©  The Hill/Greg Nash

The Biden administration on Thursday sought to assuage concerns about $6 billion in previously unfrozen Iranian funds that the U.S. said would be released as part of a prisoner exchange announced in September.

John Kirby, a White House spokesperson on national security issues, said Thursday that Iran has not accessed any of the $6 billion, amid questions over Iran’s culpability in the attack on Israel by Tehran-backed Hamas.

Multiple outlets including ABC News reported Thursday the U.S. and Qatar had reached an agreement to prevent Tehran from accessing the funds.

Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo reportedly offered the update in a closed-door meeting with House Democratic lawmakers earlier in the day.

“I’m not going to speculate one way or another here about future transactions. … What I can tell you is none of it has been accessed, and we are watching every dime,” Kirby told reporters during a White House briefing.

The funds, transferred from South Korea to Qatar as part of last month’s prisoner exchange deal, have been subject to intense debate amid the attack on Israel by Hamas, a militant group that Iran has long backed.

The Biden administration says there’s no evidence Iran was involved in the attack, though it said Iran is complicit due to years of supporting Hamas.

The White House has defended the unfrozen funds by pointing out they can only be used for humanitarian purposes, while critics say that still frees up $6 billion that Iran already has for other purposes.

Welcome to Evening Report! I’m Amee LaTour, catching you up from the afternoon and what’s coming tomorrow. Not on the list? Subscribe here.

• As of Thursday afternoon, more than 2,700 lives had been lost in Gaza, Israel and the West Bank amid conflict between Hamas and Israel.
  
  
• Social Security benefits will increase by 3.2 percent next year, or about $50 a month on average, due to a cost-of-living adjustment.
  
  

• More than 7 million Americans have received the latest COVID vaccine, according to the Department of Health and Human Services — numbers on par with the (low) uptake of the 2022 booster shot.

©  The Hill/Camdyn Bruce

President Biden discussed increasing threats and violence against the LGBTQ community on Thursday, the 25th anniversary of the killing of Matthew Shepard in an anti-gay hate crime.

Biden called on Congress to amend federal anti-discrimination laws to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. He also praised Shepard’s parents, Judy and Dennis Shepard, who co-founded the Matthew Shepard Foundation.

The parents addressed the trans community in a video released Thursday by the Human Rights Campaign. “We just want you to know that we’re here for you, and we’ve always been here for you. Just don’t give up,” Judy said.

Read more here.

The House GOP convened a closed-door meeting this afternoon amid continued division over who should become the next House Speaker.

Speaker-designate Steve Scalise (R-La.) narrowly won a majority in Wednesday’s internal conference vote, but the whip list as of Thursday afternoon showed at least 15 GOP members backing someone else.

• The Louisiana Republican likely needs support from almost all his GOP colleagues — or at least for his opponents to vote “present” instead of for someone else — for him to become Speaker.
  
  
• Most of those opposing Scalise said they’ll back Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), who challenged Scalise during the internal vote but said afterward he’ll support Scalise on the House floor.
  
  

The Hill’s Emily Brooks reported that Scalise is set to meet with holdouts. Follow the live blog for more updates.

©  AP

The Hill’s Jared Gans checks in on next month’s gubernatorial election in Kentucky, a state where polls often don’t tell the full story. Gov. Andy Beshear (D) is seeking reelection against state Attorney General Daniel Cameron (R).

A superseding indictment against Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) adds the charge of acting as foreign agent to the Egyptian government to other charges already filed against the senator. Menendez pleaded not guilty to the three initial charges that he accepted bribes to help enrich three businessmen and benefit Egypt’s government.

“Red or blue, Democrats have grand plans for diverse voters in your state” — Donna Brazile, a political strategist, a contributor to ABC News and former chair of the Democratic National Committee. (Read here)

“Can Scalise move House Republicans away from ‘failure theater?'” — Keith Naughton, Ph.D., co-founder of Silent Majority Strategies, a public and regulatory affairs consulting firm, and a former Pennsylvania political campaign consultant. (Read here)

2 days until Louisiana‘s gubernatorial primary election.

3 days until the Federal Election Commission‘s third quarter report deadline.

Friday: President Biden will discuss “Bidenomics” in Philadelphia.

🎁 The U.S. Postal Service released shipping and mailing deadlines to help ensure gifts and cards arrive to their destinations in time for Christmas. 

You’re all caught up! Stay with TheHill.com for the latest and recommend this newsletter to others: TheHill.com/Evening. See you tomorrow!