Today, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. made additional disaster assistance available to the State of California by authorizing an increase in the level of Federal funding for emergency work undertaken in the State of California as a result of wildfires and straight-line winds beginning on January 7, 2025, and continuing.

Under the President's order today, Federal funds for debris removal and emergency protective measures, including direct Federal assistance have been increased to 100 percent of the total eligible costs for a period of 180 days of the State's choosing within the first 270 days from the start of the incident period.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION MEDIA SHOULD CONTACT THE FEMA NEWS DESK AT [202] 646-3272 OR FEMA-NEWS-DESK@FEMA.DHS.GOV.

I am proud to announce that the next two Gerald R. Ford-class nuclear-powered aircraft carriers will be named for two former presidents: Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.

When I personally delivered the news to Bill and George, they were deeply humbled. Each knows firsthand the weight of the responsibilities that come with being Commander-in-Chief. And both know well our duty to support the families and loved ones who wait and worry for the safe return of their servicemember.

The future USS William J. Clinton [CVN 82] and the future USS George W. Bush [CVN 83] will begin construction in the years ahead. When complete, they will join the most capable, flexible, and professional Navy that has ever put to sea. They will be crewed by Sailors who hail from every corner of the United States, and who will sail these ships into harm's way, defending our interests overseas and our safety here at home.

Those Sailors will demonstrate not only the example of our power, but the power of our example. And our nation remains grateful to them, their families, and all the talented shipyard workers who will bring these ships to life.

May God protect all who sail aboard USS William J. Clinton, USS George W. Bush and every other ship in our fleet. And may God continue to bless our troops.

Our hearts ache for the 24 innocent souls we have lost in the wildfires across Los Angeles. Jill and I pray for them and their loved ones. We are deeply saddened by the devastation caused by the unprecedented ongoing wildfires across Southern California.

I am being frequently briefed on intensive efforts to suppress the wildfires across Los Angeles, and have directed our team to respond promptly to any request for additional federal firefighting assistance. At my direction, hundreds of federal personnel and unique federal aerial and ground support has been sent to California to support the firefighting efforts and help communities in need. My Administration remains laser-focused on helping survivors and we will continue to use every tool available to support the urgent firefight as the winds are projected to increase.

To the brave firefighters and first responders working day and night to suppress these fires and save lives: our nation is grateful. You represent the best of America and we are in your debt.

Today, my Administration is approving student loan relief for more than 150,000 borrowers – bringing the total number of Americans who have had their student debt cancelled by my Administration to over 5 million. These 150,000 borrowers include: almost 85,000 borrowers who attended schools that cheated and defrauded their students, 61,000 borrowers with total and permanent disabilities, and 6,100 public service workers.

My Administration has taken historic action to reduce the burden of student debt, hold bad actors accountable, and fight on behalf of students across the country. This includes fixing the broken Public Service Loan Forgiveness [PSLF] program and ensuring over 1 million public service workers receive the student loan relief they are entitled to under the law, approving student loan relief for 1.7 million borrowers who were cheated and defrauded by their schools, delivering student debt relief to 633,000 borrowers with total and permanent disabilities, and fixing administrative errors in the Income-Driven Repayment programs to deliver relief to over 1.4 million borrowers who have been in repayment for decades. My Administration also secured the largest increase to the maximum Pell Grant award in a decade to put higher-education in reach for more Americans.

Since Day One of my Administration, I promised to ensure higher-education is a ticket to the middle class, not a barrier to opportunity, and I'm proud to say we have forgiven more student loan debt than any other administration in history.

The Office of the Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator [IPEC] has issued its Annual Intellectual Property Report to Congress, which brings together the combined and coordinated efforts of the White House, the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Justice, State, and Treasury, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, and the U.S. Copyright Office. The report provides an overview of the intellectual property enforcement strategy and related efforts undertaken by departments and agencies during fiscal year 2024.

To view the Annual Intellectual Property Report to Congress, visit: https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/IPEC-FY-24-Annual-Report_Final.pdf

Artificial intelligence is quickly becoming central to both security and economic strength. The United States must act decisively to lead this transition by ensuring that U.S. technology undergirds global AI use and that adversaries cannot easily abuse advanced AI. In the wrong hands, powerful AI systems have the potential to exacerbate significant national security risks, including by enabling the development of weapons of mass destruction, supporting powerful offensive cyber operations, and aiding human rights abuses, such as mass surveillance. Today, countries of concern actively employ AI – including U.S.-made AI – in this way, and seek to undermine U.S. AI leadership.

To enhance U.S. national security and economic strength, it is essential that we do not offshore this critical technology and that the world's AI runs on American rails. It is important to work with AI companies and foreign governments to put in place critical security and trust standards as they build out their AI ecosystems.

To strengthen U.S. security and economic strength, the Biden-Harris Administration today is releasing an Interim Final Rule on Artificial Intelligence Diffusion. It streamlines licensing hurdles for both large and small chip orders, bolsters U.S. AI leadership, and provides clarity to allied and partner nations about how they can benefit from AI. It builds on previous chip controls by thwarting smuggling, closing other loopholes, and raising AI security standards.

Six key mechanisms in the rule catalyze the responsible diffusion of U.S. technology:

Even as it encourages the diffusion of U.S. technology, the rule takes significant steps against countries of concern, constraining them from accessing advanced AI systems and the computing power used to train them. These actions include:

The rule builds on previous regulations that aim to protect U.S. national security, including the October 2022 and October 2023 chip controls. It follows a broad range of relevant engagements over the past ten months with stakeholders, bipartisan members of Congress, industry representatives, and foreign allies and partners.

Yesterday, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. declared that a major disaster exists in the State of South Carolina and ordered Federal assistance to supplement state, tribal, and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe storms and flooding from November 6 to November 14, 2024.

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 storms and flooding in the counties of Bamberg, Calhoun, and Orangeburg.

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

Mr. Brian F. Schiller of the Federal Emergency Management Agency [FEMA] has been appointed to coordinate 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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION MEDIA SHOULD CONTACT THE FEMA NEWS DESK AT [202] 646-3272 OR FEMA-NEWS-DESK@FEMA.DHS.GOV.

Yesterday, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. declared that a major disaster exists for the Native Village of Kwigillingok and ordered federal aid to supplement the Tribal Nation's efforts in the areas affected by a severe storm and flooding from August 15 to August 18, 2024.

Federal funding is available to the Native Village of Kwigillingok and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe storm and flooding.

Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures for the Native Village of Kwigillingok.

Mr. Lance E. Davis of the Federal Emergency Management Agency [FEMA] has been appointed to coordinate Federal recovery operations in the affected areas.

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

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION MEDIA SHOULD CONTACT THE FEMA NEWS DESK AT [202] 646-3272 OR FEMA-NEWS-DESK@FEMA.DHS.GOV.