Remarks by President Biden Before National Security Team Briefing on Ukraine

Oval Office

12:17 P.M. EDT
 
THE PRESIDENT:  Well, General Brown, welcome to the Oval as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs.  It’s great to have you here.  And your experience in combat and your experience in administering at the Jus- — at the Justice? — at the Defense Department and your leadership in just about every theater. 

You’ve — you’ve been around the world, as they say, as a commander.  And you’re a trusted leader of the Joint Force, and you’re accelerating the change we need, both in terms of materiel and in terms of the strategies.

And, C.Q., your insight and counsel, we’re looking for.  The — the Secretary of Defense has been bragging about you a long time and so has — has the head of the CIA.  So, we’re going to get going.

And, today, we’re going to discuss the — the intelligence matters that are current.  You know, you’ve be- — you’ve kept current on all of these, I know.  But we’re going to discuss Ukraine, Iran, the DPRK, and also our continued advancement of stability in the Indo- — the Indo-Pacific and that whole area.

So, anyway, there’s a lot we have to do.  And I just wanted to welcome you and thank you for being here.  That’s why we let the press in here for this.  We usually don’t have them in for the — for the PDB.  But, welcome.

GENERAL BROWN:  Thank you.

THE PRESIDENT:  Okay, guys —

Q    Mr. President, are you going to tie Ukraine aid to the border?  (Inaudible) aid to the border?

(Cross-talk.)

Q    You pledged not to build another foot of border wall.  What changed?

THE PRESIDENT:  Nothing.

(Cross-talk.)

Q    Nothing has changed?

(Cross-talk.)

THE PRESIDENT:  I’ll answer one question on the border wall.  The border wall — the money was appropriated for the border wall.  I tried to get to them to reappropriate it, to redirect that money.  They didn’t.  They wouldn’t.  And in the meantime, there’s nothing under the law other than they have to use the money for what it was appropriated.  I can’t stop that.

Q    Do you believe the border wall works?

THE PRESIDENT:  No.

Okay, thank you.

12:19 P.M. EDT