Vice Presidential Pool Reports of October 7, 2021

10/7 VP Print Pool Report #1

I will be your print pooler for the vice president’s meeting with the White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment. The VP’s office sends along the following ahead of our gather time at 10:40 a.m.

With negotiations on the Hill continuing, on Thursday, October 7, 2021, the Vice President and Secretary Walsh will host the second meeting of the White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment, in the Vice President’s Ceremonial Office. They will be joined in person by:

· Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland
· Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo
· Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas
· OPM Director Kiran Ahuja
· Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo

They will be joined virtually by:

· Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg
· Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm
· Administrator of the Small Business Administration Isabel Guzman
· Administrator of General Services Robin Carnahan
· Member of the Council of Economic Advisers Jared Bernstein
· Acting Director of the Office of Management and Budget Shalanda Young
· Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Jewel Bronaugh (OBO Secretary Tom Vilsack)
· Deputy Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Adrianne Todman (OBO Secretary Marcia Fudge)
· Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services Andrea Palm (OBO Secretary Xavier Becerra)
· Montserrat Gabiray, Senior Advisor for Labor Relations, Office of the Secretary (OBO Secretary Miguel Cardona)
· Mr. Gilbert Cisneros, Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness
· Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs Donald Remy (OBO Secretary Denis McDonough)
· Deputy Administrator of Environmental Protection Agency Janet McCabe (OBO Administrator Michael Regan)

White House and Agency staff will also join.

During the meeting, the Vice President and Secretary Walsh will applaud Cabinet Secretaries and staff for all of the work that they have done in the lead up to the Task Force report which will be submitted in late October. They will hear from Cabinet Secretaries and other senior officials about some of the innovative proposals that were submitted to the Task Force, which will leverage existing executive authority to increase workers’ ability to collectively bargain and unionize.

In April, the President issued an Executive Order to establish the White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment. The Task Force consists of more than 20 Cabinet members and agency directors or administrators. The Vice President chairs the Task Force, and Secretary Walsh serves as vice-chair.

The EO directs the Task Force to submit a report of recommendations – to the President - within 180 days of signing the EO, which is late October. The recommendations for executive actions will address many of the barriers workers face when they try to organize.

10/7 VP Pool Report #2

Pool is gathering for the VP’s meeting with labor task force. It will be in her ceremonial office.

There will not be a livestream so pooler will send along details and newsworthy quotes.

10/7 VP Print Pool Report #3

The public portion of the labor task force meeting ended at 11:14.

Immediate notes (to be followed by other quotes later):

Pool entered the room at 11:02 a.m. The vice president was seated at the head of a long table. There was a TV to her right and at the other end of the table displaying the meeting participants joining via video chat. Her chief of staff sat behind her and to her left. At the table in-person was Secretary Walsh, Secretary Haaland, Secretary Raimondo, Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo, Secretary Mayorkas, and Administrator Ahuja.

The vice president started speaking shortly after 11:02 a.m. She talked about the task force's upcoming report that will be published on Oct. 23.

Labor Secretary Marty Walsh spoke after her beginning at 11:08 a.m.

The vice president took one question before the pool exited.

On the debt ceiling: "We need the address the debt ceiling and do it as soon as possible. We need to pay our bills. This debt without question, was approved by members of both parties, including $8 trillion from the last administration, the Trump administration. So let's get it done as quickly as possible."