By the way, as i get started i know that josh earnest was voted the most popular press secretary by the press corps. So after reading and checking my twitter feed i shot him an email last night letting her know that he can rest easy. He is secure for the next few days. Let me begin by saying that the president has been closely monitoring the Severe Weather in the southeast. He spoke with the governor of georgia yesterday by phone and expressed his support. He pledges to keep policies keeping america first. And had breakfast with key us Business Leaders with a focus of the discussion on job creation and growing our manufacturing base. Business leaders who attended included michael athe founder of dell, the ceo of whirlpool, mark feels the ceo afford, alex gorski is ceo of johnson and johnson. Marilyn houston the ceo of lockheed martin, class plainfield the ceo of aand andrew the ceo of doubt, the ceo of us steel, elon musk mark simon of international paper, weeks, the city of corning. Chief of staff Reince Priebus and stephen miller. The breakfast was an opportunity for the president to hear directly from americas top Business Leaders about the challenges they are facing and take some suggestions about what policies and actions could be taken to help them create jobs and grow our manufacturing base. The meeting included a really Great Exchange of ideas and the president of ahas decided to meet on a quarterly basis. As you know he wants to create fair deals with jobs created and reduce american trade deficit. He has appointed a top and smart number of trade experts who will fight on behalf of of American Workers. With that vision in mind, the president has already taken several steps today. First he issued a president ial memorandum withdrawing the United States for the transpacific partnership. This is a multilateral agreement including the United States and 11 other countries. As he has said many times, this type of multinational agreement is not in our best interest. He is moving quickly to advanced trade policies that increase the competitiveness of the American Worker and manufacturer. This executive action ushers in a new us trade policy which the Trump Administration will pursue bilateral trade opportunities with allies around the globe. This is a strong signal that the Trump Administration was free and fair trade throughout the world. Additionally the president issued a memorandum reestablishing mexico city policy. Stating that the United States will and the use of taxpayer dollars to Fund Abortions overseas along with coercive abortion and sterilization practices. Finally the president issued a memorandum outlining executive branch hiring. This memorandum counters dramatic expansion of the federal workforce in recent years. In particular it prevents filling vacant positions and creating new positions except when necessary to meet national or public security. Responsibilities. It does not apply to military personnel, it ensures the american taxpayers get effective and efficient government. Earlier in the day the president spoke with the egyptian president to discuss ways to keep the bilateral relationship and to help their economical foreign program. He has the president committed to working continuing with military assistance to egypt and working with egypt to ensure assistance most effectively supports egyptian militarys fight against terrorism. The president also commended the president for his courageous steps to address egypts economic challenges and opportunities because with the us can support egypts economic reform program. Finally the two leaders discussed the visit to the United States in the future. The president and had lunch with the Vice President with a recap this mornings meeting and discuss next steps. They also discussed plans to advance the president s legislative agenda to make america safer and more prosperous. Also today the president signed designations for acting heads of executive departments and agencies to remain continuity in those positions. At 3 oclock Union Leaders and frontline workers will meet with the president to discuss his proworker agenda and that includes tom flynn, of the united brotherhood of carpenters, sean garvey president of the North American Building and construction trades department, terry osullivan, general president of the Laborers International union of north america. Mark mcmanus, general president of the United Association. Donald mullins, Steamfitters United Association with local 6 or two. Frank spencer, united brotherhood carpenters. Mccarran, president of the brotherhood of carpenters. Joseph sellars junior Sheet Metal Workers Union marketing. Thelma aheat and frost United Association of local five, the Sheet Metal Workers Union smart union, and gary messina with the Sheet Metal Workers Union smart union. The president has been honored to receives support from these men and women on election day and is dedicated to growing and deepening their support. He made it a priority to meet with the Union Workers on our working day one here in the white house. The emergent jobs and lack of growth has hit American Workers particularly hard. The president s top priority is to retain and attract american jobs which have already seen happening through his actions on carrier, sprint, General Motors and more. At 5 oclock the president will hosting bipartisan meeting with leaders here at the white house. That will include the Vice President , Senate Majority leader, Senate Minority leader, the House Speaker, House Majority leader, House Democratic leader, helps democratic rep, the white house chief of staff, chief strategist, chief of staff, Vice President and chiefs of staff from those respective offices. The purpose of the meeting is dated the president s agenda moving through congress. The American People are frustrated with lack of progress in washington. The president was no delay in addressing the most pressing issues. He is taking every opportunity to forge strong bonds with congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle. One of the other subjects to come up is the status of his nominees. It is important to note that at this point in 2009 president obama had seven of his nominees confirmed on day one. Five more in the first week. As it stands today, we have two. Democrats even held that the confirmation of cia director mike pompeo needlessly leaving one of our most Important National security agencies without his top leader on day one. It is time for Senate Democrats to stop playing political games with the Core Functions of government and allow President Trumps unquestionably qualified and talented group of nominees to get to work on behalf of the American People. Rounding out todays schedule, after the reception i mentioned he will have dinner with, we have a meeting with the House Speaker paul ryan. They will discuss the republican legislative agenda strategy going forward. Earlier in the day the president nominated formative mexico congresswoman Heather Wilson as the next secretary of the air force. She grew up in New Hampshire and made history as part of the third Us Air Force Academy class that included women. She had her masters degree and doctoral degrees at the worldalearn as aat oxford england. And in europe in the cold war and on the National Security office under president george hw bush. As you know we are about big dealerships and large audiences here. I want to tell you about an effort we undertaking here in the breathing room to offer up more access to a group of analysts from around the country. Beginning later this week im excited to announce will have four skype seats. Life here in the briefing room. This will open up the briefing to journalists who live beyond 50 miles from the washington d. C. Area. And to organizations that do not currently have a past. As always you are invited to apply for a past is any organization. aand any other who may not have the convenience or funding to travel to washington. I think this can benefit us all getting platform to voice is not necessarily based here. Looking ahead, the present will have a breakfast tomorrow with the Auto Industry including hazard gm, chrysler and ford. He looks forward to hearing their ideas of how we can Work Together to bring more jobs back to the industry in particular. On wednesday the president will host a ceremony swearing in from incoming new secretary of homeland security, general james ajohn kelly and on friday he will do the same for secretary mattis at the department of defense. On thursday he will travel to philadelphia to attend the Republican House and senate retreat. Friday he will welcome his first foreign head of state, british Prime Minister may. With that i look forward to taking two questions. Daniel helfer new york post. Thank you. [inaudible] i think the president has noted this was a serious priority of his throughout the campaign. He has already started to work with congress on the appropriations avenue of that. So he is doing everything he can to direct agencies and congress to commence with the work as soon as possible. With obamacare are you enforcing the mandate or not . Enforcing a mandate . The obamacare mandate. The president has made it clear he will work with congress to impart with the discussion hes going to have tonight with some of these leaders and again with paul ryan. How we can work to implement both the repeal and replace of this. Jennifer. [inaudible] i think the president is no secret, he is made very clear he is prolife. He wants to stand up for all americans including the unborn. I think the reinstatement of this policy is not just something that echoes that value but respects taxpayer funding as well. And insurers were standing and not just for life, life of the unborn, but also for taxpayer funding that is being spent overseas to perform an action that is contrary to the values of the president. I think continue to further illustrate not just in this country but around the world, what value we put on life. Jennifer rodriguez. Jenna i am sorry. [inaudible] what did he mean when he said he would work to congress to get a special, something, we dont know what it is. And welcome we expect that to happen . Also went to expect the white house site to be back up . Okay two questions. Let me start with the latter. As you know we hit the ground running on day one. There was a lot to do and we had done a lot of work on the west side to make sure that we were prepared to get as much information as fast as possible. We are continuing to build out the website, open issue areas and then aweve got it folks working overtime right now to continue to get that up to speed. Trust me, it will take a little bit more time but we are working piece by piece to get done. I think the president has been clear that he is going to prioritize the areas of dealing with immigration system. Both building the wall and making sure that we address people in the country illegally. First and foremost, the president has been very clear. We need to direct agencies to focus on those who are in this country illegally and have a record that, a criminal record or pose a threat to the American People. Thats where the priority will be and that we will continue to work through the entire number of folks here illegally. Right now, the clear focus is on that. . I want to ask two questions. The president campaigned on the Corporate Tax of 15 percent. Today we met with Business Leaders he mentioned that tax rate would drop somewhere between 15 to 20 percent. Is he moving this goalpost there in any way . And the second question is government spending. Every reports that we might be looking at 10 trillion over the course of 10 years. Is that accurate . And would you be willing to wrap up i think first, i will take the other one first on entitlement or funding. Look, you saw this. There has been frankly to some degree a lack of respect for taxpayer dollars in this town for a long time. I think with the hiring freeze person fault athere is a ton of money. Some people are working two or three jobs just to get by. To see money wasted in washington on a job that is insulting to the hard work they do to pay taxes. I think that comes into your question and overall spending as well. We have got to look at how we are spending the American Peoples tax money. So what they have been doing is going into these agencies and departments and talking about ways we can create better efficiency, eliminate duplicity and maximize the tax dollar. It is more questions that, not just cutting but had to be respect the taxpayer dollars more than that going forward. April ryan. Im sorry alove, the president is a very successful businessman and negotiator. He will sit down work with congress to get the best deal possible for american businesses so they can hire more people and we can expand and grow the economy. So he will work with congress on that. He understands better than anybody how to negotiate a great deal. Right now he will negotiate the best deal on behalf of the American Worker and on behalf of the american businesses that are hiring them. Questions if youll allow me to take them one at a time. I will. They have confirmed that President Donald Trump talk to him at the luncheon about the high price of prescription drugs. When is this meeting going to be set or is it coming up soon and will the president be meeting with the full body of the Congressional Black Caucus as well as the hispanic caucus on issues related to those community. Okay, lets take one at a time. Im not aware of the conversation. Im sure you have heard the president talk about the price of pharmaceutical drugs and the need to get those prices down and bring manufacturing of the pharmaceutical industry back to benefit the country. Its an issue he will continue to work on. He understands as we refine healthcare, to get more people access to them and also allow greater access and plans in healthcare. That will be a key part. That will happen. I think, with respect to the other meetings, its day one here. He will start with the leadership and have a great conversation with them, but then i think youll see a variety of meeting p the Congressional Black Caucus, the hispanic caucus, small group spread he is someone who really enjoys that kind of conversation. I think you will see a lot of meetings occur like the one you did today. The Business Leaders coming in, these Union Workers, and its interesting, the president was asking these folks today, how many, many of you have been to the oval office. Three of them raise their hands. We talked to some these Union Leaders and we hear we didnt get a lot of attention. Here we are on working day one and you of the president reaching out to some of americas best Business Leaders and some of the Union Workers and line workers and bringing them in and saying i want to listen to whats going on in your life. What can we be doing to help you. I think youll see a lot more of that. A listening president who is engaged in trying to figure out what policies and actions he can take and that he can work with congress and make peoples lives better to make their security better. You are going to see a lot of that. Thats who he is. Thats what he did during the transition and i think thats what he will do going forward. He appreciates the ideas and opinions that come through the oval office, or small groups where he gets to share their perspective and their ideas and opinions. I think thats what he will continue to do later this afternoon. I want to go back to what the gentleman said about the mandate. He said something about the mandate. With the numbers that you talked about in the news from the Inauguration Day and the number saturday, do you believe you have the mandate to be able to force through what you had talked about, replacing pieces of obamacare that subsidize the whole piece of it to help low income people with their healthcare. I think what we have is a mandate to make healthcare more accessible and lower cost. Thats what American People were promised under obamacare. Its not a question about a mandate and is not about forcing anything. Its about