the national task force

Mobile Menu Overlay

The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW Washington, DC 20500

President   Biden's Historic Climate   Agenda

“This is a case where conscience and convenience cross paths, where dealing with this existential threat to the planet and increasing our economic growth and prosperity are one and the same. When I think of climate change … I think of jobs.”

Take Climate Action in Your Community

President biden’s actions to tackle the climate crisis.

President Biden campaigned on a bold vision of tackling the climate crisis with the urgency that science demands, by building a clean energy economy that benefits all Americans—with lower costs for families, good-paying jobs for workers, and healthier air and cleaner water for communities.  As part of that vision, the President set groundbreaking goals:

• Reducing U.S. greenhouse gas emissions 50-52% below 2005 levels in 2030
• Reaching 100% carbon pollution-free electricity by 2035
• Achieving a net-zero emissions economy by 2050
• Delivering 40% of the benefits from federal investments in climate and clean energy to disadvantaged communities

The Biden-Harris Administration has made massive progress in translating these goals into action and impact on the ground – taking decisive steps to reduce climate pollution; cut energy costs; create good union jobs; increase resilience; advance environmental, economic, and racial justice; improve health; and achieve true energy security. This federal mobilization – building on the leadership of states, Tribal Nations, and local governments – has already spurred historic progress. Under President Biden’s leadership:

• Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act – the most significant investment in U.S. history to tackle the climate crisis – and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law . Together, these bills are saving families hundreds of dollars per year on energy bills; creating millions of good-paying jobs for American workers through clean energy manufacturing; strengthening our resilience to extreme weather events; and delivering cleaner air and water for our children and grandchildren.
• The Administration has taken hundreds of executive actions to restore protections for the environment and public health, strengthen pollution standards, advance environmental justice, and protect more than 41 million acres of public lands and waters.
• Companies have announced investments to build more than 580 new clean energy manufacturing facilities from coast to coast – a manufacturing renaissance that is creating tens of thousands of good jobs for workers to forge the wind turbines, solar panels, batteries, and electric vehicles (EVs) we need to support a livable climate and a fairer economy.
• New investments in U.S. clean energy manufacturing, electric vehicles and batteries, and clean power projects have reached over $390 billion during this Administration. Clean energy jobs have grown in every single state , employing more than 3 million Americans across solar, wind, storage, energy efficiency, electric vehicles, and more.
• EV sales have quadrupled and the U.S. achieved the milestone of 1 million annual EV sales 3 years earlier than forecasters anticipated. The number of public EV chargers has increased by more than 70% to over 175,000. Companies have announced enough new battery manufacturing capacity in the United States to supply as many as 13 million EVs per year by 2030.

This is the decisive decade for the world to confront climate change and avoid the worst, irreversible impacts of this crisis. President Biden will continue leading to meet this moment and deliver economic opportunities, health benefits, and household savings here at home.

President Biden’s Leadership in Action

Through executive actions, legislative wins, public-private partnerships, international diplomacy, and more, President Biden is working towards achieving his bold goals while taking steps to grow the economy, create jobs, and build a clean energy future – all while rallying the world to step up, too.

Reducing Emissions and Accelerating Clean Energy

President Biden and Vice President Harris have mobilized a whole-of-government effort in every sector of the economy – taking actions that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, accelerate clean energy production and deployment, create good-paying jobs, strengthen our economy, and invest in communities that once powered America’s competitiveness.

Power Sector

• Secured historic clean power investments, including Inflation Reduction Act tax credits that will more than double wind, solar, and battery storage deployment; targeted support for clean electricity across rural America; and billions from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for grid upgrades and transmission buildout and for accelerating market adoption of clean energy technologies .
• Launched the American offshore wind industry, taking action to approve the nation’s first large-scale projects, lease new wind energy areas along each coast, and create good-paying union jobs across manufacturing, shipbuilding, and construction – attracting over $16 billion in offshore wind investment and making progress toward the President’s goal of deploying 30 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030.
• Fast-tracked clean energy projects to bring jobs and savings to communities , surpassing the permitting milestone of 25 gigawatts of projects approved on public lands – enough to power more than 12 million homes – and providing support for local governments to advance  community solar projects , rooftop solar installations , and other  distributed energy resources  in disadvantaged communities.
• Supported domestic manufacturing of clean energy technologies, by investing billions of dollars under the Inflation Reduction Act and invoking the Defense Production Act to make solar panels, critical electric grid components, heat pumps , and more in America.
• Accelerated innovation  by creating an  Energy Earthshot Initiative  to drive clean energy breakthroughs and dramatically reduce the cost of critical technologies, including long-duration storage, clean hydrogen, enhanced geothermal systems, and floating offshore wind.
• Advanced smart rulemaking , including finalizing a “ Good Neighbor Plan ” rule to cut cross-state smog, and proposing rules to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, air toxics, and water pollution from power plants.

Transportation Sector

• Rallied automakers and autoworkers around an electric transportation future, setting a  national target  of at least 50% electric vehicle sales share in 2030 and spurring investments in  new American factories  to manufacture EVs, batteries, and chargers.
• Secured the largest investment ever in public transportation, passenger rail, EV charging, and battery supply chains through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, along with Inflation Reduction Act tax credits for new and used EVs, clean fuels, and EV chargers. 
• Released a National Blueprint for Transportation to enable agencies to accelerate the nation’s affordable and equitable clean transportation future.
• Launched the EV Charging Action Plan to build out a national charging network that is convenient, reliable, and equitable; approved deployment plans for all 50 states, D.C., and Puerto Rico ahead of schedule; and paired plans with billions of dollars in enabling grants .
• Finalized the strongest vehicle emission standards in American history  for both passenger cars and heavy-duty trucks , and increased average  fuel economy  standards to 49 miles per gallon, to protect communities from pollution and save drivers money at the pump.
• Accelerated clean buses, trucks, and ports  with Vice President Harris announcing  actions  to reduce pollution from heavy-duty transportation and invest in electric vehicle models for public transit, school bus fleets, freight and port operations – providing relief to fenceline communities who bear the brunt of these dirty emissions.
• Strengthened battery supply chains  by invoking the  Defense Production Act  to support American production of critical minerals and materials such as lithium, while adhering to  strong sustainability and community engagement standards , and by reviving the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Program to support battery material processing projects.
• Advanced the future of American aviation, harnessing  leadership and innovation  across the federal government, aircraft manufacturers, airlines, fuel producers, and more to produce three billion gallons of sustainable fuel and reduce aviation emissions by 20% in 2030.

Buildings Sector

• Launched the Affordable Home Energy Earthshot to reduce the cost of decarbonizing housing by 50% within a decade, help Americans save on energy bills, and address persistent burdens faced by low-income households.
• Invoked the Defense Production Act using emergency authority to award $169M to expand domestic manufacturing of heat pumps.
• Updated dozens of energy efficiency standards for appliances and equipment —including through efficiency improvements to air conditioners, furnaces, light bulbs, and more—to provide $1 trillion in consumer savings over 30 years and cut 2.5 billion tons of emissions through standards completed in this term.
• Invested in school facility upgrades  with Vice President Harris announcing a new  Biden-Harris Action Plan for Building Better School Infrastructure  to support energy efficiency retrofits and other improvements that save school districts money and deliver health and education benefits to students, educators and school staff.
• Continued to lead by example as the largest building owner and manager in the country by advancing the President’s goal of a zero emissions federal building portfolio by 2045 and a 50% reduction by 2032. Announced $1 billion to electrify federal buildings and expanded the US-led international Net-Zero Government Initiative to 30 countries committed to achieving net-zero government emissions by 2050.
• Received commitments from 25 governors representing approximately 60% of the U.S. economy and 55% of the U.S. population, to eliminate emissions from buildings, including collectively quadrupling heat pump installations by the end of the decade.

Industrial Sector

• Secured more than $50 billion to cut industrial emissions and expand clean manufacturing , including billions for clean hydrogen hubs and clean hydrogen innovation in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law; new tax credits in the Inflation Reduction Act to spur a groundswell of solar, wind, battery, and critical material manufacturing while building a new clean hydrogen industry; new grants for transformative, emissions-cutting technologies to revitalize manufacturing of steel, aluminum, cement, and other essential materials; and loans to support industrial transformation for the clean energy economy.
• Advanced clean domestic manufacturing , with new trade commitments to reward American manufacturers of clean steel and aluminum, a landmark Buy Clean Initiative that leverages federal purchasing to boost demand for low-emissions construction materials, use of the Defense Production Act to spur clean technology manufacturing, the first comprehensive U.S. government  plan  to build an Energy Sector Industrial Base, Energy Earthshots to accelerate clean manufacturing innovations, and an Industrial Decarbonization Roadmap .
• Delivered on the U.S. Methane Emissions Reduction Action Plan,  with agencies across the administration taking nearly 100 actions  in 2023 alone to cut methane emissions from the oil and gas sector, abandoned coal mines, landfills, agriculture, buildings, industry, and more, while protecting public health, promoting U.S. innovation in new technologies, and helping employ thousands of skilled workers across the country.
• Launched the phasedown of super-polluting hydrofluorocarbons  found in refrigerators, air conditioners, and other equipment, with  actions  from across agencies to reduce HFC emissions by 85% over 15 years – including a 40% reduction starting in 2024 – while strengthening domestic manufacturing of alternatives.
• Promoted responsible deployment of Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Sequestration (CCUS) technologies , with  guidance  to help agencies ensure projects are environmentally sound, create good union jobs, and reduce cumulative pollution in nearby communities. 

Lands & Agriculture   Sector

• Secured historic investments to enlist nature in the fight against climate change, with over $40 billion in the Inflation Reduction Act to support climate-smart agriculture , forestry, and rural developmen t and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law support for ecosystem restoration.
• Launched the America the Beautiful challenge  to  conserve 30 percent of U.S. lands and waters by 2030  by accelerating locally led conservation and  leveraging $1 billion in public and private investments .
• Issued an Executive Order on strengthening America’s forests, including by safeguarding mature and old-growth forests on federal lands and supporting reforestation partnerships.
• Restored and strengthened protections for cherished places,  including  Bears Ears, Grand Staircase-Escalante, and Northeast Canyons and Seamounts National Monuments , as well as the  Tongass National Forest  and  Bristol Bay  in Alaska, Castner Range in Texas,  Avi Kwa Ame in Nevada, and Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni in Arizona.
• Protected sensitive areas from oil, gas, and hardrock mineral leasing, including the  Arctic National Wildlife Refuge , other public lands in Alaska , Chaco Canyon , and  Boundary Waters watershed. Issued final rules to strengthen public protections across onshore and offshore oil and gas operations, including holding companies accountable for decommissioning costs.   
• Issued a final Public Lands Rule to help conserve wildlife habitat, restore places impacted by wildfire and drought, expand outdoor recreation, and guide thoughtful development
• Supported climate-smart agriculture projects anticipated to reach 80,000 farms and 75 million acres of working land, through a $3 billion commitment  to create new market opportunities for commodities produced using climate-smart practices.
• Announced actions to protect America’s waterways  by re-establishing regulations and joining global effort to ensure environmental protections for water bodies that are critical to the health, safety and economic vitality of communities.
• Issued a Presidential Memorandum on restoring healthy and abundant salmon and steelhead to the Columbia River Basin , and then signed historic agreements with Tribal Nations in both the Upper Basin and Lower Basin to support Tribal Treaty obligations and begin a path toward salmon and steelhead restoration.

Advancing Environmental Justice & Empowering Workers

Since Day One, President Biden and Vice President Harris have worked to confront environmental injustices, toxic pollution, underinvestment in infrastructure and critical services, and disproportionate impacts from climate change on communities across the nation. The Administration has activated the entire federal government to advance environmental justice and for the first time in our nation’s history elevate the voices, perspectives, and lived experiences of environmental justice communities to guide White House and Federal Government priorities, policies, investments, and decision-making.

The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to continually fighting for environmental justice through early, meaningful, and sustained partnership with communities and dedicated leadership in Federal agencies – as reinforced through the President’s Executive Order on Revitalizing Our Nation’s Commitment to Environmental Justice for All .

More on Environmental Justice and   Workers

• Secured historic environmental justice investments, including new grant programs in the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law investments to  clean up pollution ,  cap tens of thousands of orphan oil and gas wells ,  reclaim abandoned mine lands , and  replace lead pipes . The EPA’s $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund mobilizes financing and leverages private capital to further curb emissions and create benefits for disadvantaged communities.  
• Launched and implemented the  Justice40 Initiative  to deliver 40 percent of the overall benefits of federal climate, clean energy, housing, clean water, and other investments to disadvantaged communities. Released guidance  to help agencies  transform hundreds of programs , a new  Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool  to ensure that agencies are consistently identifying and delivering benefits to disadvantaged communities, and an Environmental Justice Scorecard to track Federal agency progress on environmental justice, including on Justice40.
• Helped families save on energy costs  by doubling funding for the  Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program , accelerating  home efficiency and electrification  retrofits, and supporting  locally-driven clean energy plans  to lower utility bills.
• Protected public health with actions to reduce harmful PFAS exposure , deliver clean drinking water and replace lead pipes , stop usage of the chlorpyrifos pesticide that threatens farmworkers and children, and reduce toxic exposure from chemical plants and other hotspots.
• Established the first-ever  White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council  to ensure that voices of historically marginalized, underserved, and overburdened communities are heard in the White House and reflected in the policies and investments of federal agencies.
• Created new environmental justice initiatives across the federal government , including a comprehensive  DOJ and EPA enforcement strategy  to protect overburdened communities and hold polluters accountable, the first-ever  Office of Environmental Justice  at DOJ, the first-ever  Office of Climate Change and Health Equity  at HHS, agency  Equity Action Plans  that advance environmental justice, and  more .
• Formed an Interagency Working Group on Coal and Power Plant Communities and Economic Revitalization  to help identify and mobilize over  $200 billion in federal funding opportunities  that can be used to reduce pollution, support new industries, and create good-paying jobs.

Strengthening Climate Resilience

As climate-related extreme weather events increase in frequency and ferocity, the Biden-Harris Administration is taking bold steps to strengthen the nation’s resilience to severe impacts climate change has on our communities, infrastructure, economies, and more.

More on Climate Resilience

• Secured over $50 billion in resilience investments through the Inflation Reduction Act and  Bipartisan Infrastructure Law , the most funding in American history to strengthen our nation’s resilience.
• Released the National Climate Resilience Framework to align federal resilience investments and actions, and hosted the first-ever White House Climate Resilience Summit .
• Launched the Climate Mapping for Resilience and Adaptation portal to help officials track climate impacts in real-time and plan for future projections of extreme heat, drought, wildfires, flooding, and more.
• Announced a coordinated federal response for extreme heat  by launching nationwide standards and employer training to  protect workers  from heat exposure on the job, using the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program to help  provide A/C equipment , and  more .
• Protected against flooding, superstorms, and sea level rise  by re-establishing  federal standards  that will reduce flood risk, mobilizing new  FEMA funding  to help communities prepare, and launching interagency efforts on  coastal restoration and nature-based solutions .
• Confronted growing wildfire threats  by strengthening response capacity with more federal firefighters, launching a new  Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission , announcing awards to make communities more resilient to wildfires , and releasing action plans from the  Forest Service ,  Department of the Interior , and  other agencies .
• Strengthened drought prevention, resilience, and protection  providing financial and technical assistance to drought-stricken communities, including in the Western United States , and negotiating historic new agreements to conserve at least 3 million-acre-feet of water in the Colorado River Basin through the end of 2026 .
• Launched the National Initiative to Advance Building Codes to help state, local, Tribal, and territorial governments adopt the latest design and construction standards that save lives and reduce property damage from extreme weather.
• Finalized strong rules to protect communities from climate disasters , including from chemical accidents and hazardous substance discharges , and by providing survivors with faster and easier access to the resources they need.

Leveraging Domestic Action to Rally Global Ambition and Build Global Resilience

While the U.S. has committed itself to addressing the climate crisis, countries across the globe must also step up, given that more than 85% of global climate pollution comes from beyond our borders. President Biden and his team are rallying the world to take the decisive action needed in this decade to tackle the climate crisis.

More on International   Efforts

• Galvanized other countries at COP28 to commit, for the first time, to transition away from unabated fossil fuels, stop building new unabated coal capacity globally, triple renewable capacity and double global energy efficiency by 2030, and triple nuclear energy globally by 2050.
• Launched a new Clean Energy Supply Chain Collaborative to work with international partners to diversify clean energy supply chains that are critical to a clean and secure energy transition.
• Launched and expanded the Global Methane Pledge , in partnership with the European Union, to reduce the world’s methane emissions 30% from 2020 levels by 2030, with more than 155 countries now signed on.
• Improving the adaptive capacity of 500 million people around the world , through the President’s Emergency Plan for Adaptation and Resilience (PREPARE) by enhancing access to the development and delivery of climate services, mainstreaming and integrating adaptation and resilience into plans and programs, and mobilizing finance and private capital to support adaptation.
• Convened three leader-level meetings of the Major Economies Forum , representing 80% of global GDP and emissions, to press fellow leaders of the world’s largest economies to enhance their ambition, including by launch ing a new Clean Energy Technologies Demonstration Challenge, Green Shipping Challenge, Global Fertilizer Challenge, and a collective 2030 zero-emission vehicle goal.
• Advancing the U.S.  Plan to Conserve Global Forests: Critical Carbon Sinks , including by becoming a world leader in innovative debt-for-nature swaps that have helped countries restructure over $2 billion in debt to unlock hundreds of millions of new financing for nature and climate
• Launched and expanded pathbreaking partnerships with the private sector and other key actors,  including the  First Movers Coalition , the  Greening Government Initiative , the  Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate , and the  High-Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy .
• Advanced the world’s first carbon-based sectoral arrangement on steel and aluminum trade,   announcing  a commitment to negotiate an arrangement with the European Union that will reward American manufacturers, prevent dirty products from entering U.S. markets, and result in more jobs and lower prices for Americans.
• Mobilizing finance to support countries in reducing emissions and building resilience, including through the first-ever  U.S. International Climate Finance Plan ,  pledging  to quadruple U.S. international climate finance, and including these investments in the  President’s FY24 Budget
• Launched the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment   with G7  and other partners to mobilize hundreds of billions of dollars together with the private sector in sustainable, resilient, infrastructure investment for low- and middle-income countries to advance the goals of the Paris Agreement and PREPARE.
• Rallied G7 leaders to end public finance for overseas unabated coal generation , with historic agreement on a set of  new actions  to accelerate the global transition and, for the first time in history, alignment across the G7 on long-term and short-term climate goals consistent with keeping the 1.5 degrees Celsius global warming threshold within reach.

National Climate Task Force Membership

SENIOR ADVISOR FOR CLEAN ENERGY INNOVATION AND IMPLEMENTATION JOHN PODESTA   (CHAIR)

NATIONAL CLIMATE ADVISOR ALI ZAIDI (VICE   CHAIR)

Secretary of the Treasury Janet   Yellen

Secretary of Defense Lloyd   Austin

Attorney General Merrick   Garland

Secretary of the Interior Deb   Haaland

Secretary of Agriculture Tom   Vilsack

Secretary of Commerce Gina   Raimondo

Secretary of Education Miguel   Cardona

Acting Secretary of Labor Julie   Su

Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier   Becerra

ACTING SECRETARY OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT Adrianne Todman

Secretary of Transportation Pete   Buttigieg

Secretary of Energy Jennifer M.   Granholm

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro   Mayorkas

Administrator of General Services Robin   Carnahan

Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality Brenda   Mallory

Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency Michael   Regan

Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Bill   Nelson

ADMINISTRATOR OF THE SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION ISABELLA CASILLAS   GUZMAN

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF AMERICORPS MICHAEL D.   SMITH

Director of the Office of Management and Budget Shalanda   Young

Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy Arati   Prabhakar

Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John   Kerry

Domestic Policy Advisor Neera   Tanden

National Security Advisor Jake   Sullivan

Homeland Security Advisor Liz Sherwood-Randall

National Economic Council Director Lael   Brainard

Read more about how the White House Office of Domestic Climate Policy coordinates an all-of-government approach to tackling the climate crisis.

Stay Connected

We'll be in touch with the latest information on how President Biden and his administration are working for the American people, as well as ways you can get involved and help our country build back better.

Opt in to send and receive text messages from President Biden.

• Share full article

Advertisement

Supported by

Biden’s Climate Task Force Opens for Business, Aiming to Restore ‘Credibility’

The high-level group’s first meeting focused on job creation and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

By Lisa Friedman

WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris and White House aides convened cabinet secretaries and the acting heads of 21 federal agencies on Thursday to begin fulfilling President Biden’s promise to mobilize the entire federal government to confront climate change.

Gina McCarthy, who heads the White House office of climate policy, said Thursday’s meeting focused on job-creation as well as ensuring that agency leaders understood their role in helping to set an aggressive new target for cutting the United States’ share of global emissions. The Biden administration wants to announce those goals on April 22.

“Over the past four years we have not earned a lot of credibility on climate,” Ms. McCarthy, who led Thursday’s meeting, said in an interview, adding, “It’s time we turn that around.”

The National Climate Task Force, which Mr. Biden created as part of a series of executive actions during his first week in office, is meant to meet regularly to chart progress on a series of administration goals including eliminating fossil fuel emissions from the electricity sector by 2035; transitioning federal, state and local government fleets to zero-emissions vehicles; and increasing conservation while also increasing renewable energy production on public land and waters.

Mr. Biden campaigned on a pledge to reach net-zero emissions across the economy before 2050, and to eliminate fossil fuel pollution from the electricity sector by 2035.

Mr. Biden has made the case that tackling climate change by focusing on building clean energy infrastructure will bring economic recovery and create “millions” of new jobs — a goal economists said faces serious challenges .

At Thursday’s meeting the task force started a new working group to focus on specific challenges, such as creating energy storage at a fraction of the current cost and developing sustainable fuels for aircraft and ships. The administration announced $280 million in combined Energy and Transportation Department grant opportunities for technology development.

The talks took place via Zoom among about 50 people, including Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, as well as deputies for agencies still waiting for the Senate to confirm their leaders, such as the Environmental Protection Agency and the Interior Department.

Ali A. Zaidi, the White House deputy national climate adviser, said the goal was a “redefinition of the way government can operate in the face of great crises,” like climate change.

Former Secretary of State John Kerry, now Mr. Biden’s global envoy for climate change , spoke to the task force about the upcoming international negotiations in which the United States, which once again is part of the Paris Agreement, will take part.

The Obama administration pledged to cut America’s emissions up to 28 percent below 2005 levels by 2025. Former President Donald J. Trump withdrew from the Paris accord and ended all federal efforts to try to meet that target, leaving the country about halfway to the goal. Mr. Biden will be expected to put forward an even more aggressive goal that he believes the nation can meet by 2030.

The administration intends to announce that new emissions target at a global leaders’ climate summit that it will host on April 22.

“We’re going to look at every opportunity we have to capture the reductions we can defend,” Ms. McCarthy said.

Lisa Friedman reports on federal climate and environmental policy from Washington. She has broken multiple stories about the Trump administration’s efforts to repeal climate change regulations and limit the use of science in policymaking. More about Lisa Friedman

Suggested Searches

• Climate Change
• Expedition 64
• Mars perseverance
• SpaceX Crew-2
• International Space Station
• View All Topics A-Z

Humans in Space

Earth & climate, the solar system, the universe, aeronautics, learning resources, news & events.

NASA Tests Technology, Practices Artemis Moonwalks in Arizona Desert

Mission Manager Update: VIPER Rover Approved to Move into Environmental Testing!

How ‘Glowing’ Plants Could Help Scientists Predict Flash Drought

• Search All NASA Missions
• A to Z List of Missions
• Upcoming Launches and Landings
• Spaceships and Rockets
• Communicating with Missions
• James Webb Space Telescope
• Hubble Space Telescope
• Why Go to Space
• Astronauts Home
• Commercial Space
• Destinations
• Living in Space
• Explore Earth Science
• Earth, Our Planet
• Earth Science in Action
• Earth Multimedia
• Earth Science Researchers
• Pluto & Dwarf Planets
• Asteroids, Comets & Meteors
• The Kuiper Belt
• The Oort Cloud
• Skywatching
• The Search for Life in the Universe
• Black Holes
• The Big Bang
• Dark Energy & Dark Matter
• Earth Science
• Planetary Science
• Astrophysics & Space Science
• The Sun & Heliophysics
• Biological & Physical Sciences
• Lunar Science
• Citizen Science
• Astromaterials
• Aeronautics Research
• Human Space Travel Research
• Science in the Air
• NASA Aircraft
• Flight Innovation
• Supersonic Flight
• Air Traffic Solutions
• Green Aviation Tech
• Drones & You
• Technology Transfer & Spinoffs
• Space Travel Technology
• Technology Living in Space
• Manufacturing and Materials
• Science Instruments
• For Kids and Students
• For Educators
• For Colleges and Universities
• For Professionals
• Science for Everyone
• Requests for Exhibits, Artifacts, or Speakers
• STEM Engagement at NASA
• NASA's Impacts
• Centers and Facilities
• Directorates
• Organizations
• People of NASA
• Internships
• Our History
• Doing Business with NASA
• Get Involved
• Aeronáutica
• Ciencias Terrestres
• Sistema Solar
• All NASA News
• Video Series on NASA+
• Newsletters
• Social Media
• Media Resources
• Upcoming Launches & Landings
• Virtual Events
• Sounds and Ringtones
• Interactives
• STEM Multimedia

5 Things to Know About NASA’s Tiny Twin Polar Satellites

NASA’s X-59 Passes Milestone Toward Safe First Flight 

NASA’s Juno Provides High-Definition Views of Europa’s Icy Shell

Eleasa Kim: Pioneering CLDP Payload Operations and Cultural Integration

Station Science 101 | Research in Microgravity: Higher, Faster, Longer

NASA Teammates Recall Favorite Memories Aboard Flying Laboratory

The Next Full Moon is the Flower, Corn, or Corn Planting Moon

Binoculars: A Great First Telescope

Discovery Alert: An Earth-sized World and Its Ultra-cool Star

Hubble Views the Dawn of a Sun-like Star 

The Big Event, 2024

Meet NASA Women Behind World’s Largest Flying Laboratory

Tech Today: A NASA-Inspired Bike Helmet with Aerodynamics of a Jet  

Tech Today: NASA’s Ion Thruster Knowhow Keeps Satellites Flying

NASA Selects Commercial Service Studies to Enable Mars Robotic Science

NASA Challenge Gives Artemis Generation Coders a Chance to Shine

Diez maneras en que los estudiantes pueden prepararse para ser astronautas

Astronauta de la NASA Marcos Berríos

Resultados científicos revolucionarios en la estación espacial de 2023

Nasa joins white house national climate task force.

As a leading agency observing and understanding environmental changes to Earth, NASA has joined the National Climate Task Force. President Joe Biden issued an executive order Jan. 27, which initially outlined details of the task force.

The administration’s climate agenda outlines putting climate at the center of the country’s foreign policy and national security and encourages a governmentwide approach to climate change.

From the launch of the first weather satellite in 1960, the Television and Infrared Observation Satellite ( TIROS-1 ), NASA has used the vantage of space to study Earth. It remains the only space agency in the world providing end-to-end research on the Blue Planet to analyze and understand the processes involved.  

“Climate change is one of the most pressing issues facing us today,” said Gavin Schmidt, acting NASA senior climate advisor and director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York. “Given our unique ability to observe the planet from space and the long-term data records we’ve been able to assemble, NASA is in a prime position to inform policy decisions in the current administration and beyond.”

Working together with our government partners, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the United States Geological Survey, NASA is responsible for building the country’s Earth-observing assets in civil space. More than two dozen NASA satellites measure the height of oceans and inland waters, clouds and precipitation, soil moisture, carbon dioxide, and more. The data collected helps to improve weather forecasts, inform farming practices, and helps decisionmakers at all levels of government and the private sector.  

Beyond Earth-observing satellites, NASA is developing predictive modeling technologies to examine policy-specific scenarios and conducting research that contributes to governmentwide sustainability efforts and understanding of climate change. To reduce the environmental impacts of aviation, NASA is conducting research for energy efficient aircraft that employ technologies such as lightweight structures, transformative aerodynamics, and hybrid-electric propulsion.  

Through its long-term observations of Earth, providing insight into how the planet is changing, efforts to contribute to sustainable aviation and nurturing partnerships with the private sector, NASA already is poised to help the task force address the most pressing climate change issues today.

For more information about NASA, its missions, and agency programs, visit:

Jackie McGuinness Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1600 [email protected]

News | March 23, 2021

Nasa joins white house national climate task force.

The "Blue Marble". Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

As a leading agency observing and understanding environmental changes on Earth, NASA has joined the National Climate Task Force. President Joe Biden issued an executive order Jan. 27, which initially outlined details of the task force.

The administration’s climate agenda outlines putting climate at the center of the country’s foreign policy and national security and encourages a governmentwide approach to climate change.

From the launch of the first weather satellite in 1960, the Television and Infrared Observation Satellite ( TIROS-1 ), NASA has used the vantage of space to study Earth. It remains the only space agency in the world providing end-to-end research on the Blue Planet to analyze and understand the processes involved.

“Climate change is one of the most pressing issues facing us today,” said Gavin Schmidt, acting NASA senior climate advisor and director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York. “Given our unique ability to observe the planet from space and the long-term data records we've been able to assemble, NASA is in a prime position to inform policy decisions in the current administration and beyond."

Get NASA's Climate Change News: Subscribe to the Newsletter »

Working together with our government partners, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the United States Geological Survey, NASA is responsible for building the country’s Earth-observing assets in civil space. More than two dozen NASA satellites measure the height of oceans and inland waters, clouds and precipitation, soil moisture, carbon dioxide, and more. The data collected helps to improve weather forecasts, inform farming practices, and helps decision makers at all levels of government and the private sector.

Beyond Earth-observing satellites, NASA is developing predictive modeling technologies to examine policy-specific scenarios and conducting research that contributes to governmentwide sustainability efforts and understanding of climate change. To reduce the environmental impacts of aviation, NASA is conducting research for energy efficient aircraft that employ technologies such as lightweight structures, transformative aerodynamics, and hybrid-electric propulsion.

Through its long-term observations of Earth, providing insight into how the planet is changing, efforts to contribute to sustainable aviation and nurturing partnerships with the private sector, NASA already is poised to help the task force address the most pressing climate change issues today.

For more information about NASA, its missions, and agency programs, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov

News Media Contact

Jackie McGuinness Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1600 [email protected]

Related Stories

What developments are we watching, and what do they mean for the 2024 election?

Lessons from the 2022 general election: how to prevent election crises, and emerging issues for 2023, 2024, and beyond, the national task force on election crises recommends the following actions to prevent and/or better prepare for future election crises:, election administration and security.

• Sustain and expand crisis-tested voting options, including early voting and mail-in voting
• Ensure sufficient funding for election administration including equipment, supplies, security, personnel retention, and educating voters about election mechanics
• Better protect voters, election workers and officials from threats of violence and intimidation
• Community leaders and stakeholders should engage with law enforcement and local elected leaders throughout the voting period, to develop plans for protecting public safety and the right to vote in ways best suited to the needs of the community, including communities of color
• Continue efforts to prevent cyber or other attacks by foreign adversaries or domestic disrupters
• Recruit poll workers on an ongoing basis, reflecting the full diversity of communities
• Where possible, speed up processes for determining results, including legislation or other necessary measures to allow for expanded pre-canvassing of absentee ballots
• Review deadlines to request and return mail ballots for possible clarification or improvements to ensure they are consistent with postal delivery standards and local election rules, and will be counted
• Continue best practices of transparency and trust-building
• Require paper ballots that voters can review before submitting to ensure trust and facilitate appropriate audits
• Decline attempts to expand electronic ballot return, inappropriate hand-counting, and other insecure or inaccurate practices

Legal Forms

• States should examine election emergency statutes and where appropriate make updates to provide more predictable and depoliticized means of election modification for emergency situations, and where necessary to conform with the Electoral Count Reform Act
• States should improve statutory protections for election officials and their families
• Hold candidates and their attorneys accountable for knowingly pursuing bad-faith or frivolous legal challenges; continue to pursue accountability for those who committed criminal acts on and leading up to January 6th

Social media platforms & news media

• Downgrade or delete rather than label election-related disinformation, and speed up processes for labeling/removing posts
• Hand-pick or remove trending lists and up-next recommendations for election-related content
• Continued media transparency and responsibility in projections
• Invest in coverage of election issues in 2023 county and local races

Civil Society

• Business, faith, labor, and cultural leaders must stay engaged in supporting free and fair elections, especially at the local and county levels
• Increase investments in work to prevent political violence, including through projects to research and defuse intense polarization that can lead to violence
• Increase investments to identify the best methods to inoculate against disinformation about voting options and the validity of election results
• Civil society must still prepare for the worst, closely follow potential threats, and be ready to speak out and act if an election crisis emerges

Though some of these recommendations stem from the specific experience of the 2022 election as well as emerging issues, other recommendations (e.g. election funding) reflect responses to systemic vulnerabilities in our election systems. It should also be noted that many individual Task Force members and organizations endorse a wide range of additional actions to improve elections in the United States beyond those enumerated here for a variety of considerations, including to advance voting rights and nonpartisan election administration, as well as to improve election operations and election security. This list is scoped to constitute the consensus recommendations of Task Force members for the specific purpose of preventing and preparing for future election crises.

The mission of protecting free and fair elections transcends party and ideology.

Free and fair elections are the cornerstone of our democracy. The National Task Force on Election Crises is a cross-partisan collection of more than 50 experts dedicated to ensuring free and fair elections by recommending responses to a range of potential election crises. The only electoral outcome this group advocates is that elections are free and fair.

Latest Resources

Mar 8, 2024

Mar 4, 2024

Feb 26, 2024

Recommendations

Public comments and nominations, about the uspstf.

Screening for Breast Cancer

Announcements

Prevention taskforce tools.

Contact ODNI

The ODNI Office of Strategic Communications is responsible for managing all inquiries and correspondence from the public and the media. Before contacting ODNI, please review www.dni.gov to see if we have already posted the information you need.

Contact ODNI by Postal Mail

Please send your questions, comments, or suggestions to:

Office of the Director of National Intelligence

Office of Strategic Communications

Washington, D.C. 20511

By Fax: 703-275-1225

Send Correspondence to the Director of National Intelligence

Please send correspondence to:

The Honorable Avril Haines

Director of National Intelligence

Employment Verification

Need to verify an employee’s employment? Contact ODNI Human Resources

If you are a mortgage company, creditor, or potential employer, you may submit your request by fax or mail to ODNI.

ODNI does not provide verbal responses, nor itemize pay by overtime, bonuses, and awards. ODNI will not provide pay information that includes employer information.

Request by Fax: Please send employment verification requests to 703-275-1217

Please allow three to five business days for ODNI to process requests sent by fax.

If you prefer to mail an employment verification request please send to:

Human Resource Management

Please allow ten business days for ODNI to process requests by mail.

The Intelligence Community Inspector General

In accordance with Title 50 U.S.C.A. Section 3033, the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community (IC IG) conducts independent and objective audits, investigations, inspections, and reviews to promote economy, efficiency, effectiveness, and integration across the Intelligence Community.

Questions or comments about oversight of the Intelligence Community? Contact the Office of the Intelligence Community Inspector General .

Privacy and Civil Liberties

The Office of Civil Liberties, Privacy and Transparency (CLPT) leads the integration of civil liberties and privacy protections into the policies, procedures, programs and activities of the Intelligence Community (IC). Its overarching goal is to ensure that the IC operates within the full scope of its authorities in a manner that protects civil liberties and privacy, provides appropriate transparency, and earns and retains the trust of the American people.

To report a potential civil liberties and privacy violation or file a complaint, please review the requirements at the CLPT homepage .

Equal Employment Opportunity Complaints

The Intelligence Community Equal Employment Opportunity and Diversity (EEOD) Office is responsible for the overall management of the ODNI EEO and Diversity Program, and provides IC-wide oversight and guidance in developing, implementing, and measuring progress in EEO, diversity, and inclusion.

The IC EEOD Office is committed to providing equal employment opportunity for all employees and applicants based on merit and without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, and physical or mental disability.

Applicants or employees who believe they have been discriminated against on the bases of race, color, religion, sex/gender (sexual orientation and gender identity), national origin, age, disability, genetic information (including family medical history) and/or reprisal for prior participation in the EEO process may raise their concerns to the IC EEOD Office .

Prepublication Classification Review

If you have worked for the ODNI in a staff or contract capacity and are intending to share intelligence-related information with the public through social media posts, books or television and film productions, you will need to submit the materials for approval.

For guidance and instructions, please email ODNI Prepublication Review at [email protected] .

Freedom of Information Act Requests

The goal of the ODNI Freedom of Information Act / Privacy Act Office is to keep the public better informed about the agency’s efforts and to ensure U.S. security through the release of as much information as possible, consistent with the need to protect classified or sensitive information under the exemption provisions of these laws.

FOIA Resources

Careers and Employment

The Intelligence Community provides dynamic careers to talented professionals in almost every career category . The ODNI is a senior-level agency that provides oversight to the Intelligence Community. ODNI is primarily a staff organization that employs subject-matter experts in the areas of collection, analysis, acquisition, policy, human resources, and management.

• Career Opportunities
• Student Opportunities

Conducting Research with the Intelligence Community

Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity tackles some of the most difficult challenges across the intelligence agencies and disciplines, and results from its programs are expected to transition to its IC customers. IARPA does not have an operational mission and does not deploy technologies directly to the field.

If you would like to learn more about engaging with IARPA on their highly innovative work that is already positively impacting the U.S. Intelligence Community and society in general, please follow the link below.

Working with IARPA

Latest Updates from the ODNI

Track the latest developments and stories of interest from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence:

You are leaving our Website

You have selected to open

If you would like to not see this alert again, please click the "Do not show me this again" check box below

• Organization
• Mission, Vision & Values

Related Links

Related content.

• Operating Status
• Coronavirus Disease Guidance
• What is Intelligence?
• Members of the IC
• IC Policies & Directives
• IC Assessments & Reports
• IC Technical Specs
• FOIA Reading Room
• Transparency
• Objectivity
• Accountability
• Collaboration
• Special Programs
• Careers Features
• Reports & Publications
• Press Releases
• Speeches & Interviews
• Congressional Testimonies
• News Articles
• NCTC Newsroom
• NCSC Newsroom
• NCBC Newsroom
• CTIIC Newsroom
• FMIC Newsroom
• Seals & Graphics
• Principles of Artificial Intelligence Ethics for the IC
• 53 HPSCI Transcripts
• Private Sector Engagement
• National Strategy for Counterterrorism
• The AIM Initiative
• Declassified Tet Offensive Documents
• ICIG Semiannual Report Apr-Sept 2018
• Introducing IC Whistleblowing
• See More Features

Office of the Director of   National Intelligence

• How We Work

National Insider Threat Task Force (NITTF) Mission

• " onclick="window.open(this.href,'win2','status=no,toolbar=no,scrollbars=yes,titlebar=no,menubar=no,resizable=yes,width=640,height=480,directories=no,location=no'); return false;" rel="nofollow"> Print

The primary mission of the NITTF is to develop a Government-wide insider threat program for deterring, detecting, and mitigating insider threats, including the safeguarding of classified information from exploitation, compromise, or other unauthorized disclosure , taking into account risk levels, as well as the distinct needs, missions, and systems of individual agencies.

Establishment of NITTF

In October 2011, the president issued Executive Order (E.O.) 13587 (PDF) establishing the [National] Insider Threat Task Force (NITTF) under joint leadership of the Attorney General and the Director of National Intelligence. The president directed federal departments and agencies with access to classified information to establish insider threat detection and prevention programs, and the NITTF to assist agencies in developing and implementing these programs. In November 2012, following an extensive interagency coordination and vetting process, the president issued the National Insider Threat Policy and the Minimum Standards (PDF) via a Presidential Memorandum.

NITTF Announcements:

• October 2023 Enterprise Risk Mitigation Blueprint for Non-Intelligence Agencies
• NCSC and Federal Partners Focus on “Bystander Engagement” During National Insider Threat Awareness Month 2023
• 2023 Insider Threat Hub Operations Training
• NCSC and Federal Partners Focus on Countering Risk in Digital Spaces during National Insider Threat Awareness Month 2022
• Social Media And Insider Threat Risk, NITAM 2022 Bulletin 1
• Critical Thinking And Reducing Insider Threat Risk, NITAM 2022 Bulletin 2
• Critical Thinking As An Antidote to Misinformation and Influence Efforts, NITAM 2022 Bulletin 3
• Critical Thinking As An Antidote to Election Season Misinformation and Influence Efforts, NITAM 2022 Bulletin 4
• Understanding Why We Are So Susceptible to Mis/Disinformation, NITAM 2022 Bulletin 5
• NITTF whitepaper on State of Insider Threat Programs: Trends from Annual Reports, 2018-2020. Note, this product is only available to our US government partners. US government partners can contact the NITTF Client Engagement Group for a copy
• NCSC and Federal Partners Kick Off "National Insider Threat Awareness Month” 2021
• NITTF collaborated with CDSE to produce the Insider Risk Implementation Guide for the Food and Agriculture Sector .
• The Acting Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center has issued his letter of endorsement for the third annual National Insider Threat Awareness Month in September 2021. Please join us during September to emphasize the importance of safeguarding our nation by detecting, deterring, and mitigating insider threats. If you would like to increase awareness in your workforce, visit our partner the Center for Development of Security Excellence , to learn more about the serious risks posed by insider threats and how to recognize and report anomalous/threatening activities to enable early intervention.
• The National Counterintelligence and Security Center released Insider Threat Mitigation for U.S. Critical Infrastructure Entities: Guidelines from an Intelligence Perspective in March 2021. The publication is designed to raise awareness of insider threats to critical infrastructure organizations, provide information on how to incorporate this threat vector into organizational risk management, and offer best practices on how to mitigate insider threats.
• The National Threat Task Force (NITTF) released the Insider Threat Program Maturity Framework on November 1, 2018. The Framework is an aid for advancing federal agencies’ programs beyond the Minimum Standards, and builds upon best practices found in the 2017 NITTF Insider Threat Guide . The goal is to help programs become more proactive, comprehensive, and better postured to deter, detect, and mitigate insider threat risk.
• NITTF has developed technical bulletins to provide additional information to the insider threat community on technical topics existing within the Insider Threat community. Please review the NITTF Technical Page to view these bulletins.
• NITTF has added additional resources to the NITTF Resource Library in the Additional Insider Threat Resources section (formerly known as Briefings to the Insider Threat Community section). Please take some time to review these resources provided by members of the Insider Threat Community.

NITTF Products and Resources:

Provided below are some resources NITTF has available to the Inside Threat Community. To view additional resources please view our NITTF Resources Library .

NCSC Awareness Materials

Your Personal Information: Protecting it from Exploitation

National Counterintelligence Strategy for the United States

National Insider Threat Task Force Fact Sheet

NCSC Strategic Plan

Enterprise Threat Mitigation Newsletters and Events

• Cyber Training Series
• Federal Partners Outreach
• Travel Tips
• Roles & Responsibilities
• Security vs Suitability
• Current Status
• Accomplishments
• Checklist of Exceptions
• Reciprocity Policy
• Reciprocity Examples
• Continuous Evaluation
• Executive Orders
• Security vs. Suitability
• Security & Suitability Reform Effort
• Approach to Reform
• SEAD 3 Toolkit
• Instructor-Led Course Descriptions
• Instructor-Led Course Schedule
• Course Resource Pages
• CI & Security Governance / Regulations

National Counterintelligence and Security Center

• Contact NCSC
• Regulations
• CI References

An official website of the United States government

Here’s how you know

Official websites use .gov

A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS

A lock ( Lock A locked padlock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. .

Heritage Emergency National Task Force (HENTF)

Emergency Managers

Arts and Culture Organizations

General Public

Additional Resources

The Heritage Emergency National Task Force, co-sponsored by FEMA and the Smithsonian Institution, strives to protect cultural and historic resources in our nation’s states, tribes, territories and local communities from the damaging effects of disasters. In addition to assisting museums and other cultural institutions when their collections are damaged by an event, HENTF helps reduce disaster suffering by assisting the public in salvaging flood-damaged family heirlooms.

HENTF leverages the expertise of its membership of more than 60 culture- and emergency management–related national service organizations and federal agencies to help FEMA and its federal partners connect with and assist cultural institutions and arts organizations at the local level.

Support for Emergency Managers

Technical assistance.

HENTF is a supporting organization of both Emergency Support Function (ESF) #11 of the National Response Framework and the Natural & Cultural Resources Recovery Support Function (NCR RSF) of the National Disaster Recovery Framework. Under both frameworks, HENTF works closely with the Department of the Interior to provide technical assistance, guidance and resources to cultural stewards, first responders and emergency managers to address disaster-related impacts on cultural and historic resources.

Heritage Emergency and Response Training (HEART) is HENTF’s annual training to improve disaster response at the institutional level. Hosted by the Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative , this week-long training prepares U.S. emergency managers and cultural stewards to work together to gain the skills and hands-on experience needed to protect, evacuate and salvage collections.

Review the HEART Evacuation Exercise

Support for Arts and Culture Organizations

Collaboration with public assistance.

HENTF delivers technical assistance and guidance to private nonprofit (PNP) cultural institutions and arts organizations by drawing on the diverse expertise of its members . HENTF also supports arts and culture PNPs by directing them to FEMA’s Public Assistance (PA) Grant Program . When a major disaster is declared, HENTF facilitates outreach and initiates a chain of communications to share response and recovery resources. It solicits reports of damage and unmet needs from affected arts and culture institutions and helps them navigate the PA process by providing guidance in collaboration with FEMA and state PA officers. HENTF keeps PA informed about the extent and severity of damage to the arts and culture sector and helps disseminate PA information and updates to local stakeholders to help them move forward on the path to recovery.

Collecting institutions such as museums, libraries, archives, and cultural centers hold the collective history of our communities, our states, our territories, our tribes, and our nation. HENTF provides response training to cultural stewards who care for these collections so they are prepared when an emergency occurs. See Heritage Emergency and Response Training (HEART) above under Support for Emergency Managers.

Support for the General Public

The losses that result from disasters are usually counted in dollars. But following a disaster, the losses with the most sentimental value for disaster survivors are often irreplaceable family heirlooms – photographs, a wedding video, an antique quilt, Grandma’s recipe cards. In the aftermath of a disaster, these treasured keepsakes may be salvaged instead of reluctantly discarded.

In the wake of a disaster, in collaboration with the Disaster Recovery Centers (DRC) Unit of Individual Assistance and the Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative, trained Environmental and Historic Preservation cadre members and preservation experts from the Smithsonian Institution and other federal agencies deploy to DRCs to conduct HENTF’s Save Your Family Treasures Program. At the DRCs, preservation experts demonstrate how to safely handle, dry and clean damaged photographs, books, documents, textiles and other keepsakes. 

Affected by a disaster? Learn more about saving your family treasures.

Since 1995, the Heritage Emergency National Task Force has been providing individuals and the cultural community – museums, libraries, archives, arts organizations, records offices and more – with guidance and technical assistance before, during and after disasters.

A wealth of resources exists on the Task Force website, including:

• Resources for the Public and Historic Property Owners
• Response and Recovery Resources
• About the Heritage Emergency National Task Force

For more information about protecting cultural heritage threatened or affected by disasters — in the United States and abroad — visit the website of our partner, the  Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative .

An official website of the United States government

Here’s how you know

Official websites use .gov A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS A lock ( Lock A locked padlock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Biden-Harris Administration Announces Maternal Mental Health Task Force’s National Strategy to Improve Maternal Mental Health Care Amid Urgent Public Health Crisis

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the release of a national strategy today, with recommendations developed by the Task Force on Maternal Mental Health , a subcommittee of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Advisory Committee for Women’s Services, to address the urgent public health crisis of maternal mental health and substance use issues. The Report to Congress and accompanying National Strategy to Improve Maternal Mental Health Care are part of broader federal efforts to address women’s overall health, and maternal health in particular, across the nation, consistent with the White House Blueprint for Addressing the Maternal Health Crisis and the White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research .

The United States has the highest maternal mortality rate among high-income countries. Deaths from suicide, drug overdoses, and other causes related to mental health and substance use issues are the leading cause of pregnancy-related deaths in the U.S., accounting for more than 22% of those deaths. An estimated one in five individuals are impacted by mental health conditions – including mood disorders, anxiety disorders, trauma-related disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and postpartum psychosis – and substance use disorders (SUD) during pregnancy and the postpartum period and disproportionately affect Black and American Indian/Alaska Native individuals and others in under-resourced communities.

“Addressing the maternal mental health crisis is a top priority for the Biden-Harris Administration. Many of these tragic deaths can be prevented by eliminating health disparities and understanding the impact of mental health during pregnancy and in the first months as a parent,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “We want to address the challenges people are facing, decrease stigma associated with these challenges, and improve access to support both inside and outside of the health care system. I want to thank the task force for developing recommendations on how we can work to expand access to equitable treatment that will improve outcomes and help families thrive.”

“At HHS we are working every day to transform behavioral health. This critically includes providing support for maternal mental health,” said HHS Deputy Secretary Andrea Palm. “This report, and the accompanying National Strategy, will further our efforts to improve access to care – including the integration of perinatal behavioral health care across our health and social systems.”

The Task Force on Maternal Mental Health is co-chaired by Admiral Rachel Levine , M.D., HHS Assistant Secretary for Health, which oversees the Office on Women’s Health, and Miriam E. Delphin-Rittmon , Ph.D., HHS Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use and the leader of HHS’s SAMHSA.  

The task force is a subcommittee of the Advisory Committee for Women's Services which is a federal advisory committee made up of more than 100 federal and nonfederal members, including experts in obstetrics and gynecology, maternal and child health, clinical and research, psychiatry, psychology, counseling, gender-based violence, strategic policy, community behavioral health, federal-community partnerships and those with lived experience.

“This announcement is the result of the Task Force on Maternal Mental Health’s efforts to support ways to address the nation’s maternal mental health crisis,” said Admiral Rachel Levine, Assistant Secretary for Health. “The effort this task force put forth in developing comprehensive recommendations on ways to address the maternal mental health crisis is important towards informing HHS’ strategy moving forward. We look forward to reviewing the recommendations proposed in National Strategy to Improve Maternal Mental Health Care to improve maternal mental health outcomes.”

“Untreated maternal mental health and substance use conditions can have negative and long-lasting effects on individuals and families; in the worst cases, these issues result in needless deaths,” said Assistant Secretary Delphin-Rittmon. “Many of these deaths are preventable, and we are grateful for the task force’s recommendations included in this National Strategy to address these critical challenges.” 

In the national strategy, the task force vision calls for a seamless integration of perinatal mental health and substance use care across medical, community, and social systems that increases equity and access, improves federal coordination, and elevates culturally relevant supports and trauma-informed approaches.

Building upon existing federal government efforts, the task force outlines a path to achieve the vision in the national strategy within a framework of five core pillars, each with supporting priorities and recommendations.

The five pillars of the national strategy focus on: building a national infrastructure that prioritizes perinatal mental health and well-being, with a focus on reducing disparities; making care and services accessible, affordable, and equitable; using data and research to improve outcomes and accountability; promoting prevention and engaging, educating, and partnering with communities; and lifting up the voices of people with lived experience.

The national strategy is a living document that will be regularly updated by the task force. The federal government will consider the strategy as it continues addressing the maternal mental health crisis.

The National Maternal Mental Health Hotline provides free, confidential, 24/7 mental health support for moms and their families before, during, and after pregnancy. Counselors are available in English and Spanish, and interpreters are available to support callers in 60 other languages. Call or text 1-833-TLC-MAMA (1-833-852-6262).

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.

To learn how to get support for mental health, drug, and alcohol issues, visit FindSupport.gov. Anyone seeking treatment for mental health or substance use issues should call SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 800-662-HELP (4357) or visit findtreatment.samhsa.gov.

Reporters with questions should send inquiries to [email protected] .

Sign Up for Email Updates

Receive the latest updates from the Secretary, Blogs, and News Releases

Subscribe to RSS

Receive latest updates

Related News Releases

Biden-harris administration finalizes rule expanding public agencies ability to fund legal representation on behalf of families involved in child welfare, biden-harris administration finalizes rule to strengthen protections for youth in the child welfare system, icymi: readout of deputy assistant secretary for population affairs visit to st. louis, mo, related blog posts.

Newborn Supply Kit Shows Promising Early Results

HHS Announces $350,000 for Innovative, Community-Led Solutions to Promote Resilience in Children and Youth

How We Co-Designed the Newborn Supply Kit with Mothers

Media inquiries.

For general media inquiries, please contact  [email protected] .

Our websites may use cookies to personalize and enhance your experience. By continuing without changing your cookie settings, you agree to this collection. For more information, please see our University Websites Privacy Notice .

UConn Today

• School and College News
• Arts & Culture
• Community Impact
• Entrepreneurship
• Health & Well-Being
• Research & Discovery
• UConn Health
• University Life
• UConn Voices
• University News

May 15, 2024 | Courtney Chandler - UConn Health

Tackling the Future of Oral Health and Education

Dr. Sophia Saeed has been appointed to a national task force addressing challenges facing dental education and patient care delivery

Dr. Sophia Saeed is the associate dean for clinical affairs at the UConn School of Dental Medicine (Tina Encarnacion/UConn Health photo)

Dr. Sophia Saeed, associate dean for clinical affairs at the School of Dental Medicine, has big ideas on how to change the future of dental education and patient care.

Saeed, along with a group of deans and faculty members from dental schools across the country, has been appointed to tackle issues facing dental education and patient care on the American Dental Education Association’s (ADEA) Envisioning and Transforming the Future of Oral Health & Education task force.

The task force is a culmination of the ADEA thought leader’s assembly titled “Imagining Oral Health Education for a Connected World” that convened last fall. The thought assembly, along  with a nationwide climate study of dental education, landmark reports, presentations, and initiatives led by ADEA, have all influenced the development of the task force.

“ADEA for the past few years has been working on figuring out how to gather the data necessary to drive the change we know we need in dental education,” Saeed says.

According to ADEA, the task force is aiming to develop a shared vision for ideal oral health that involves its essential integration with overall health, while considering constant expansion of knowledge and expertise and emphasizing optimized access and public/patient health and wellness as the ultimate priority.

“The purpose that dental education exists is to provide better care for patients, so we really have to put the patient at the center of it,” Saeed adds. “We have to look at the data, we have to see where we have moved the needle the past couple of decades, and where we have not.”

The data tells a very complicated story. ADEA reports show the challenges that some dental schools are facing, including with succession planning, leadership development, and belonging and inclusion with students and faculty. For national trend data, there has been progress made with children’s oral health care—with an increase in preventive care, and overall, less disease burden. For adults, it’s a different story. The number of adults and older adults with cavities or missing teeth remains high.

Technological advances are on the rise, with digital dentistry and new cutting-edge treatments becoming popular, however access to these technologies varies. In addition to barriers to treatments, lack of access to prevention, nutrition counseling and healthy foods continue to pose issues for underserved communities. The gap between high income and low-income individuals continues to grow.

Another hurdle is the cost of dental school. Across the country, the cost of dental education continues to increase, with many students graduating with an considerable amount of debt. While educational debt has been increasing, third-party reimbursements for services has been decreasing steadily.

“We have a lot of great ideas for what care should look like. We want to see a reduced burden of disease, and to do that we have to see what has to change in the oral health care delivery system, and what has to change in the education of the folks that are joining that workforce” says Saeed.

Saeed is hopeful that the task force—made up of sharp, forward-thinking leaders in academic dentistry—will start to move the needle in the right direction.  The task force will continue to meet through 2024 with the goal of a full report of recommendations at the 2025 ADEA Annual Session.

“We need a high level of disruption to really reimagine what the care delivery model looks like to better meet patient’s needs. And that requires we get out of the box that we’ve been in for decades.”

Recent Articles

May 15, 2024

UConn School of Nursing’s Dr. Tiffany Kelley awarded the 2024 Excellence and Innovation in Teaching Award

Read the article

Neag School Alumna Recognized as a Knowles Teaching Fellow

Curse Conquered: UConn Alum Pays It Forward with Advice, Connection, Community

National Action Task Force

Gold is good in its place; but loving, brave, patriotic men are better than gold.

Abraham Lincoln

Mission statement.

The National Action Task Force - NATF is a national grassroots network of freedom-loving Americans who are intent on learning about freedom solutions and the constitutional guarantees to individual liberty.  We provide the people with the tools and know-how to reclaim their authority as the source and purpose of all law in order to achieve liberty and prosperity with the exercise and use of our God-given rights and blessings.

The Four Foundational Pillars of the NATF

Self Governance & Implementing the law

Accountability for our Public Servants  

Personal Independence

Natf collaborates with some of the most active and successful organizations each with their own area of expertise. members have access to a long list of groups who are very active in a wide variety of subject matter. together, we have strength .

If ever a time should come when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in government, our country will be in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin.

Samuel Adams

Knowledge will forever govern ignorance, and a people who mean to be their own governors, must arm themselves with the power knowledge gives.

James Madison

Why N.A.T.F.?

The N.A.T.F. solves several fundamental problems which have prevented almost all conservative/Patriot groups from having any notable success.  The current situation is this - 

The Patriot groups are; 

...splintered and scattered.  We are working to bring people together.

...they have little to no political clout on their own.  Working together we win!  

...they have little funding to speak of.  We can help.

...they are not unified to create a presence of solidarity and a single message under a single banner.  NATF can solve that.

...often operate on patriot myths and unfounded theory and get no traction.  Education solves this.

...for these reasons they are easy to ignore and disregard and even attack and pick off one at a time with little to no consequence.  We need to employ Einstein's theory of relativity:  for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction!

HHS Task Force Launches Roadmap for Improving Maternal Mental Health

O ne in five women experience mental health and substance use problems during pregnancy and the postpartum period, a member of the Task Force on Maternal Mental Health, said during a briefing hosted by HHS on Tuesday to mark the launch of the National Strategy to Improve Maternal Mental Health Care.

Sharing her own story, Nicole Barnett, MSW, a member of the Task Force, said something felt different after the birth of her third and youngest child. When she described her symptoms to a nurse at her obstetrician's office and was told she might have postpartum depression, she said that she could not accept it.

"I did not want to hear the phrase 'postpartum depression,'" she said, noting that, for her, it meant failing at motherhood.

Barnett refused to seek help or take medication, and her symptoms worsened. Washing her face became a chore. Decisions as immaterial as what color folder to send her kindergartener to school with could trigger a full-blown panic attack.

At her worst, Barnett said she would fence herself off with her children behind a baby gate in a back room. "I'd give my older two something to play with, and just hold my baby in the rocking chair and just pray for my husband to get home."

Ultimately, the fear that she might be neglecting her children drove Barnett to seek help. Within weeks of starting on medication, she began to feel more like herself. She connected with a therapist and joined a support group for mothers, which she credits as most important to her recovery.

For the last 20 years, Barnett has worked in maternal mental health education and advocacy, including serving as a counselor for the Health Resources and Services Administration's National Maternal Mental Health Hotline.

"Every day I get to help women just like me," she noted.

The Task Force on Maternal Mental Health, which is co-chaired by Admiral Rachel Levine, MD, the HHS Assistant Secretary for Health, and Miriam Delphin-Rittmon, PhD, the HHS Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, is a product of the TRIUMPH for New Moms Act .

During the briefing, Levine said that maternal mental health issues and substance use disorders (SUDs) are the leading causes of pregnancy-related deaths in the U.S. Furthermore, pregnant women with mental health conditions are 50% more likely to experience severe maternal morbidity.

To address this crisis, the Task Force conducted a literature review, held listening sessions to gain input from stakeholders, and gathered public comments through a request for information. Five working groups met online dozens of times from November 2023 through April to gather their findings and develop the following five core recommendations:

• Build a national infrastructure that prioritizes perinatal mental health and well-being: Develop and strengthen federal policies to promote perinatal mental health and well-being by reducing disparities and expanding care models in which perinatal care, mental health care, and SUD care are integrated.
• Make care and services accessible, affordable, and equitable: Establish federal mechanisms to fund infrastructure to support new delivery models for mental health conditions, SUDs, and gender-based violence. Implement "culturally relevant and trauma-informed clinical screening" and focus on training, growing, and diversifying the perinatal mental health workforce.
• Use data and research to improve outcomes and accountability: Fund and expand support for perinatal quality collaboratives (PQCs) in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories. (The CDC currently supports PQCs in 36 states.) Establish a central clearinghouse of information to make it easier for providers and other stakeholders to locate resources for perinatal health data.
• Promote prevention, and engage, educate, and partner with communities: Fund evidence-based best practices to support "person-centered, culturally relevant, and community-level detection and prevention of perinatal mental health conditions and SUDs," particularly in under-resourced communities.
• Lift up lived experiences: Listen to the perspectives of people with lived experiences of maternal mental health problems and respond to their needs.

The Task Force's report explains how the lack of national infrastructure for maternal mental health care and other systemic barriers place unnecessary stress on pregnant and postpartum women. A shortage and "geographic maldistribution" of mental health and SUD providers compounds these problems.

Those most vulnerable to mental health problems and SUDs include those from under-resourced racial and ethnic groups; incarcerated persons; parents of children in the neonatal intensive care unit; those who have experienced pregnancy loss, forcible displacement, trafficking, and gender-based violence; veterans; and those with pre-existing mental or behavioral health conditions.

During interviews, women with lived experiences shared the changes that would have improved their situation during pregnancy, including opportunities to connect with experienced mothers, access to high-quality care, sleep strategies and support, information about available medications, and specialty training in perinatal mental health support for members of the workforce from under-resourced communities.

A key recommendation of the report was the call to enact paid family leave, specifically to support the House Bipartisan Paid Family Leave Working Group , which launched in January 2023 and calls for at least 6 months of guaranteed leave in every state, U.S. territory, and the District of Columbia.

In interviews, many mothers reported having to return to work after only a few weeks when their babies were still vulnerable and they were still healing, said Task Force member Maya Mechenbier, JD.

"The mental health impact of having to leave your baby and return to work before you're ready cannot be overstated," she said.

Reconvening of elections task force draws criticism from North Carolina congressman

by ALAN WOOTEN | THE CENTER SQUARE

WASHINGTON (TCS) — Though North Carolina Congressman Dan Bishop may be exiting the Beltway, he’s certainly not afraid to leave marks on the way out.

The candidate for attorney general in his home state was on social media Monday to criticize the Biden administration for a federal power play on states. Six business days after agreeing – thereby settling a federal lawsuit – to dissolve and disband the Homeland Intelligence Experts Group, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced on Monday the reconvening of the Election Threats Task Force, created in June 2021.

“When one facet of the Censorship Industrial Complex is shut down, a new one springs up,” Bishop, R-N.C., wrote. “Always the same cast of characters in this game of whack-a-mole. We’ll root them out wherever they appear.”

Bishop won his spot in Congress in a 2019 special election brought about by a ballot harvesting scheme anchored in Bladen County. He declined a reelection bid this year to try and win the state attorney general post.

On May 3, a joint notice and stipulation of dismissal was filed in the America First Legal Foundation and Richard Grenell v. Alejandro Mayorkas, Department of Homeland Security, and Homeland Intelligence Experts Group case. Plaintiffs cited a release that says a “lack of balance, the Biden administration’s inappropriate influence over it, and its lack of public notice and participation.”

Garland, in a notice, said the Election Threats Task Force addresses threats of violence and intimidation against election workers. In an afternoon press conference, he noted several cases the task force had probed and prosecuted.

“We have seen a dangerous increase in violent threats against public servants who administer elections,” Garland said. “The Justice Department recognizes the urgency of these threats. We will continue to protect our democracy.”

Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco shared information on the expanding array of ways criminal activity happens to elections, both domestically and internationally. She described artificial intelligence as the biggest threat.

“Violent threats using AI are still violent threats,” she said.

Garland and the Justice Department have been frequently criticized by Republicans, including Bishop. It includes handling cases involving the current and most recent former president and a speech by Garland in Alabama earlier this year that drew a letter from 16 attorneys general. In the letter authored by Indiana’s Todd Rokita , a clear accusation is made of the Biden administration “weaponizing the U.S. Department of Justice against the states.”

Labour takes credit for National's gang task force

• Molly Swift

Related video: Police Minister Mark Mitchell and Commissioner Andrew Coster announce the dedicated gang unit. Credits: Newshub.

Labour is calling the Government's new task force aimed at cracking down on gangs a "rebrand" of its own approach.

It was announced on Tuesday that the police will establish a National Gang Unit to deal with gang crime.

More from Newshub

Police Minister Mark Mitchell said the unit would extend the work already done by Operation Cobalt and would build operational capability when combatting gangs.

"In addition, Police are investing in gang disruption units at a district level to identify, target and catch priority gang offenders," Mitchell said.

Operation Cobalt was introduced by the Labour Government in 2022 following a spate of shootings amidst rising tensions between the Killer Beez and Tribesmen gangs. It was a broadening of Operation Tauwhiro, which focused on unlawfully held firearms.

"I'm glad the strong law enforcement focus on gangs under Operation Cobalt and Tauwhiro will be embedded into each Police District. This was supported and funded by Labour," Labour police spokesperson Ginny Andersen said on Tuesday. 

"Labour also funded the National Gang Unit. It was called the National Organised Crime Group."

Andersen added in 2022, Labour invested $94.5m to target gangs and organised crime.

"Unlike Labour, National has put no extra resources today into tackling gangs and organised crime. Just like they won't pay police properly for the extra work they're asking them to do," Andersen said.

"Mark Mitchell couldn't say how many people would be in what he says are 'new' units, what they would do or how they would be funded - this is a rebrand of Labour's approach, not anything new."

Police Commissioner Andrew Coster said the dedicated national operation launch is planned for July.

"Policing gangs and serious offenders is an all-of-police priority. The new gang units will boost our focus and capability but they are not working alone - our whole frontline is involved in preventing the crime and harm caused by methamphetamine, organised crime and gangs, whether through road policing, organised crime investigations, prosecutions or prevention activity," he said.

Mitchell said the National Gang Unit announcement is a big part of the Government's goal to "restore law and order".

"We have a plan to recruit 500 additional Police and we're giving them powers to crack down on gang offending, introducing legislation to ban all gang insignia in public, create greater powers to stop criminal gangs from gathering in groups and communicating, and give greater weight to gang membership at sentencing," Mitchell said.

He said there had been a 73 percent increase in gang membership from 2017 to 2023.

It comes after gang member Hone Kay-Selwyn allegedly shot and killed 33-year-old Robert Sidney Horne in Auckland's Ponsonby. Police said there was no known relationship between the two men.