership and the First Lady’s involvement across a spectrum of different cabinets and agencies and different departments within the West Wing, we are confident that we can help those in need across this country. 

 

We know that this involves public health, the medical community, healthcare delivery system, law enforcement, education, local and statewide elected officials, devastated families, and those in treatment and recovery.  We have presidential imprimatur leadership on this issue, but we full-on know that most of the great work is being done at the state and local levels.  Those who are closest to those in need know best how to help them.

 

We didn’t get here overnight, and we know that we can’t solve the crisis overnight either.  That said, I’d like to bring attention to some other areas with respect to the opioid and drug epidemic that sometimes go uncovered.

 

With a 52.7 percent increase in outpatient veterans treated for substance abuse disorders from 1995 to 2013, it’s an increasing concern that addiction is plaguing our veteran community, as well.  And we’re working with Secretary Shulkin on that.

 

The next generation of the crisis is being seen in the number of newborns that are born addicted to opioids and other drugs.  In fact, in this country, now NIH estimates that every 25 minutes a newborn is born addicted to opioids.

 

We are working hard to also stop the import of fentanyl into this country and to work with those governors and health commissioners and others within the states who are interested in reducing the number of pills and days in a prescription and also in working with the curriculum so that our medical professionals are more educated and more conversant with and versed in prescribing methodologies, as well.

 

President Trump and the administration are working tirelessly toward this, and I would just say that having traveled this country and studied this issue very closely, no state has been spared, and no demographic group has gone untouched.  This is not a problem of young or old, of black or white, of rural, urban, or suburban.  It really has affected all of our communities in varying degrees.

 

It is also a nonpartisan issue in search of bipartisan support and bipartisan solutions, and we do hope that those in a position to help with the decision-making and advocacy and solutions, and those charged with covering this issue, as well, will agree that it is nonpartisan in search of bipartisan solutions. 

 

Thank you very much.

 

SECRETARY PRICE:  Happy to take a question or two.  Yes.

 

Q    Mr. Secretary, a couple of questions.  Several attorneys general, including some Republicans, have said manufacturers of opioids should be sued and are culpable, or should be legally culpable for parts of this crisis.  Do you agree with that?  What’s the administration’s orientation to those laws?

 

SECRETARY PRICE:  Well, there are a couple suits that are out there right now that have already begun.  I think that this gives voice and punctuates the damage and the harm that people have felt because of this crisis.  There isn’t a position that the administration has on these suits at this point.  But it has clearly gotten the attention of the pharmaceutical companies.  Some have analogized it to the tobacco issue and the master settlement that occurred, I don’t know, 20 years, with the issue of tobacco.  Whether there is something that’s analogous to that, I don’t know.  But it’s —

 

     Q    Do you see it in that light, Mr. Secretary?

 

     SECRETARY PRICE:  Well, what I see is that there is — that we continue to move in the wrong direction on the number of individuals that are not only addicted, but the number of individuals that are losing their lives to addiction.  And so the President is absolutely committed to solving that problem, and we are going to turn over every single rock and make certain that we’re identifying every single thing that could move us in a better direction.

 

     Q    Is it a national emergency?

 

     SECRETARY PRICE:  Well, the President certainly believes that we will treat it as an emergency — and it is an emergency.  When you have the capacity of Yankee Stadium or Dodger Stadium dying every single year in this nation, that’s a crisis that has to be given incredible attention, and the President is giving it that attention.

 

     Q    Mr. Secretary, thank you.  I was curious — those of us old enough to remember the crack problem 20-plus years ago, how is this different?  And how is the approach to deal with the opioid problem going to be any different?  And are we just going through a cycle of a new crisis every 20 years and the public forgets?  I mean, what’s different here?

 

     SECRETARY PRICE:  Well, it’s different for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the magnitude and the numbers of individuals succumbing to addiction and losing their lives.  And this is relatively recent; in the past 10 to 15 years, these numbers have spiked up.  So the difference is that the crack cocaine issue, which was a terrible, terrible issue, but it didn’t have the potency of the medication that exists right now.  Right now, carfentanyl and fentanyl exist in a way that kill individuals with very small doses.  The cost of illicit drugs, the cost of heroin, for example, is significantly lower than it has been.  So the access to these drugs is that much greater.

 

     So it may be cyclic in terms of generational engagement or involvement, but, as Kellyanne said, this knows no age distribution.  It’s affecting folks young and old across all demographics in our society.  So we believe that it is different if only because of the potency of the medication and the numbers of individuals who are succumbing to it.

 

     Yes, ma’am.

 

     Q    Secretary Price, thank you.  I do have a question for Kellyanne, but first to you.  Why has the President not officially declared the opioid crisis a national emergency?  And does he plan to?

 

     SECRETARY PRICE:  Well, most national emergencies that have been declared in the area of public health emergency have been focused on a specific area, a time-limited problem — either an infectious disease or a specific threat to public health.  The two most recent that come to mind are the Zika outbreak and Hurricane Sandy.  So we believe that, as this point, that the resources that we need, or the focus that we need to bring to bear to the opioid crisis at this point can be addressed without the declaration of an emergency, although all things are on the table for the President.

 

     Q    So it’s not imminent that he would do that, but it’s on the table.

 

     SECRETARY PRICE:  All things are on the table.

 

     Q    Okay.  And then, Ms. Kellyanne Conway, if you’d like to weigh in on that.  And then also, if I can ask you about the President’s comments on North Korea.  He said that North Korea, if they continue their threats, will be met with “fire and fury like the world has never seen.”  Can you explain specifically what he meant by “fire and fury”?  Is that military action?

 

     MS. CONWAY:  No, I can’t.  I think the President’s comments were very strong and obvious.  I know all of you covered them live.  And I would defer to other members of Dr. Price’s cabinet to comment further.

 

     Q    And anything you want to add to the emergency status question?

    

     MS. CONWAY:  No, because I’ll leave that to the health professionals.  But I will tell you that the President and the First Lady are taking very seriously what is an absolute epidemic, and they see it that way also.  We are at a very peak level.  And one thing I should have mentioned earlier that is a very important component here is destigmatizing the use — the misuse of substances.  We find time and again people are just too fearful to come forward and admit that they have a problem, admit it to the people closest — their family members, their friends, their colleagues. 

 

And also, something that we discussed with the President and the First Lady at length are the different accounts that we’ve heard in states, and you can see the stories for yourselves:

 

“We’re so sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Jones.  We tried to save your son.  In fact, we resuscitated him three or four times over the last six or eight months, but this time he was too far gone.”  And they say, who, what, when?  They don’t even know that their son or their loved one has had a substance misuse disorder — a substance abuse disorder.  And sometimes the privacy laws don’t allow parents of a 19-year-old, in fact, to be notified.  So this is something of which we’re very aware also. 

 

Q    The President’s commission on the opioid crisis recommended that the President urgently, immediately call this a national emergency because that frees up resources; that lifts some of these barriers that allows more Medicaid recipients to go into treatment.  Why do you feel like that isn’t something that needs to happen right now?  I mean, was the commission wrong on this?

 

SECRETARY PRICE:  No, there’s an interim report from the commission and it’s being reviewed at all different levels of the government.  But everything that you just mentioned can be done, and many of it — much of it is being done without the declaration of a national emergency — either a Stafford Act emergency or a public health emergency.  So —

 

Q    So they’ve expanded to let more Medicaid recipients —

 

SECRETARY PRICE:  Everything that you talked about can be done.  Now, we’re talking about what should be done, and working through the department and through the other agencies that I mentioned, to come forward with that coherent strategy, that comprehensive strategy and recommendation for the President, and we’ll do so in short order.

 

Q    Yes, just to follow up on something Kellyanne Conway said.  So are you looking at changing privacy laws or HIPAA around drug addiction, specifically?  I guess either of you can answer it.

 

SECRETARY PRICE:  Yeah, this is really an important issue because one of the things that we’ve found when going around the country is that it’s the local communities, it’s the local, loving community — the families, the organizations within communities — that are so pivotal to providing success for individuals getting through the treatment and on to recovery. 

 

And so it’s devastating for anybody to learn of a family who is not able to be notified that one of their loved ones has had a problem with addiction because of privacy laws.  So we’re looking through the regulatory process to determine what can be done, if anything, to make it so that those requirements are not — those privacy requirements are not as onerous in the case of an overdose.  And it certainly is something that Congress could address, and we’ll talking with them and have had conversations with many of them about that.

 

Q    Speaking of Congress, is the healthcare bill dead?

 

SECRETARY PRICE:  The healthcare challenge across this nation is not dead, and so what we believe needs to occur is that the Congress needs to address the issue in a way that allows individuals to gain the kind of access to coverage and care that they need. 

 

Thank you all so much.  Thank you.

 

Q    Do you still want to cut Medicaid drastically?  Because the report talks a lot about Medicaid use.

 

SECRETARY PRICE:  Nobody is interested in cutting Medicaid.  The fact of the matter is that the President’s budget and the proposals that were before Congress were an effort to try to secure and make a Medicaid system work for patients.  That’s the goal that we have. 

 

We have one-third of the physicians in this nation who ought to be seeing Medicaid patients who aren’t seeing Medicaid patients.  That’s a system that may work for the federal government, it may work for insurance companies, it may even work for Medicaid programs, but it doesn’t work for patients.

 

The President’s goal, the President’s desire, our focus, and our desire is to make certain that we have a healthcare system that works for patients. 

 

Thank you all.

 

                          END                 4:57 P.M. EDT