Biden directs Cabinet to run ‘through the tape’ in legacy-burnishing meeting

By Kevin Liptak, Nikki Carvajal and Michael Williams, CNN

Washington (CNN) — President Joe Biden wrapped a meeting with his Cabinet on Friday, his first high-profile convening of his advisers in a year as he tries to set his post-presidential legacy.

Ahead of the meeting, a White House official said Biden would instruct Cabinet members to “sprint to the finish,” as he looks to burnish legacy items while ensuring as much of his agenda is implemented before a potential second Trump presidency.

“He will direct his Cabinet to get as much work done as possible – whether that is moving funding out the door, announcing new programs or policies or delivering on programs and policies we have already announced,” the official said.

Coming almost a year after he last convened his Cabinet, and exactly four months until the next president is inaugurated, Biden’s position at Friday’s meeting was drastically different from when he last spoke to his top officials.

He is no longer a candidate for president, and is now staring down his final months in office. His unexpected withdrawal from the race over the summer prompted White House officials to urgently assemble his final-months agenda that hadn’t been considered before his decision.

Biden wants to ensure Americans know what he accomplished while also making irreversible as much of his record as possible, should former President Donald Trump return to the Oval Office.

“He will be clear about making sure we show the American people what the Biden-Harris administration has delivered for them. And, he will tell his Cabinet to bring to him directly any hurdles or obstacles they are facing to get things done,” the official said ahead of the meeting.

The official pointed to significant progress just in the last few weeks, including economic milestones like a cut in interest rates and the “largest and most complicated prisoner swap in American history.”

Still, major items on Biden’s to-do list remain unresolved, most notably a ceasefire and hostage deal in the Middle East. Administration officials have serious doubts a deal can be struck before Biden leaves office, and tensions in the region are only escalating.

Ahead of the meeting, Biden called on Congress to pass a short-term funding bill before the government runs out of money next week and said the “only path forward” was by “working across the aisle.”

“Before I begin this Cabinet meeting, I want to discuss very briefly the need for Congress to pass a continuing resolution,” the president said. “It’s critical.”

He noted there were only 10 days left for Congress to pass a short-term bill “that gives them more time to deliver on our national defense, veterans, hardworking families, what we’ve already appropriated.”

The president pointed out there were four months left in his administration and said he would keep “running through the tape because the vice president and I are determined to keep making sure that democracy delivers what the American people are asking for.”

“We need to continue to implement the historic laws we passed,” Biden said. “They’ve allowed us to invest in America, rebuild our infrastructure and implement our historic laws.”

The president also faced questions on current events, such as the recent strikes in Lebanon by Israel.

Biden did not directly respond when asked what Israel’s strikes mean for the peace process in the Middle East, only saying the administration wanted to get people back to their homes safely and voicing optimism that a ceasefire and hostage deal could get done.

The president said the administration wanted to “make sure that both people in northern Israel as well as southern Lebanon are able to go back to their homes and go back safely.”

“The secretary of state, secretary of defense, our whole team is working – and the intelligence community try to get that done,” Biden said. “We’re going to keep at it till we get it done.”

Asked if that was realistic, Biden responded: “If I ever said it’s not realistic, we might as well leave.”

“A lot of things lot of things don’t look realistic until we get them done,” he added. “We have to keep at it.”

At Friday’s meeting, first lady Dr. Jill Biden shared an update on a White House women’s health research initiative, the first time she’s participated in a such a session. Previous first ladies have attended their husband’s Cabinet meetings.

“The president will direct his Cabinet to get to work and make the next four months as productive as any other period in our administration,” the official said. “Much of the Cabinet has been with President Biden since Day One and this meeting will be an opportunity for all of them to assess the enormous progress they have made together and game out how they will continue to make history in the remaining months of the Biden-Harris administration.”

This story has been updated with additional developments.

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