Vice Presidential Pool Reports of October 22, 2022

VP Travel Pool Report no. 1 - Checking-in/Holding

Good morning, I’ll be your pooler for the day. It’s a lovely morning at MSP and the farmer’s stink from yesterday is finally gone.

We’re holding until a 10:50 CT wheels down then will head over to Metropolitan State University after.

Reach out if you have any questions, via email or the number in my signature line.

VP Travel Pool Report no. 2 - Wheels Down

Wheels down at 10:55. The greeters were Gov. Tim Walz, Mayor Jacob Frey and Ilhan Omar, Sen. Tina Smith, and Colonel Samuel Kraemer, Wing Commander for Airfield, 934th Operations Group Commander.

Traveling with the VP:

-Asst. Sec Lisa Gomez, U.S. Department of Labor
- Asst. Sec Rachel Levine, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
- Assc. Admin. Michael Warren, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

More to come.

VP Travel Pool Report no. 3 - Rolling

The pool is rolling to the event at Metropolitan State University at 11:06.

Full background from the White House:

Today at 12:30 PM CT, Vice President Kamala Harris will join Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan (D-MN) and Emily Tisch Sussman, host of the She Pivots podcast, for a conversation about protecting reproductive rights. This conversation at Metropolitan State University will be livestreamed on www.whitehouse.gov/live.

The Vice President has brought together leaders from across the nation who are on the frontlines fighting to protect reproductive health care and abortion access. This month, the Vice President has traveled to Connecticut, Texas, and California to participate in conversations with reproductive rights leaders, she chaired the Second Meeting of the Interagency Task Force on Reproductive Healthcare Access, and she convened student leaders at the White House.

Since May, she has held more than 20 convenings and met with 180+ state legislators from 18 states to discuss protecting reproductive rights. The Vice President has also convened health care providers, constitutional law experts, faith leaders, state attorneys general, disability rights leaders, higher education leaders, students, and advocates.

Pre-program participants:

1. Virginia Arthur, President of Metropolitan State University
2. Attorney General Keith Ellison (D-MN)
3. Associate Administrator Michael Warren, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
4. Assistant Secretary Rachel Levine, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

VP Travel Report no. 4 - Arrival

The ride was uneventful. Motorcade arrived to Met. State at 11:23.

Your pooler did not see the VP exit the motorcade.

We’re holding at the event until it starts at 12:30.

VP Travel Pool Report no. 5 - Background

Background from the White House:

On Background from a White House official:

Approximate crowd count: 297

Pre-program participants speaking order:

1. Virginia Arthur, President of Metropolitan State University
2. Attorney General Keith Ellison (D-MN)
3. Associate Administrator Michael Warren, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
4. Assistant Secretary Rachel Levine, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Today at 12:30 PM CT, Vice President Kamala Harris will join Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan (D-MN) and Emily Tisch Sussman, host of the She Pivots podcast, for a conversation about protecting reproductive rights. This conversation at Metropolitan State University will be livestreamed on www.whitehouse.gov/live.

VP Travel Pool Report no. 6 - Color/Pre-Event Start

The wait included some of smooth jazz, and a seemingly full auditorium. The pre-event started at 11:47. Run of show was sent in report no. 5.

VP Travel Pool Report no. 7 - VP Takes Stage

After an emotional speech by Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan (DFL) that talked about leadership and abortion rights in Minnesota, the VP took the stage at 12:12.

Quotes and more to come.

VP Travel Pool Report no. 8 - Quotes/More Color

Some quotes from today's event, all from VP Harris. Check against the Otter, which will be sent soon. Throughout the event, there were lots of hollers and pauses for applause to die down.

"This not is not a political event, but it's a fact that there's an election in 17 days."

On Dobbs, "We knew it was going to come — because of the leak — but it was unimaginable."

On infant mortality and race, "When we look at the issue, there are solutions to be had. For example, on the issue of black maternal mortality, one of the issues we know and has been well-studied and documented is racial bias. … Poverty is trauma inducing."

"What gives me hope is that we fight for our country that we love. … We walk into a room with a certain authority to talk about the importance of democracy, the significance of the law, the freedom of the press." I didn't catch the next part exactly, but she then spoke about the countries job to be a role model.

On Clarence Thomas's concurring opinion in the Dobbs decision, "he said the quiet part loud."

VP Travel Pool Report no. 9 - Wrap

The event wrapped at 12:49 and VP Harris left the stage.

VP Travel Pool Report no. 10 - to motorcade/otter

The pool left the auditorium back to the motorcade at 12:54. We’re waiting to leave until the next event at the Cowles Auditorium until roughly 1:15.

The next event is at 1:40.

Here’s a link to the Otter: https://otter.ai/u/1Zfb7wrVQjwzRKAgMBPws27gOo0

VP Travel Pool Report no. 11 - rolling

We’re rolling to the next event at 1:07. Your pooler did not see the VP enter her vehicle.

VP Travel Pool Report no. 12 - arrival/holding

It was an uneventful motorcade ride. There were a few waves went we got off the highway and through Minneapolis, and we’ve arrived at the Cowles Center at 1:22.

We’re holding in the lobby until the VP’s remarks at ~2:45.

VP Travel Pool Report no. 13 - Event Start-End/Rolling to MSP

The pool was ushered into the auditorium at 2:05. VP Harris took the stage at 2:15 to a standing ovation in the top balcony. She hugged Gov. Tim Walz as he left stage, and gave Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan a shoutout at the start of her speech.

We were ushered out and led to the motorcade at 2:27. We did not hear the end of the VP's speech.

Got to the van at 2:30, and we started rolling at 2:41.

White House will send a full transcript later.

In the meantime, here are some quotes from the VP's remarks:

"Everything is hanging in the balance." "Our work would not be possible if wasn't without the work of the states and governors like yours. … That's where the work of your governor and Lt. Gov. come in."

She celebrated MN's two percent unemployment rate, "it takes work," she said. "All of this work happens in your statehouse."

"I know who's here. Who's here that shows up every election cycle?" "We love our country. We will ask people to vote. .. We will do whatever is necessary to get people to vote." "They will ask us, 'why should we vote?' … We've got a lot of good material." She then went on to talk about the pandemic and cited the record high voting rate in MN. "They put in their order. … We will remind them to put in an order. We want want to see a government that prioritizes children, and particular children in poverty. And we extend the child tax credit."

"As the governor mentioned, we really need to deal with the infrastructure of our country. … That 35[W] bridge collapse, we don't want to happen again. We want to make sure MSP gets $21 million. They want a bus line on Lake St. … Because they stood in line and voted, we passed the most significant investment in America's infrastructure history. … Because they voted. … They made the effort to vote, and they liked what you did."

She brought up healthcare and medicare negotiations. "We're sick of the big pharmaceutical companies dictating the price of medicine. Because they voted, we for the first time will allow Medicare to negotiate against the big pharmaceutical … on those two points [including infrastructure], not one Republican voted for it."

VP Travel Pool Report no. 14 - Arrival

The ride was uneventful. Saw some smiles and people recording as we went down 6th. Arrived at the Air Force Reserve by 2:58.

VP posed for a photo with staffers before getting in AF2.