President Biden on Thursday thanked service members for their “strength” and “integrity” while giving his farewell address in Virginia. 

“There’s never been a time in history when we’ve asked our military to do so many different things so many places, all at the same time,” the president said at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in Virginia. “And I want to be clear: You have done all these missions with strength and, maybe even importantly, integrity.” 

Biden’s address to troops came the morning after his farewell address to the nation in which he said it was his “great honor” to serve as the 46th president. 

It also comes four days before President-elect Trump succeeds him. 

WHILE TRUMP, BIDEN CLAIM CREDIT FOR ISRAEL-HAMAS CEASEFIRE, SOME REPUBLICANS CALL IT A BAD DEAL

“You all represent what America is: character, honesty, integrity, commitment,” Biden told the troops. “You are simply the greatest fighting force in the history of the world.” 

The president said the troops “rose to the occasion” when he asked for the war in Afghanistan to end, “evacuating Americans, allies and our Afghan partners, accomplishing the largest airlift in military history and ending a war. The same courage is defined by American service in Afghanistan for over 20 years.”

He said he believes “history will reflect that was the right thing to do, but I know, I know, it was hard after decades of losing your brothers and sisters, including [during the] withdrawal. The pain was still real. And it was for me as well. Every day I still carry, every single day.” 

Biden has been criticized for his handling of the messy Afghanistan withdrawal, when 13 U.S. service members were killed. 

He added that six months after American troops withdrew from Afghanistan, “when Russia began its largest war in Europe since World War II, I asked you to help defend Ukraine. You didn’t hesitate. You kept Ukraine in the fight, trained Ukrainian soldiers and pilots, troops, bolstered NATO’s eastern flank. And, above all, you showed the world America stands up for freedom, stands with our friends.”

BIDEN THANKS THE AMERICAN PEOPLE FOR THE GREAT HONOR TO SERVE AS PRESIDENT DURING FAREWELL ADDRESS

Lloyd Austin, the secretary of defense, during a commander in chief farewell ceremony at Joint Base Myers-Henderson Hall in Arlington, Va., Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025.  (Bonnie Cash/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

He also touted the Israel-Hamas cease-fire deal, which was announced Wednesday and first mentioned in his farewell address to the nation. 

“The road to that deal was not easy,” he admitted, saying he “laid down the elements of that deal eight months ago.” 

President-elect Trump has also taken credit for the cease-fire.

“This EPIC ceasefire agreement could have only happened as a result of our Historic Victory in November, as it signaled to the entire World that my Administration would seek Peace and negotiate deals to ensure the safety of all Americans, and our Allies,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Wednesday. “I am thrilled American and Israeli hostages will be returning home to be reunited with their families and loved ones.” 

President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris at Biden’s commander in chief farewell celebration Thursday.  (Bonnie Cash/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Biden also thanked military families who “sacrifice so much” in his speech. 

“Most Americans never see the sacrifices that you make every single day,” he continued. “Don’t ever see all those holidays and birthdays with an empty seat at the dinner table because mom or dad was deployed. Never see all the moves you had to make to new states, to new schools, to new jobs.” 

He added near the end of his speech, “You’re truly the finest fighting force in the history of the world,” adding that the American military has the best training, weapons, ships and planes. 

“But that alone is not what makes us strong,” he said. “It’s our values. American values. Our commitment to honor, to integrity, to unity, to protecting and defending. Not a person or a party or a place, but an idea.” 

Before Biden’s speech, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Air Force Gen. CQ Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, thanked Biden for his service in their own remarks, which were part of the commander in chief farewell tribute to the president. 

WASHINGTON —  While firefighters continue to battle the Los Angeles County fires, California’s Sen. Alex Padilla is introducing a package of bills to increase their pay and create housing for those affected by disasters — which could later add to the state’s affordable housing supply.

“Just like the firefighters on the lines right now, putting out the fires, we have to work together in our response and our recovery,” Padilla said in an interview with The Times in his U.S. Senate office.

His proposal, the Disaster Housing Reform for American Families Act, ties together two of California’s top priorities: wildfire assistance and affordable housing.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency will be providing temporary housing, such as trailers, to many of the thousands of people who lost their homes in the wildfires. Padilla’s bill, which he is co-leading with Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), would require the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Housing and Urban Development to quickly create housing that could later function as longer-term, affordable housing.

“We can be a little bit smarter about this and allow for the use of modular homes, manufactured homes that are themselves a little bit more sustainable, more resilient,” he said. “Once the disaster is over and folks are moving back into their communities, maybe utilize them, retain them locally for affordable housing.”

The measure could serve as “another tool in the toolbox,” Padilla said, noting that some landlords already are price gouging in the wake of the fires.

Another measure, the Fire Suppression and Response Funding Assurance Act, would expand funding from FEMA for firefighting tools that are put in place before a disaster. The bill would allow for FEMA to cover more of those resources at times of high wildfire risk, before disaster strikes.

“In California, we know that when it’s hot and it’s been dry and the winds kick up, it’s a recipe for disaster. So we can anticipate those conditions. Let’s start putting personnel and equipment in place just in case,” Padilla said, adding that he checks the fires’ progression on the WatchDuty app hourly. “If we can ensure that the program will pick up at least 75% of that, that’s a huge incentive for state and local governments to be able to do just that, with less concern for the budget.”

Padilla recalled a trip he took as a staff member for the late U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), with a former FEMA director in 1996, to survey wildfire damage. Leaders have learned much about fire prevention techniques since then, he noted, such as building with nonflammable materials and clearing brush away from houses.

Padilla is also bringing back the Wildland Firefighter Paycheck Protection Act, which was not voted on after he introduced it during the last Congress, to raise wages for federal firefighters, including premium pay for those fighting long fires. Firefighter pay has been the subject of legislation in the last few years, as President Biden raised the minimum wage from $13 to $15 an hour for wildland firefighters in 2021. Padilla’s legislation is aimed at beefing up the Forest Service’s ability to recruit and retain firefighters with promises of higher pay.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, federal firefighters make, on average, slightly less than state or local firefighters. California unsurprisingly is home to the most firefighters of any states, and pays the best too. A 2019 study from BLS reported that California paid an average annual salary of $84,370.