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National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met today in Bangkok, Thailand with Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin of Thailand. He also met with Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara.  Mr. Sullivan reaffirmed the importance of the U.S.-Thailand treaty alliance and partnership, and discussed opportunities to strengthen cooperation across a range of bilateral and global issues.  Mr. Sullivan emphasized U.S. commitment to expanding collaboration on trade and investment, accelerating the transition to a clean energy future, deepening our people-to-people ties, and broadening our security cooperation as we promote a free and open Indo-Pacific.  Mr. Sullivan affirmed the United States’ unwavering commitment to ASEAN centrality, and welcomed the United States’ engagement with Thailand in ASEAN settings. The two sides also discussed the importance of democracy, human rights, and ensuring all citizens can freely participate in the political process.

Mr. Sullivan also discussed regional and global issues, including efforts to address the worsening crisis in Burma.  They discussed the importance of providing humanitarian assistance to the people of Burma, and welcomed efforts to advance meaningful implementation of the ASEAN Five Point Consensus. Mr. Sullivan also emphasized U.S. commitment to secure the release of all remaining hostages held by Hamas.  Mr. Sullivan welcomed plans to increase the pace of high-level U.S.-Thai engagement, including through the U.S.-Thailand Strategic and Defense Dialogue in February, through which U.S. and Thai officials will build on our 190 years of bilateral relations to further strengthen our alliance and partnership.  

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Stanford Mansion
Sacramento, California 

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Hi, everyone.  (Applause.)

Thank you.  Thank you. 

Okay.  Let’s get to the business at hand.  (Laughter.)  Enough of that. 

(Referring to a handheld microphone.)  Is this working?  Okay.

It’s good to be home.  It’s really good to be home. 

Mr. Speaker, Madam Senate pro Tem, I want to thank you.  I was talking with Robert Garcia, the Congressman, and Congresswoman Doris Matsui, and we’ve been working together in D.C., and we just love our home state and thought, “Well, let’s try and figure out a way to get to Sacramento,” so I could hang out with you all for minute.  (Applause.)  And that’s why we’re here.  And that’s why we’re here. 

And I just want to start by thanking all of you. 

And — and, McGuire, where are you?  I know you’re coming in as Sen- — where is he?  Where is — he’s back there in the ba- — okay.  Not your time yet to be in the front of the room, right?  (Laughter.)  Congratulations to you as well.

And, of course, to our Governor, who is in South Carolina right now on behalf of our administration.  So, let’s applaud his work and his leadership.  (Applause.)

So, I just wanted to — to visit with everyone, to come back home.  And, you know, I know the press is here, but the rumor mill among those of us who have worked in Sacramento is this building is haunted.  (Laughter.)  And I’m sure some of us have had haunting experiences in this building.

But it is certainly good to be back home and to be in a place that really is a heartbeat of so much that happens in our beautiful state but has happened around the country historically and today.  And so, first and foremost, I want to thank you all for your leadership.

And, as many of you know, I have served in local government as DA, served in the state government and here in Sacramento as AG and then Senate, and now as Vice President.  And I know the work that you all do.  And I know how committed you are.  And I have had the pleasure and the joy and the good fortune of working with most of you to see how you do what you do.  And it’s extraordinary.

We have a state with a population of over 40 million people, and we take great pride in what we know we can have in terms of impact — for each of you, for your constituents directly, but by extension, the impact you have on our state, and, therefore, on the rest of the country.  And you take that work very seriously.

And, you know, I, maybe with a bit of bravado, will repeat what I think we all say: So goes California, goes the nation.  So, I start by saying thank you.

And I wanted to come and visit with you to also highlight that this is going to be an extraordinary year of extraordinary consequence.  And I know you know that.  We are looking at an election that is coming up that is, without any question, existential in terms of where we go as a country and, by extension, where we go as a world.

So, as Vice President, I will tell you, I have now met with over 150 world leaders: presidents, prime ministers, chancellors, and kings.  In fact, hosted a number of them at my new temporary public housing in Washington, D.C.  (Laughter.)  But I have met with many of them now many times and have formed relationships with them.

So, the last international trips that I took were actually to Dubai to represent our country at COP28 — and, of course, California has had a profound impact on the discussions that have happened at COP over the years — and then I was also in the United Kingdom, in London, to represent our perspective on what should be the future of the safety of AI for the world.  And, of course, California has and continues to have an outsized impact on what that will mean.

But all of that being said, being there, then, to a one, the leaders of nations around the world — and, in particular, our allies — came up to me, and the first point they made is, “I hope you guys are going to be okay.” 

And when they ask that question, it is absolutely for them out of self-interest.  Because understand, when we walk in those rooms around the world representing the United States of America, we walk in those rooms, historically, chin up, shoulders back, with the self-appointed and earned authority to talk about the significance of democracies, rule of law.

But the thing — I say to a room of role models — about being a role model is people watch what you do to see if it lines up with what you say.  And best believe that then the outcome of this November will have a profound impact on whether we will either remain in a position to walk around and in those rooms with allies and adversaries alike, talking about the strength that democracies give to its people and talk about it by example, or not.

The impact of this upcoming election is, without any question, global in its reach.  And then let us talk about what it means for your constituents, for our neighbors, for our family members, and for our friends.

You know, New Hampshire this week made it pretty clear where this is going to go.  Okay?  The process is still unfolding.  But I would offer that in the midst of so much that is weighted and — and complex about what is happening in our world and, therefore, not binary — November of ’24: binary.

I’d ask us to just put up a split screen.  On the one side, you’ve got a former President who openly applauds dictators and has pretty explicitly suggested that that’s the role that he intends to take on if reelected, who openly has talked about an intention to weaponize the Department of Justice to exact consequence to those who he has determined are his political enemies. 

Split screen.  On the other side, you have, in Joe Biden and what we have accomplished as an administration, competence, compassion, skill, and performance.  Because of the support and, in so many ways, the role modeling of people in this room, our administration has been able to accomplish transformative work.

On the issue of climate, California has always been a leader.  It has been leadership coming right out of this town — Sacramento.  And because of the way that we know we should think about the future, our administration has been able to now, by my calculation, invest over $1 trillion in the next 10 years on addressing the climate crisis — (applause) — around resilience, adaptation, and a clean energy economy.  Competence.

You know, they talked for years — in administrations of — of, you know, both parties — about what we need to do around America’s infrastructure, which, by many calculations, is 150 years old.  We got it done. 

California is going to get $33 billion out of that infrastructure bill — (applause) — to upgrade our roads and bridges and sidewalks.  Talk to any parent, a mom or a dad, trying to push a stroller on those broken sidewalks.  Of great consequence, the work that we have achieved. 

An investment in the CHIPS and Science Act, which is an investment in R&D, a lot of the work that started right here in our state — (applause) — so that we will be competitive and a leader globally on the trajection, on the future of this work. 

As many of you know, my mother, in her last years, ran a lab at UC Berkeley.  She was a breast cancer specialist.  We take great pride out of UC and — and the community colleges for the work that we’ve done in California — (applause) — in terms of our investment in semiconductor and science and — and advancement. 

Think about the work that we have done that has been about saying we got to have compassion and understand, for too long, our seniors have been having to make a choice of whether they could fill their refrigerator or fill a doctor’s prescription.  And we finally got it so that Medicare can finally negotiate drug prices for our seniors and cap that cost at $2,000 a year.  (Applause.)

Cap the cost of insulin at $35 a month — African Americans, 60 percent more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes; Latinos, 70 percent more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes. 

So, let’s just pull up the split screen to see.  It’s really quite binary in terms of what we’re looking at and what’s at stake. 

And so, I’m here to talk with the leaders who are here to, most of all, just ask you to always do and continue to do what you do so well.  Because I know you, and I know how you do what you do. 

And so, it is about, in the midst of an environment that is, frankly, I think, a bit perverse in terms of what it is suggesting leaders look like — you know, this environment that suggests you measure a leader based on who they beat down, instead of what we know is the real measure of the strength of a leader, based on who you lift up; this environment that suggests it’s a sign of weakness to have compassion, when we know the true quality and character of a real leader is one who has a level of concern and care and curiosity for the suffering of other people and then does something about lifting them up and alleviating that suffering.

So, right now, your leadership is so important.  This California legislature and you each individually make such a difference.  And I know you, and I know what I’m saying.

I’ve been traveling our country.  I mean, just in the last two and a half weeks, I’ve been to Georgia and North Carolina, South Carolina twice, Wisconsin — what did I leave out? — New York, Nevada, came home to Sacramento.  (Applause.) 

You guys will make a difference.  And so, here’s what I am here to ask of you.  I’m here to ask you to do what you know how to do and do so well and to just remind you that it’s really important and it makes a difference.  And it’s going to make a difference for our state.  And, by extension, it’s going to make a difference for our nation.

And so, what does that work look like?  Well, one, you know, one of the challenges that we’re going to have in this reelect is not that we don’t have a lot of good material, because we do; we just need to let folks know who brung it to them. 

It is shocking — maybe not for this group — to know that you go to some states, and people who voted against what we’ve accomplished are now taking credit for it.  (Laughter.)  But we know how this stuff works. 

Okay.  That’s fine.  (Laughter.)  Let’s just — right?  We know how this works.

So, let’s get out there and use the skills that we have — of communication, of organizing, of touching people, of understanding who they are, of seeing them, of listening to them — to remind people that we’re all in this together.  In the midst of an environment that is trying to distract and divide our nation, let’s do what we do to build community and coalition around all of these issues.

And so, I’m here to ask that of you.  I’ve asked Buffy to follow up and kind of be a liaison, along with whoever else wants to raise their hand, to do that work, to work with us around what we can do to spread the message not only in our home state but as we have done, historically, in Nevada, in Arizona, and wherever else. 

I know we’ve got folks here who have relations in Wisconsin.  Where are you?  Right?  Exactly.  (Laughs.)  Right?

But let’s — let’s hustle and get that wo- —

I — I — you know, I’ll tell you on a personal level: So, Doug and I — I was working right up until Christmas Eve, so we stayed in D.C. in — and then — because I knew I could not get back to L.A., which is where I now live, in time to get a tree and some poinsettias.  (Laughs.)  Like, I just knew it wasn’t going to happen, right?  And I would have just been sad.

So, we stayed in D.C. for Christmas and came back to L.A. on the 26th.  And we slept.  (Laughter.)  I mean, you guys know what that’s like.  We slept.  Like, Doug looked at me — he’s like, “Honey, we’re defrosting.”  (Laughter.) 

And I — I cooked, which is my happy place, and the kids and family, friends came over.  But did all that knowing that starting the first of this year, we got to be on the road full time and hustle.  And every day is going to matter.

So, again, I thank you all for everything that you are, everything that you represent.  It is so good to be home and be with so many longstanding friends and colleagues. 

And I’ll end where I started, by saying thank you. 

          END

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Indian Treaty Room
Eisenhower Executive Office Building

3:41 P.M. EST
     

THE FIRST LADY:  Thank you.  Thank you, Greg.  

And, Stef, you’ve built an amazing team for the first-ever Office of Gun Violence Prevention.  (Applause.)  I know that working on this issue is not easy, but this team’s commitment never wavers, and we all are so grateful for everything that you do.

 Ava Olsen, from Townville, South Carolina, is 13.  But her friend Jacob will always be six.  

Ava will try out different clothing trends and learn how to drive.  She’ll have crushes and graduate from high school.  But Jacob, now forever dressed in his favorite Batman costume, will always be six.  

Ava is a survivor.  After years of debilitating PTSD, unable to leave her home, you know, for fear of reliving those moments on the playground when she ran for her life, she then returned to school.  But the heaviness of that small coffin will always weigh on her heart, because Jacob will always be six.

Ethan Song of Guilford, Connecticut, will always be 15.  

Alejandro Guerrero Jr. of Grand Rapids, Michigan, will always be 14.

I know that we have some of their friends and family with us today. 

The number of children we’ve lost to gun violence, to shooting is unfathomable.  But those numbers don’t tell the whole story. 

They don’t tell us of the parents who steel themselves as they put their child on the school bus every morning, the students who watch the door instead of the whiteboard, the educators who go over their emergency plans in their heads before the first bell. 

Like many of all of you, I know that feeling.  I teach at a community college not far from here.  I was there this morning.  And at the start of each semester, I explain to my students what they should do if the worst happens. 

 But we can help prevent that violence.  You can help prevent that violence.  

The parents in your schools trust you.  They look to you to steer their children toward the bright futures ahead of them.  You can show parents that they can be part of preventing the next shooting, the next suicide, the next accident.

A secured gun could have saved Jacob and Ale- — Alejandro and Ethan.  It could mean they would be starting high school or college or their first job.

They could have grown up beside their friends, like it — like it really should have been. 

I know we ask a lot of our educators.  And I know that these shootings affect you too.  So, I want to thank you for all that you’ve already done, for coming here to be willing to push a little harder and to do this one more thing. 

This issue matters to the President.  It weighs on his heart every day.  And he’s not going to stop fighting until we’ve solved it.

How can we accept a world where the leading cause of death for our children is gun violence?  Where active shooter drills are part of growing up in America?  Where our children hear loud noises and duck for cover?

Enough is enough — enough pain, enough death.  No more funerals. 

I don’t want to have to put my hand on another cross with an eight-year-old’s name. 

We must change this.  We must protect our kids from gun violence. 

Thank you for all that you do. 

And now, please help me welcome someone who is fighting for our students and our educators every single day, my favorite, Secretary Miguel Cardona.  (Laughs.)  (Applause.) 

                             END                3:47 P.M. EST

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On January 26-27, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan will meet with Chinese Communist Party Politburo Member, Director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission, and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Bangkok, Thailand. This meeting continues the commitment by both sides at the November 2023 Woodside Summit between President Biden and President Xi to maintain strategic communication and responsibly manage the relationship.

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The post Statement from NSC Spokesperson Adrienne Watson on National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan’s Meeting with Director Wang Yi appeared first on The White House.

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan is traveling to Bangkok, Thailand from January 25-27. There, he will meet with the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand Srettha Thavisin and Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-nukara. In these meetings, Mr. Sullivan will reaffirm the importance of the U.S.-Thailand treaty alliance and partnership and discuss opportunities to strengthen cooperation across a range of bilateral and global issues. 

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Earth Rider Brewery
Superior, Wisconsin

1:05 P.M. CST

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, hello, hello.  (Applause.)  Thank you, thank you, thank you.  (Applause.)  If you have a seat, take it.  (Laughs.)

Hello, Wisconsin.  (Applause.)  And from across the Bay, hello, Minnesota.  (Applause.)  Tim, thank you for the introduction.

I got to m- — I got to meet his twins and his wife.  And no wonder he’s here.  I tell you what, they’re going to keep him here.

Look, I’m honored to be with the two best governors in America — in the United States of America today — (applause) — the governor of Wisconsin, Tony Evers — Tony, stand up — and, also, the governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz.  (Applause.)

And thanks to the outstanding senators: Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin — (applause) — Tammy (inaudible) — and Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith from the state of Minnesota.  (Applause.)  If I have all three of them on my side, I don’t worry about anything.  (Laughter and applause.) 

And two great mayors: Mayor Paine of Superior, Wisconsin — (applause) — and Mayor Reinert of Duluth, Minnesota.  (Applause.)  Stand up, guys.  (Applause.)

Folks, I’m here today to talk about something that doesn’t get enough attention: the progress we’re making to invest in America — in American workers, in American products — to invest in America.  That’s what we’re doing: bringing work, opportunity, and hope to people and communities all across this country.

Just last week, we saw the biggest jump in 30 years in how positive consumers are feeling about the economy.  Things are finally beginning to sink in.

We passed a lot of really good legislation.  We knew it was going to take time for it to begin to take hold.  But it’s taking hold now and turning the economy around.

We also just learned that America fi- — filed 16 million new business applications since I’ve become President.  That’s a record.  (Applause.) 

And the reason I mention it — when someone files for a new business, it’s a — it’s a — it’s an example of hope, something they believe in.  They believe that they can get something done and of consequence.  You know, and Tim’s business right here is that act of hope, as well — started a while ago.

And just today, we learned the economy of the United States grew by 3.1 percent last year.  I don’t wa- — (applause) — I don’t want to bore you all with detail, but, you know, the experts, from the time I got elected, were insisting that a recession was just around the corner.  Every month, there was going to be a recession.

Well, you know, we’ve got really strong growth.  Listening to this — here is this mo- — this morning’s headlines, from the Wall Street Journal and other papers.  Quote, “U.S. [Growth] Shatters Expectations.”  Second headline: “The U.S. Economy Boomed in 2023.”  Third: “U.S. Economy Grew at a Sh- — a Shocking Pace.”  (Laughs.)  I love that “shocking pace” piece.  (Laughter.)  But my favorite is from the Wall Street Journal.  Quote, “What Recession?  Growth Ended [Up] Accelerating in 2023.”  (Applause.)

Folks, look — and, by the way, the economic growth was stronger than we had during the Trump administration.

Our — my predecessor recently said he was actually hoping for the economy to crash.  His quote.  Hoping for the economy to crash.  And can you believe it?  Well — well, he said he’s hoping — because he hope it happens soon, while I’m still president.  That’s what he’s hoping for.

Well, thanks to the American people, America now has the strongest growth and the lowest inflation rate of any major economy in the world.  (Applause.)  It’s because of you.

We obviously have more work to do, but we’re making real progress, building an economy from the middle out and the bottom up and not the top down.

I was raised in a household where there were — we had three-bedroom — it was a nice home — three-bedroom split-level home in a new development of 40 homes in suburbia with four — four kids and a grandpop living with us.  And — but trickle-down economics didn’t trickle down much on my ga- — dad’s kitchen table.

Because when we — when we — when we work from the middle out and the bottom up, the poor have a shot, the middle class does really well, and the — and the wealthy still do well.  But everybody gets a shot.  We all do well.

You know, as the Secretary of the Treasury, Jan- — Janet Yellen, just said today, and I quote, “The story of the middle class is not separate from the st- — state of the economy.  It’s at the heart of it.”  She went on to say, “I mean workers across industries and occupations — from firefighters to nurses to factory workers.”

That’s the middle class.  At least that’s where I come from.  And that’s what it’s all about.

So, I’m here to announce more progress that shows that we can get big things done in America if we start believing in ourselves again, if we start investing in America again.

Folks, look, our infrastructure used to be the best in the world — the be- — rated the best in the world.  But over a period of time, we stopped investing in America.  We stopped it.  We stopped investing in ourselves, and we slipped.  We’re now ranked the 13th best infrastructure in the world.  The United States of America, number 13 in the world.

How in God’s name can we have the strongest economy in the world when we don’t have the strongest and best infrastructure in the world?  It’s not possible.

So, we’re determined to turn that around.  We — we’re determined to turn that around in a big way.  And that’s exactly — (applause) — and that’s actually what we’re doing.

Two years ago, I came to Wisconsin — it was almost this very spot — to talk about the historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that I signed with the support of your elected officials — the most sweeping investment to rebuild America in American history.

We’ve already invested $6.1 billion in Wisconsin so far, $5.7 billion — (applause) — $5.7 billion in Minnesota.  (Applause.) 

Two years later, I came back to the Blatnik Bridge.  I was here two years ago.

Well, last time I was here, I came with Tammy, and we’re now back this time because we know — we knew this bridge needed a — had — needed a lot of work.  Tammy didn’t let — let me forget that, either.  (Laughter.) 

You know, that bridge opened in 1961, and it connects Minnesota to Wisconsin — you know better than anyone in the world — and over the [St.] Louis Bay.

It’s a vital link in our nation’s economy.  Every year, 950,000 trucks use the bridge to carry 3.4 billion tons of goods all the way across America and into Canada.  Folks, every day 33,000 ve- — vehicles cross that bridge.

The flow of people is so critical to small businesses that rely on it to get customers, employers [employees], goods to the businesses — it’s critical — and local businesses like this brewery at the base of the bridge.

Think what Tim just told us.  Tim’s family has been here for four generations.  His great-grandparents moved here from Scandinavia to build a bakery just four blocks from here.

And as Tim just said, the bridge is critical to his business, his workers, his customers, to the entire local economy.  And it’s like that in other parts of the country as well.

This bridge is also critical to the largest port on the Great Lakes, serving critical industries like forestry, agriculture, clean energy, supporting so many communities.  I mean, it really is consequential.

But you also know this bridge is in badly corroded condition.  It’s unsafe for trucks to carry oversize, overweight loads, causing drivers lengthy detours, increasing costs and delays.

It’s outdated in design.  Tight curves have led to higher-than-average car accident rates, traffic congestion.

For decades, people talked about replacing this bridge, but it never got done, until today.  (Applause.)  Until today.  I mean it.

And I’m proud to announce $1 billion from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will be used to build this new bridge, a new bridge that will increase capacity for large trucks and oversized loads; a new bridge with a modern design, wider shoulders, smother on — smoother on and off ramps; a new bridge with a shared path for pedestrians and cyclists.  (Applause.)

And I — and I want to credit your governors — and I mean this sincerely — and your state legislatures for coming up with the matching money to invest in this bridge.  Otherwise, it wouldn’t have gotten done with — with your own funding.

This investment is going to make a huge difference: less traffic, fewer car accidents, faster commutes to your jobs and schools, quicker response times from firetrucks and first responders when every minute counts.

Goods are going to get shipped quicker, and commerce will flow more freely, instead of having to detour for up to 10 miles.

Here’s what else it means.  It means that 10,000 new construction jobs — union jobs — (applause) — are going to be created.

We’re investing in America, in jobs for American workers, built with American products.

And that’s going to — with the help of your congressional delegation, especially Senator Tammy Baldwin, we’re making sure that that iron, that steel, that construction material to build this bridge is made in America.  (Applause.)
And this funding is part of a larger $5 billion investment led by the Department of Transportation for 37 major projects across America, including bridges, highways, ports, airports.  To date, 40,000 infrastructure problems have been — projects have been announced all across America.  And with the support of these great governors and congressional delegation, we’re doing other big things.

For example, we’re making sure every American, including all of you here, have access to affordable high-speed Internet.  (Applause.)  I want to thank Amy for her leadership in this issue.  She has been relentless.  (Applause.)

High-speed Internet is essential to today’s economy.  It’s as essential as electricity was when Franklin Roosevelt was president.  Not a joke. 

That’s why, nearly a century ago, Franklin Roosevelt signed the Rural Electrification Act.  I know this sounds like it doesn’t make — doesn’t matter, but it matters a great deal.  He signed it to bring electricity to nearly every home and farm in America because it became essential — an essential part of the economic growth of the country, an essential way to access the modern life.  And so is high-speed Internet today.

In Wisconsin and Minnesota, we’re investing $2.5 billion — $2.5 billion in high-speed Internet.  And we’re going to save — (applause) — and we’re going to save more than 600,000 families in these two states up to $30 a month on their Internet bills.  The household that I came from, that matters.  Those $30 extra at the end of the month — bills all add up when you’re living on a fixed salary.

We’re also investing $1.1 billion in your state to provide clean water and replace poisonous lead pipes.  (Applause.)  Every lead pipe is going to be taken out so you can turn on your faucet and drink clean water without getting sick. 

You know, a recent study shows that reducing lead exposure for children has the same effect on a student’s test scores as reducing the size of a class they’re in from 22 to 15 — one tenth the cost, it is.  It matters.  It affects the ability of the brain to function.

That’s why we’re going to eliminate every single lead pipe in America.  And I promise you that.  We got the money to do it now.  (Applause.)

And that’s on top of another billion dollars to clean up the Great Lakes, which provide drinking water to 20 million people — (applause) — 20 million people.  And, by the way, it used to make the beer brewed here — (laughs) — it is used to make the brewed beer here in this refine- — oh, Earth Rider, thanks for the Great Lakes.  I wondered why (inaudible) — (laughter).

What we’re doing in Wisconsin and Minnesota is just one piece of a much bigger story.  Look, 14 million new jobs since I became president — (applause); 169 [thousand] new jobs in Wisconsin, 200,000 in Minnesota; nearly 800,000 new manufacturing jobs nationwide — good-paying jobs. 

And [un]employment has been the lowest — been below 4 percent for the longest stretch in 50 years.  (Applause.)  And it’s even lower in Wisconsin and Minnesota, where it stands at 3.3 and 2.9 percent, respectively. 

That’s our economic plan: invest in America, invest in American products, build in America.  That’s what we call Bidenomics. 

My professor — well, I won’t get into my professor.  (Laughter.) 

But, look, my predecessor, though, he chose a different course: trickle-down economics, cut taxes for the very wealthy and big corporations, increasing the deficit significantly.  That’s exactly what happened.  That’s exactly what happened. 

And the fact is — well, I won’t get into it, but — I don’t want to get going.  (Laughter.) 

He stripped good-paying jobs and shipped them overseas.  Why?  Cheaper labor.  Rather than pay you a fair wage, ship it overseas, lower wage costs, and then import the product, denying Americans jobs.  He shrank public investment in infrastructure and education.  And then the process — in the process, he hollowed out communities, closing factories, leaving too many Americans behind.

Look, I grew up in the neighborhoods that many — many of you did, in regions where they had that factory that — maybe it only employed 600 people or 800 people, but it was the heartbeat of the community. 

And all of a sudden, one day, corporation owners decided it was cheaper to send that factory overseas because the labor was cheaper.  So, it sent the — closed the factory, sent it overseas, imported the product from overseas, paid more money for it, and they didn’t have to pay as much in labor.  That’s what happened.  That’s how we began to hollow out American labor.  For real.  Not a joke. 

You know, any rate —

He talked about infrastructure.  Every week, when — for four years, he was going to increase the infr- — “We’re at ‘Infrastructure Week.’”  Well — (laughs) — we have Infrastruc- — Infrastructure Year.  (Laughter.)  He didn’t get — on my watch, instead of Infrastructure Week, America is having an Infrastructure Decade.  (Applause.)

Look, we’re rebuilding factories, and jobs are coming back to America.

For example, you know, when we — you know that little computer chip that everybody needs for everything from your watch to your automobile?  Well, guess what?  We used to make — we invented them.  We s- — made them more sophisticated.  We used to have 40 percent of the market.  And all of a sudden, it was — we have nothing.  You know that — and so, guess what?  I got on a plane and went to South Korea. 

My staff went, “What the hell are you doing?”  I talked to the — the prime — the leader of South Korea.  I said, “You have a thing called ‘Samsung.’  You make a lot of these computer chips.  Come to America.” 

Well, not only did they, but a total of $50 billion — (applause) — is coming to America, building factories in America — in America.

There’s a place just outside of Columbus, Ohio.  They call it a “Field of Dreams.”  They’re building two of these — these fa- — these “fabs,” they call — factories.  They’re like gigantic football fields.  And guess what?  They hire a whole hell of a lot of people, not only building the facility but working there. 

You know what the average salary is?  One hundred and ten thousand bucks a year, and you don’t need a college degree to have the job.  (Applause.)  

The Midwest is coming back.  And these senators right in front of you here, they delivered it.  Amy delivered it.  Tammy delivered it.  Tina delivered it.  I mean it sincerely.  (Applause.)  And you, the American people, supported it. 

Now, I worked with some Republicans to get the bipartisan law done.  And it got done.  But I’m sorry to say, the vast majority voted against it.  But you know what?  That’s okay, because we’re building projects everywhere, no matter whether they voted for it or not. 

I promised to be a president for all Americans, whether you voted for me or didn’t vote for me.  (Applause.)

Folks, but we have more — we have more work to do.  For example, does anyone think that the tax code in America is fair?  Raise your hand if you think the tax code is fair. 

In 2020, 55 of the Fortune 500 company corporations paid zero in taxes — zero in taxes.  You may heard me harp on this for a while.  Federal taxes on $40 billion in profit, they paid zero cents. 

But not anymore.  What I was able to do is provo- — provide for funding all of these programs by signing a — getting passed the tax of just 15 percent.  You pay more than that.  But just getting up to 15 percent — 15 percent tax on these 50 corporations making $40 billion.  And guess what?  As a consequence, we could pay for so many of these investments we’re making all across America without the deficit going up.  And we still brought the deficit down by $7 billion. 

Look, we have to do more. 

One of the other things that I want to mention — you know, I — I’ve been — I’m going to say this politely.  For my entire career, I have been going after the pharmaceutical corporations.  Pharmaceutical corporations in America are the best in the world.  They make the best product.  But whatever prescription you may be taking now, if I take that prescription for you — we’re going to fly to Toronto, Canada; London, England; any — Brazil; anywhere in the world — I will get that prescription by the same company filled for anywhere from one third to one half the cost. 

We get charged more than any other country in the world.  Not a joke.  And you pay for it not only in your prescription, but you pay for it because Medicare pays for a great deal of this.  So, I’ve been pushing to let Medicare negotiate and save (inaudible).  (Applause.)

Well, with the help of your Senate and congress- — congressional delegation, I finally won. 

And guess what?  Any of you — I’m not asking you to raise your hand — but you know anybody who has a — has a problem with diabetes, needs insulin?  Well, it used to be the average cost of that insulin shot a ye- — on a monthly basis was closer to $400.  Now they cannot charge more than $35.  (Applause.)

And, by the way, they’re still making 350 percent profit.  It costs 10 bucks to make it — 10 bucks to make it.  And the guy who invented it didn’t even want a patent on it because he thought it should be available to everyone.

I could take you down the list. 

And beginning in 2025, guess what else happens?  Anybody you know have parents or grandparents who are taking a cancer drug?  They may be paying anywhere from 6- to 13,000 bucks a month for the — for that drug.  They can’t do it.

And guess what?  No one is going to have — no senior is going to have to pay, no matter how many drugs have to take, more than $2,000 bucks a month, period — period, period, period.  (Applause.)

And they’re still going to make money.  They’re still going to make money.

And, folks, I was told that that’s an awful thing to do, man.  It’s a terrible thing to do.  Guess what?  Not only is it saving the individual money, it means you, as taxpayers, are paying billions of dollars less per month because you don’t have to spend that money on Medicaid.  You don’t have to spend that money on Medicaid because it’s a fair price.

We get thou- — look, we — you know, we now have — we used to — before the recession, before the — the pandemic, we had about 700 billionaires in America.  There are 1,000 billionaires now.  You know what their average tax rate is?  Eight percent.

Raise your hand if you want to trade your tax rate now for 8 percent.  (Laughter.)  No, I’m not joking.  I — I’m being deadly earnest.  You know, it sou- — it sounds like I’m making this up: 8 percent, what they pay. 

That’s why I proposed the billionaire minimum tax of 25 percent.  That’s not even the top rate.  (Applause.) 

If billionaires and big corporations paid even close to their fair share, we could strengthen Social Security and Medicare, bring down the cost of childcare, eldercare.  Working-class and middle-class people would all be better off.  And it wouldn’t cost a penny because they’re making — $40 billion would be coming in.

And — and it’s not — I mean, it’s just — it’s just basic fairness.  You know, it’s the right thing to do, and we can get this done.  And I’ll be damned, in the last year of this administration, I’m going to get it done.  (Applause.) 

Let me close with this.  I’m going on too long.  I apol- — I get a little tied up here.  (Laughter.)

This bridge is important, but the story we’re writing is much bigger than that.

When you see the shovels in the ground and cranes in the sky and people hard at work on these projects, I hope you feel re- — a renewed sense pride — pride in your community, pride in what we can do, pride in America, pride in knowing we can get big things done still together in America.

We’re the only county in the world that’s come out of every crisis we’ve gotten into stronger than we went in.  Not a joke.  The only country in the world.  For God’s sake, this is the United States of America — United States of America.

And the real heroes in this whole story, the American people, are starting to speak up.  American workers, American people doing the work to bring communities back to their country in ways that are — that it was before — in the future.

That’s what America does.  That’s why I’ve been never more optimistic about the future.  We just have to remember who in God’s name we are.  We’re the United States of America, and there is nothing — nothing beyond our capacity when we do it together. 

Let’s start working together, for God’s sake.

God bless you all.  And may God protect our troops.  (Applause.)

1:28 P.M. CST

The post Remarks by President Biden on Investing in America and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law | Superior, WI appeared first on The White House.

NOMINATIONS SENT TO THE SENATE:

     Patrick John Fuchs, of Wisconsin, to be a Member of the Surface Transportation Board for a term expiring January 14, 2029.   (Reappointment)

     Tracey Ann Jacobson, of Virginia, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Career Minister, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Iraq.

     Almo J. Carter, of the District of Columbia, to be a Commissioner of the United States Parole Commission for a term of six years, vice J. Patricia Wilson Smoot, term expired.

     Liliana Ayalde, of Florida, to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Inter-American Foundation for a term expiring June 26, 2026, vice Juan Carlos Iturregui, term expired.

     Marcela Escobari, of Massachusetts, to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Inter-American Foundation for a term expiring September 20, 2026, vice Adolfo A. Franco, term expired.

     Julio Guity-Guevara, of Maryland, to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Inter-American Foundation for a term expiring October 6, 2028, vice Eduardo Arriola, term expired.

     Maria Fabiana Jorge, of the District of Columbia, to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Inter-American Foundation for a term expiring September 20, 2028, vice Hector E. Morales, term expired.

     Brian A. Nichols, of Rhode Island, to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Inter-American Foundation for a term expiring September 20, 2024, vice J. Kelly Ryan, term expired.

     Samuel E. Lathem, of Delaware, to be a Director of the Amtrak Board of Directors for a term of five years, vice Albert DiClemente, term expired.

     John W. Leslie, Jr., of Connecticut, to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the African Development Foundation for a term expiring September 22, 2025.  (Reappointment)

     Monde Muyangwa, of Maryland, to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the African Development Foundation for a term expiring September 22, 2027, vice Linda I. Etim, term expired.

     Patrice J. Robinson, of Tennessee, to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Valley Authority for a term expiring May 18, 2028, vice William B. Kilbride, term expired.

# # #

The post Nominations Sent to the Senate appeared first on The White House.

Aboard Air Force One
En Route Duluth, Minnesota

11:36 A.M. EST
 
MS. DALTON: So, as you all know, we’re in the — en route to Superior, Wisconsin, where the President will be visiting the Blatnik Bridge in a full-circle moment.  He first visited the Blatnik Bridge about two years ago after the State of the Union in 2022 to talk about the important investments we’re making through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in America and making sure that we’re equ- — equipped to outcompete the wor- — rest of the world in the decades ahead.

So, today, we’re on — on the way back to the Blatnik Bridge, where the President will talk about the billion-dollar investment we’re making in the Blatnik Bridge today, make sure that we can repair that bridge that was crumbling to the ground and was slated to be out of commission by 2030 just a couple of short years ago and now will be fully replaced so that this vital economic artery can continue to serve the — all of the commercial needs that we have here in the United States and Canada.

As part of this visit today, he’s also going to announce, in addition to the Blatnik Bridge, 36 other Mega infrastructure projects across the country from coast to coast — from Oregon to New York to Arizona — that will similarly have a transformative impact on our — on our infrastructure and on our economy and create great-paying jobs in the process.

Very quickly before I turn it over to John, we also have another bit of news we’re making at the White House today.  You may have seen this morning that the First Lady, Secretary Cardona, the new White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, and 70 principals from across the country are convening at the White House today for a town hall to announce a new set of actions we’re taking to ramp up safe gun storage in communities across the country.

You’ve heard us talk about the epidemic of gun violence in America and the fact that gun violence is the number-one killer of kids in our country.  We know that a big factor in that statistic is the fact that nearly 5 million children are living in homes with unsecured weapons.

We know that most school shootings, mass shootings occur with weapons that were obtained at the — in — in a school shooter’s home or in the home of a family member or friend.  We also know that unsecured weapons are a big contributor to self-inflicted wounds that children are experiencing.

So, today’s action, the Education Department is working with principals across the country to ramp up community education about the importance of safe storage of guns so that we can save more kids’ lives.

With that, I’m going to turn it to John to talk about some foreign policy news.

MR. KIRBY:  Good morning, everybody.  Today, I’m pleased to announce that President Biden and the First Lady will host Prime Minister Kishida and Mrs. Kishida of Japan for a state visit on the 10th of April. 
 
And this will obviously underscore the importance of our alliance with Japan and our bilateral relationship and also all the work we’re doing together to improve and strengthen not only our bilateral cooperation but our cooperation with Japan and other allies across the Indo-Pacific, really trying to pursue a safe and secure, prosperous Indo-Pacific.

So, the President is very much looking forward to seeing Prime Minister Kishida here in a couple of months for, again, a formal state visit, which will include a state dinner.

And then, secondly, just wanted to draw your attention to the Treasury Department’s announcement today that they are sanctioning another four Houthis, individuals who are directly tied to the attacks in the Red Sea.  And we’re pleased to be able to announce that the United Kingdom is joining us in the sanctions on these four specific individuals as well.

I’m sure Treasury will have more information for you on the individuals if you — if you want that.  But it’s just another example of how we’re trying to use all the levers at our disposal to — to hold the Houthis accountable for these reckless attacks.

That’s it.

Q    Admiral, there were reports that came out while we were in midair that President Biden is tapping CIA Director Burns to — to help broker a hostage deal.  Can you give us more information on that?
 
MR. KIRBY:  I’d refer you to the CIA for more on the — on Director Burns’s travel and activities.  He has been, as I think you know, involved in helping us with the hostage deal that was in place and — and trying to help us pursue another one. 
 
I would just tell you that, as I’ve said many times, the discussions that we’re having about trying to get a renewed hostage deal in place are sober and they’re serious.  And Brett McGurk is in the region as we speak also trying to see what we can do to get one moving. 
 
Q    John —
 
Q    And related to that — sorry — can I ask: The — the government’s reaction to the leaked comments from Prime Minister Netanyahu saying Qatar’s role in the hostage talks were “problematic,” does that concern the administration and the prospects of potentially upsetting those delicate hostage negotiations?
 
MR. KIRBY:  I don’t think I’m going to comment on leaked comments attributable to another foreign leader.
 
The Israeli people want their loved ones back.  We want to make sure we get our American hostages back to their families where they belong.  There’s a lot of energy being put at this across the region with our Israeli counterparts, as well as our other counterparts, including the Qataris.  And we’re just going to keep working at that. 
 
Q    John, do you have any more information today about the plane that was shot down — the Russian plane that was shot down — and whether or not there were Ukrainian prisoners of war on it and who was responsible for it, et cetera?
 
MR. KIRBY:  Yeah, we’re still trying to gather some more information on this, Jeff.  I’m afraid I don’t have more detail to share with you today.
 
Q    John, given that there’s no security deal yet for Ukraine, are our allies in Europe stepping up in terms of providing what Ukraine needs to fight against Russia, in terms of both military equipment and also in terms of ammunition?
 
MR. KIRBY:  There are more than 50 nations that are helping support Ukraine as part of the coordination efforts that Secretary Austin has been leading — the Ukraine Defense Contact Group.  I think you know he hosted yet another — I think it was, like, the 13th one of those — virtually just earlier this week — again, more than 50 nations participating. 
 
So, there’s still an awful lot of energy across this, sort of, network of coalition, allies, and partners to help support Ukraine.  Each country does it in their own way and does it to the degree that they can.  So, just like us, these are sovereign decisions.  But we haven’t seen any slackening or disunity when it comes to supporting Ukraine. 
 
Q    So, given everything that you just said, what do you say when those that are opposed to aid for Ukraine argue the Europeans should just help out Ukraine by themselves; American ammunition, American military equipment is not necessary?
 
MR. KIRBY:  I’ll tell you what — I’d say a couple of things.  Number one, they are helping out Ukraine, and the facts bear that out over the last two years. 
 
This has been a U.S.-led effort.  And certainly, we’re the biggest contributor to Ukraine, but there’s an awful lot of countries — not just in Europe, but all around the world, in the Indo-Pacific — that are stepping up in their own way to support Ukraine.  And, again, that support continues to — to flow. 

The second thing I’d say is —
 
(Bumps a microphone.)  Sorry.
 
— they’re watching what we do.  American leadership matters, not just because we’re the biggest contributor but because we’ve also been principal to coordinating the delivery of assistance and getting it to the right hands in Ukraine. 
 
And so, what we do matters, what we say matters, and they are watching closely whether or not the United States can deliver.  And as I’ve said before, Ukraine is heading into a critical few months here as winter is full on and spring approaches.  And the Russians have shown no intent to slacking off from — from the drone and missile attacks.  So, it’s an important time.
 
Q    John, on the strikes against the U.N. facility in Southern Gaza yesterday.  Do you have more information about what happened, who is behind it?
 
MR. KIRBY:  We’re — we’re working hard to get a little bit more fidelity.  And I’m afraid I just don’t have much more detail on exactly what happened. 
 
We’re aware that there — there have been casualties.  We’re certainly — our condolences go out to all those who are affected by this.  You don’t want to see a U.N. relief works agency facility hit in any way. 
 
But we just don’t know what that looked like, what caused it.  And we don’t even know, you know, the full extent of all the damage. 
 
Q    You know, covering a couple of the President’s domestic — this is maybe more for you, Olivia — but in the President’s events this week — rolling out his first campaign rally, his first major endorsement yesterday — there were protesters protesting Israel’s campaign against Hamas and Gaza, calling for a ceasefire. 
 
Protesters are not new to presidents.  But what is un- — a little unusual is these are protesters who make up parts of his base.  What is your message to those people who are angry and are, you know, planning to interrupt your — your messaging and your events?
 
MS. DALTON:  The President has talked about, you know, his support for the First Amendment and the right of — that Americans have a right to make their voices heard and to protest peacefully.  He supports that. 
 
And he knows that this is an issue that is deeply personal to many, many Americans.  He has also been clear about his view — views on this.  And, you know — you know, we’ve talked about the fact that he believes strongly — and this is more in John’s lane — but that Israel needs to defend itself and have — have what it needs to defend itself in the face of an existential threat.
 
While — while at the same time, we, of course, have been — you know, the President has talked in deeply personal terms about his heartbreak at the humanitarian toll that this has inflicted on Gaza, the suffering of Palestinian civilians, and the need for Israel to do everything in their power to execute this campaign with — while abiding by the rules of — of law and making sure that they’re doing whatever they can to reduce civilian harm. 
 
Q    Can I ask one more?
 
MS. DALTON:  Yeah.
 
Q    There were reports last night and this morning that the former President is getting involved with Republicans on the Hill with regard to border policy and some of the negotiations going on there.  How much do you expect the former President — who has now all but, you know, locked up the nomination — to, sort of, impede any negotiations with the Republicans on the Hill?  And what will you do to, sort of, guard against that?
 
MS. DALTON:  Well, look, what I would just say is that, you know, the President has been clear: We need action on the border.  We’ve been engaging in good-faith, bipartisan negotiations with both Senate Democrats and Senate Republicans to that end.  We believe that there’s no reason that shouldn’t continue. 
 
We believe that, you know, there needs to be action on the border, that we need to come together on commonsense compromise on border measures and border policy and border resources.  And we — we still are hopeful that that can happen. 
 
Q    You said in the —
 
Q    John, is the administration considering federalizing the Texas National Guard?
 
MR. KIRBY:  I talked about this the other day.  I don’t have any decisions with respect to that to speak to for the — for the President.  I — I don’t have anything on that. 
 
Q    You said in the past you’re optimistic on talks.  Now you’re saying you’re hopeful on talks.  Are there talks still going on?  Like, do we know right now, or is this just up in the air?
 
MS. DALTON:  I’m — what I said was I think, you know, we’re hopeful that the talks can — can continue and that we can continue to build on the progress we’ve made so far in these talks to work toward a bipartisan agreement on meaningful border policy reform and border resources. 
 
I mean, the President has been clear in — you know, in stressing the importance of action on the border, going back to last year when he put forward his supplemental request, which included resources to stop the flow of fentanyl, to put more than 2,000 more personnel on the border. 
 
This is a president who knows we need action and is working in good faith to try to — to make that happen.  And we just see no reason for politics to get in the way here. 
 
Q    The fourth quarter GDP numbers, obviously, today beat expectations.
 
MS. DALTON:  Yeah.
 
Q    How is the President viewing this?  And, like, are you confident you can avoid a recession this year?
 
MS. DALTON:  Well, I think —
 
Q    It’s happened until now, obviously.
 
MS. DALTON:  Well, you might have seen the President’s statement out just a short time ago on the strong economic growth we saw last year: over 3 percent growth, building on three years of growth under this president; historic, you know, job creation, small-business creation; coupled with growing — rising wages, increased confidence — consumer confidence, and strong personal finances. 
 
We think all of this is — it’s not an accident, right?  It is an — it is — it crystallizes the — and validates the approach that this President has taken since day one to grow the economy by growing it from the bottom up and the middle out.  You’ve heard that — him say that before. 
 
This is a president who believes that we grow our economy by growing the middle class, and today’s data just show that he was right.
 
Q    Does he think you’re out of the woods on inflation?
 
MS. DALTON:  I — again, we’re hesitant to make — we’re not in the — the prediction game here.  But I think you’ve heard the Treasury Secretary, I think you’ve he- — heard Lael Brainard talk about the fact that we’re, you know, seeing a lot of indications that — that the economy is showing signs of resilience.  And we’re ho- — hopeful that that will continue. 
 
This President certainly sees this as a reason to continue to put his foot on the gas pedal, make sure we continue to make — build on the progress, which is why we’re going to Wisconsin today to talk about these historic investments.
 
Q    John, can I —
 
Q    The President —
 
Q    Can I just quickly ask, on the — I’m sorry.  Can I just quickly ask, on the state dinner in April, does President have a particular message that he’s hoping to get across during that state dinner?  Or is it more of a routine, you know, show of solidarity?
 
MR. KIRBY:  Japan is one of our closest allies in the whole world, certainly a — a very critical alliance in the Indo-Pacific.  So, again, as I said, I won’t get ahead of the President, but I think you can expect to see a robust discussion about how we’re deepening our bilateral cooperation with Japan and improving our alliance capabilities across the board but also how we’re working together across a range of other threats and challenges in the Indo-Pacific.  And that would — also includes, you know, improving trilateral cooperation with South Korea as well. 
 
But there will be a lot — there’ll be a lot to discuss.
 
Q    And Nippon (inaudible) takeover of U.S. Steel — or proposed takeover — is still probably going to be under review when that happens.  Will the President talk with his Japanese counterparts about that deal?  They’re probably going to want answers about why the U.S. is treating the Steel’s transaction as a potential security risk.
 
MR. KIRBY:  I — I don’t anything more specific to talk about in terms of the agenda.
 
Q    All right.  Thank you.
 
Q    The President has said before that he’s — that he’s — has a good relationship with Mitch McConnell.  Just following up on Katie’s question.  Mitch McConnell apparently isn’t — is making decisions now based on the idea that former President Trump will be their party’s nominee.  Has President Biden reached out to Senator McConnell?
 
MS. DALTON:  I don’t have any calls to preview or outreach — new outreach to share at this particular moment. 
 
But what I can say is the President, as you saw last week, hosted bipartisan leaders at the White House to talk about the urgency of the supplemental requests.  He went around the table.  He invited every single person around the table to speak.  And he laid out in very clear detail the stakes for Ukraine if we don’t pass the supplemental request. 
 
And, as you also know, we’ve been in good-faith negotiations with Senate Democrats and Republicans to take action on the border, to make sure that we deliver meaningful compromise on border policy and resources.  And, look, we are going to continue to work on that in good faith, and we hope that Republicans will remain at the table so we can do that.
 
Q    And just one other — just one other quick topic.  The President has made his opposition to the death penalty well known.  Does the White House have any comment on the Alabama case now where the — a man is going to be executed with a new — a new — in a new way?
 
MS. DALTON:  So, this is a state-level case, and I won’t speak to the details of this particular case. 
 
But I would just reiterate that, broadly speaking, the President has been very clear about his views on the death penalty going back for years and his concerns about the way that it is implemented and whether or not it’s consistent with our values of fairness and justice. 
 
You know, he has also talked about his support for the DOJ’s federal moratorium on the death penalty while they conduct a very comprehensive review of the policies and procedures that govern the use of the death penalty at the federal level.  And he continues to support that.
 
Q    Olivia, a strong —
 
Q    Is the White —
 
Q    — GDP number today.  You’ve also touted a number of other economic indicators which show, as you put it, a resilient economy.  Why, in your view, is this not resonating with voters, according to most polls that we’re seeing right now?
 
MS. DALTON:  Well, we actually think that it is.  And last — in the last two months, we’ve seen a double-digit jump of 29 percent in consumer sentiment.  We think that people — we’re seeing signs that people are starting to feel the impact of the record job creation, the record small business creation, the fact that wages are rising, that inflation is coming down.  It’s now — as of today, we’re seeing inflation return to pre-pandemic levels.  And we think that there are indications that, over the last couple of months — again, as I said — consumer sentiment has jumped in such a way that it tells us people are starting to feel that impact.  And we have to keep at it.

Q    And yet —

Q    Olivia —

Q    Yet I see, in poll after poll, the President doesn’t get his approval rating, in terms of how he’s managing the U.S. economy, really, above the low 40s.  How do you explain that?

MS. DALTON:  Well, look, I think we’ve also been really clear that this is not going to — things don’t just, you know, happen overnight here.  We’ve — the American people have been through a rough period during the pandemic, and this has been a — three years of strong recovery but a recovery. 

Now we’re seeing encouraging signs that consumer sentiment is improving over the last couple of months.  We’re also seeing, by virtually every indication, that the economy is humming. 

So, we — we know that this is a moment where the President — you know, we’re on our way to Wisconsin right now to talk to the American people about the ways that we’re continuing to invest in our communities, invest in our future, invest in our ability to compete on the world stage in the years ahead. 

That’s a message — the President will continue to deliver it.  And — and we hope that we can, sort of, keep our foot on the gas here in terms of the real progress people are feeling.

Q    Olivia, pro- —
 
Q    Is the White House planning on protests and interruptions when the President speaks publicly now?  Is that something that you’re just preparing for?

MS. DALTON:  You know, look, it’s — it’s hard to — these things are hard to predict.  There have always been protests.  And the President is — you know, I can’t remember a campaign or a — you know, an official I have worked for that has not, you know, encountered — encountered interruptions.  So, it’s nothing out of the ordinary.  And, you know, the President really, truly believes in the First Amendment right that Americans have to peacefully protest.

Q    But there were a dozen protests and interruptions during his remarks on Tuesday.  I mean, that — that’s more than we’ve seen with Biden.

MS. DALTON:  That’s well within folks’ right to do, and it’s consistent with their First Amendment right that the President supports.

Q    Olivia, following up on what Jeff’s — was asking about Mitch McConnell.  Is the White House confident that McConnell remains committed to advocating for a Ukraine and border deal?
MS. DALTON:  I — I don’t know that I can speak for Senator McConnell or ascribe his —

Q    Is the White House confident that he’s your, kind of, helper, ally in this?

MS. DALTON:  What I would just say is that we’ve been able to work in good faith with Senate Democrats and Republicans, to date.  We hope that that will continue.  But we — you know, I talked about this a little bit last week.  We feel that we have made progress.  And, again — (press cabin door opens) — hopeful that that can continue.

(Laughter.)  Are you okay?

Q    And a follow on the bridge today.  I know the White House said without the funding from the infrastructure law that the bridge would have had to close down, I believe, in the year 2030. 

MS. DALTON:  That’s right.

Q    So, do you have a timeline on when the — the project — under the infrastructure law — funding would be completely done with the repairs and all the upgrades that the President is going to talk about today?

MS. DALTON:  I think that’s something that we’re going to hear more about from officials on the ground, so I won’t get ahead of them.  But I’ll make sure we get you that answer.

Q    May I follow up on Jeff’s question on the death penalty?  I understand Alabama is a state-level case. 
 
But more specifically on the use of nitrogen gas, does the President have a position?  Is this something the administration has conducted any research on?

MS. DALTON:  I just don’t have anything on this to share — like, anything new to share today beyond what the President’s broad concerns with the federal — views of the federal death penalty are.

Q    Real quick.  Any update on the President’s physical and when he’s going to be getting that?

MS. DALTON:  I don’t have anything to share today, but we’ll keep you posted, as always.

Anything else?  Good?

Q    Thank you.

MS. DALTON:  All right.  See you all.

11:57 A.M. EST

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WASHINGTON – Today, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to serve as key leaders in his Administration:

• Tracey Ann Jacobson, Nominee to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Iraq
• Patrick J. Fuchs, Nominee to be a Member of the Surface Transportation Board

Also today, the White House will continue renominating candidates whose nominations were returned to the President at the end of the first session of the 118th Congress. Today’s transmission to the Senate will include 10 renominations. The White House hopes the Senate will take action expeditiously.

Tracey Ann Jacobson, Nominee to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Iraq

Tracey Jacobson, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Career Minister, most recently served as Charge d’Affaires ad interim at the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Over the course of her distinguished career, she has been a U.S. Ambassador on three occasions – to Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Kosovo, and the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Riga, Latvia. In addition to senior leadership roles overseas, Jacobson served as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the State Department’s Bureau of International Organization Affairs and as the National Foreign Affairs Training Center’s (FSI) Dean of the School of Professional and Area Studies and then as the Deputy Director. At the National Security Council, Jacobson was the Deputy Executive Secretary and Senior Director for Administration.

Jacobson earned her B.A. degree from Johns Hopkins University and her M.A. degree from the School of Advanced International Studies, also at Johns Hopkins. She is the recipient of multiple awards from the State Department, two Presidential Rank Awards, and the Order for Peace, Democracy and Humanism “Ibrahim Rugova” (Kosovo).

Patrick J. Fuchs, Nominee to be a Member of the Surface Transportation Board

Patrick J. Fuchs has served as a Member of the Surface Transportation Board since January 2019. While on the Board, he has advanced transportation policies that address unreasonable practices and inadequate service, adjudicated railroad transactions that generate new capital investments and routing options, and streamlined inefficient processes that unduly burden the public. Before his appointment, Fuchs served as a senior professional staff member working on surface transportation and maritime issues for the United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Fuchs played an integral role in the development and enactment of significant railroad legislation, including the reform of railroad infrastructure programs and the first reauthorization of the Surface Transportation Board since its creation in 1996. Before his time with the Senate, he was a policy analyst and Presidential Management Fellow at the Office of Management and Budget, where he managed railroad and maritime regulatory reviews. Fuchs also served at the U.S. Department of State, where he received the Meritorious Honor Award for extraordinary contributions to substantive economic analysis. A Wisconsin native, Fuchs earned a B.A. with distinction in economics and political science and an M.P.A. from the University of Wisconsin, where he received the Director’s Achievement Award for his outstanding academic record.

 
 
 

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Dear Mr. Speaker:   (Dear Madam President:)
 
As I have reported previously, militia groups affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have perpetrated a series of attacks against United States personnel and facilities in Iraq and Syria.  These attacks, including the recent attack on Al-Asad Air Base by Iran-affiliated militia groups, have caused injuries to United States personnel and Coalition forces operating alongside United States forces and have placed their lives under grave threat.
 
Previously, in response to these attacks and the threat of future attacks, at my direction, United States forces have conducted targeted strikes against facilities in Iraq and Syria used by the IRGC and IRGC-affiliated groups.
 
On the night of January 23, 2024, at my direction, United States forces conducted discrete strikes against facilities in Iraq used by IRGC-affiliated militia groups for training, logistics support, and other purposes.  The strikes were taken to degrade militias’ capabilities and deter future attacks and were conducted in a manner designed to limit the risk of escalation and avoid civilian casualties.  I directed the strikes in order to protect and defend our personnel and assets who are in Iraq conducting military operations pursuant to the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (Public Law 107-40).  The strikes were intended to degrade and disrupt Iran and Iran‑affiliated militia groups from conducting or supporting further attacks on United States personnel and facilities.
 
I directed this military action consistent with my responsibility to protect United States citizens both at home and abroad and in furtherance of United States national security and foreign policy interests, pursuant to my constitutional authority as Commander in Chief and Chief Executive and to conduct United States foreign relations and in accordance with the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (Public Law 107-40) and the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq (Public Law 107-243).  The United States took this necessary and proportionate action consistent with international law and in the exercise of the United States’ inherent right of self-defense as reflected in Article 51 of the United Nations Charter.  The United States stands ready to take further action, as necessary and appropriate, to address further threats or attacks.
 
I am providing this report as part of my efforts to keep the Congress fully informed, consistent with the War Powers Resolution (Public Law 93-148).  I appreciate the support of the Congress in this action.
 

                                      Sincerely,
 
 
                                      JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

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Phoenix launches one of the first Registered Apprenticeship programs in support of booming semiconductor and advanced manufacturing ecosystems with state, local, and philanthropic investments
 

Today, Senior Biden-Harris Administration officials will travel to Phoenix, Arizona for a Workforce Hub convening announcing commitments to equitable workforce development from Hub collaborators. In 2023, First Lady Jill Biden announced Phoenix as one of five Workforce Hubs where President Biden’s Investing in America agenda—including the American Rescue Plan, Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, CHIPS and Science Act, and Inflation Reduction Act—is driving historic private and public investments while creating pathways into good jobs.  In Phoenix, these investments demonstrate how Bidenomics is growing the economy from the middle out and bottom up.

Today’s announcements include: a $5 million private sector commitment to establish a new semiconductor technician Registered Apprenticeship program, a $5 million commitment from philanthropic organizations to provide 1,500 Arizonans with supportive services to enter in-demand jobs of the future, new partnerships between unions and community colleges to expand access to apprenticeship and credentialing programs, and more.

Since the start of the Biden-Harris Administration, Arizona has seen over $77 billion in private investment in semiconductor, battery, electric vehicle, clean energy, and biomanufacturing sectors. In response, the state is rapidly expanding equitable workforce pathways into advanced manufacturing to meet demand for talent in these critical sectors.  In November, Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs and the Arizona Commerce Authority announced $4 million from the President’s American Rescue Plan to fund wraparound support services such as child care, transportation tuition, and supplies for apprentices in semiconductor-related Registered Apprenticeships.

Building on that investment, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, with support from Governor Katie Hobbs, established a series of critical new partnerships to build talent pipelines in partnership with the Workforce Hub’s two anchor institutions, Maricopa Community College and Arizona State University.  By launching new collaborative efforts with employers, unions, community colleges, and other institutions, Phoenix will support a diverse range of workers to enter and succeed in careers in advanced manufacturing. As a result of this work, the Phoenix region is now home to the Arizona’s first semiconductor Registered Apprenticeship programs and the city’s workforce board is the first-ever to sponsor a Registered Apprenticeship program in this industry.

The Hub’s work also supports the Administration’s Advanced Manufacturing Workforce Sprint —an intensive nationwide drive to build a diverse, skilled pipeline of workers for good advanced manufacturing jobs.

Major advancements expanding pathways into good jobs from Phoenix Hub collaborators are below.

• TSMC Arizona (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) is investing $5 million and establishing a new semiconductor technician Registered Apprenticeship program. TSMC Arizona intends to train 80 facility technician apprentices over five years, with support from the City of Phoenix and the Arizona State Apprenticeship Office, and will scale over time and expand its curriculum to additional roles.  As a part of this effort, TSMC Arizona will also recruit technician apprentices from local communities.
   
• Arizona Community Foundation will drive the creation of a $5 million philanthropic fund in partnership with other community-based organizations for equitable workforce development initiatives. The fund is designed to support 1,500 non-traditional talent and underserved residents with training to enter in-demand jobs of the future. Recognizing that individuals from underserved communities often need support to successfully complete training, the fund will provide grants to organizations that provide wrap-around services for workforce training and attainment.
   
• South Mountain campus of the Maricopa Community College System and the Arizona Building Trades Council (AZBTC) will signa Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that details their shared commitment to work together to expand enrollment in construction trades Registered Apprenticeship programs. As a part of this MOU, South Mountain will provide the AZBTC access to students and facilities and both partners will engage in joint recruitment. These efforts will support pre-apprenticeship and Registered Apprenticeship programs and will serve individuals from underserved communities (primarily Latino, Indigenous, and first-generation students). Since the inception of South Mountain Community College’s Construction Trades Institute, 126 students have earned certificates: 50 in carpentry, 56 in plumbing, and 20 in electrical.
   
• Phoenix Union School District and the Western Maricopa Education Center working in collaboration will enable high school students to access in-demand advanced manufacturing credentials. This effort will support a program in which high school students earn certifications that will make them competitive for jobs in advanced manufacturing. All participants will have tuition covered by the State. This program is set to launch Fall 2024.
   
• Phoenix is investing $10 million in American Rescue Plan funds in additional wrap-around services training efforts at Maricopa Community Colleges.These funds are providing monthly stipends of $1,000 to eligible participants to assist with transportation and other personal expenses which support individuals while completing an at one of the Maricopa Community Colleges. Individuals with young children (13 years old and under) receive an additional $500 per month to cover childcare expenses.
   
• Arizona Commerce Authority is investing over $80 million from the President’s American Rescue Plan to expand university partnerships focused on infrastructure and workforce, including—
  
  • $30 million for a Materials-to-Fab Center located at the Arizona State University (ASU) that will power shared research, development, and prototyping, accelerating semiconductor innovation;
     
  • $17.5 million to enhance Arizona’s research, development, and workforce training capabilities at ASU to create a GaN (gallium nitride) manufacturing and research ecosystem, developing 6G (sixth generation technology for wireless communications) in partnership with an employer partner, NXP Semiconductors;
     
  • $35.5 million supporting the University of Arizona’s Micro/Nano Fabrication Center in Tucson that will drive manufacturing and research efforts involving semiconductors, computer chips, optical devices, and quantum computing systems; and
     
• BuilditAZ Apprenticeship is leading a statewide initiative to double the number of construction and trades registered apprentices by 2026 to almost 8,000. This program is expanding access to pre-apprenticeships, creating pathways, especially for women and other individuals from underrepresented communities, and increasing postsecondary attainment.
   
• Future48 Workforce Accelerator is establishing a new semiconductor-focused collaboration led by the Arizona Commerce Authority with Maricopa Community College that will further build the pipeline of talent for semiconductor and advanced manufacturing industries.
   
• Governor Katie Hobbs in collaboration with the Arizona Commerce Authority, Department of Economic Security, and other organizations are conducting a child care needs study. This partnership is working to meet the child care needs across industries, including semiconductors, to ensure that Arizona supports successful CHIPS implementation.

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President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will host Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and Mrs. Kishida Yuko of Japan for an Official Visit to the United States, which will include a state dinner, on April 10, 2024. The visit will underscore the enduring strength of our Alliance partnership, the unwavering U.S. commitment to Japan, and Japan’s increasing global leadership role.  President Biden and Prime Minister Kishida will discuss efforts to strengthen our political, security, economic, and people-to-people ties so that our Alliance is postured to address evolving challenges and advance our shared vision for a free, open, secure, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region and world.    

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Office of Management and Budget guidance expands access for small businesses to high value and high use contracts; Small Business Administration revamps mentoring programs for underserved businesses interested in doing business with the government and releases new demographic data on government contracts

Today, the Biden-Harris Administration announced its latest actions to expand access for small businesses to the over $700 billion spent through federal contracts each year, particularly for those owned by individuals from underrepresented communities. The federal government is the largest purchaser of goods and services in the world, making federal contracts a powerful tool to build wealth in underserved communities and ensure that the federal government is leveraging talent from all corners of the country. These new initiatives will advance the President’s Investing in America agenda and bold goal of increasing the share of federal contracting dollars going to small businesses owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals (SDBs) to 15% by Fiscal Year (FY) 2025, a 50% increase from spending levels when he first took office. 

In each of the last three fiscal years, the Administration has increased spending on contracts to small businesses on the way to this goal, with small businesses receiving nearly $163 billion in federal contracting dollars in FY 2022, $70 billion of which was earned by SDBs. Supporting small businesses and giving entrepreneurs the tools to thrive is a key pillar of Bidenomics. Under President Biden, a record 16 million new business applications have been filed, while the share of Black households owning a business has more than doubled, and the share of Latino households owning a business has increased by 40%.

In 2021, President Biden took the historic step of ordering the public release of federal contract data broken down by business owner race and ethnicity to bring increased transparency to federal contracting. New data for FY22 released today shows that businesses owned by historically underrepresented groups earned more through federal contracts across every category.

The Administration continues to stand behind our programs to support small businesses, and today, the Administration is announcing new actions to help small businesses access federal contracts, including issuing new guidance to federal agencies from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), providing new technical resources to SDBs to help them obtain contracts and expand revenue, and sharing data on federal contracts to traditionally underserved small businesses.  Actions include:

• New OMB guidance to all federal agencies to help more small businesses participate in high use federal contracts. Today, OMB issued guidance on strategies federal agencies should adopt so that small businesses can participate in multiple-award contracts – a contract vehicle that accounts for nearly $160 billion, or over 20%, of all federal government contract dollars. Agencies rely on multiple-award contracts because they allow agencies to meet mission needs with more timely, cost-effective and streamlined competitions. To ensure that small businesses have opportunities to participate in multiple-award contracts, the guidance encourages earlier engagement and planning for multiple-award contracts to maximize opportunities for small business contract holders; additional consideration of “on-ramps” to allow for businesses to be added during the performance period of the multiple-award contract; and the use of small business set aside orders for competition among small businesses. These changes will help more small businesses participate in federal contracts, support a and resilient federal marketplace and ensure federal contracts are best delivering for the American people.
  
• Improved technical assistance opportunities for small businesses looking to do business with the federal government. The Small Business Administration (SBA) is announcing a slate of major improvements to the popular 7(j) technical assistance program – now called Empower to Grow (E2G) – which is available to SDBs located in areas of high unemployment or low income. The improved E2G program will offer customized one-on-one training tailored to small business needs and guide them through the process of pursuing government contracts, convening networking and matchmaking events between government agencies and prime contractors.  In FY 2023, the E2G program provided support to 6,000 small businesses and helped 2,000 small businesses grow their participation in federal contracting. Small businesses that received training reported, on average, a 45% increase in annual revenue.

Today’s actions build on significant steps the Biden-Harris Administration has already taken to support small businesses. This includes:

• SBA expanded its lending program focused on underserved communities for the first time in 40 years and made critical program changes to increase lending to underserved small businesses. This fall, the SBA issued new licenses to lenders in the Small Business Lending Company (SBLC) program for the first time in 40 years. The lenders in this program have a track record of strong lending to traditionally underserved communities, and the new lenders each specialize in delivering capital to sectors and groups that face persistent capital access gaps. SBA also made critical reforms to its loan programs in 2023 that supported significant progress in addressing barriers to capital facing small business owners. In FY 2023, SBA made record gains in lending to Black, Latino, Native, AAPI, women, and veteran entrepreneurs – including $1.5 billion in loans to Black-owned businesses and $3 billion to Latino-owned businesses. Total loans and total loan dollars to Black-owned businesses more than doubled under the Biden-Harris Administration, and total loans to Latino-owned businesses doubled with total loan dollars increasing by more than 80%.
  
• The Department of the Treasury administers $10 billion State Small Business Initiative (SSBCI). Funded by the American Rescue Plan, Treasury’s SSBCI program delivers funding to states, territories, and tribal governments that spur lending and investing in small businesses, and provides critical technical assistance. So far, Treasury has approved $7.7 billion in allocations to 54 states and territories and 25 tribal governments. In addition, Treasury announced a $75 million competitive grant program for states to provide services to help very small and underserved businesses access opportunities created by the President’s Investing in America agenda – which includes the historic investments made by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Inflation Reduction Act, CHIPS and Science Act, and American Rescue Plan – by offering them technical assistance.
  
• The Minority Business Development Agency’s (MBDA) Capital Readiness Program is investing in small business incubators and accelerators. The MBDA’s Capital Readiness Program awarded $125 million to 43 non-profit community-based organizations to help underserved entrepreneurs launch and scale their small businesses. This program, funded through the American Rescue Plan, is the largest-ever direct federal investment in small business incubators and accelerators of its kind.
  
• SBA’s Community Navigators Program provides critical technical assistance. In December 2023, the SBA released a report that found that its more than 50 American Rescue Plan-funded Community Navigators grantees had already helped to secure more than $270 million in approved funding for small businesses, trained over 350,000 business owners, and conducted 175,000 hours of one-on-one counseling. With funding set to expire by the end of this year, the Biden-Harris Administration proposed additional funding for the program in its FY24 Budget proposal and has called on Congress to continue the program. 

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Following the 51st anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade, Jennifer Klein, Assistant to the President and Director of the Gender Policy Council, and Tom Perez, Senior Advisor to the President and Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, convened state leaders who have been on the front lines of the fight to defend reproductive rights. Today, state legislators tuned in to hear from Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey, Pennsylvania Speaker Joanna McClinton, Florida Leader Fentrice Driskell, and Texas Leader Carol Alvarado on the impact of dangerous abortion bans and their respective efforts to protect access to reproductive health care.

President Biden and Vice President Harris stand with the vast majority of Americans who believe that the right to choose is fundamental. Directors Klein and Perez emphasized that state leaders are invaluable allies in the Administration’s fight to defend reproductive freedom.

This meeting builds on more than two dozen White House-led working discussions with state legislators in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, including an in-person convening of more than 80 state legislators from 41 states in June 2023, as well as ongoing collaboration with governors, who President Biden convened for a discussion on reproductive rights in the wake of the Dobbs decision. The convening comes the same week that the Vice President kicked off her nationwide Fight for Reproductive Freedoms tour in Wisconsin, building on her travel to 20 states and meetings with more than 250 state legislators, health care providers, and advocates in the past year. 

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Today we learned that the U.S. economy grew 3.1 percent over the past year while adding another 2.7 million jobs, and with core inflation moving back down towards the pre-pandemic benchmark. As a result, wages, wealth, and employment are higher now than they were before the pandemic. That’s good news for American families and American workers. That is three years in a row of growing the economy from the middle out and the bottom up on my watch.
 
But our work is not done. I will continue to fight to lower costs — from implementing historic legislation to lower prescription drugs costs, health insurance premiums, and clean energy costs, to taking on hidden junk fees that companies use to rip off consumers, to calling on large corporations to pass on to consumers the savings they have been seeing for months now. And I won’t allow extreme Republicans to hand out massive giveaways to the wealthy and large corporations, while raising your costs and cutting Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. That’s not how we give American families more breathing room.
 

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Today, the Biden-Harris Administration is announcing new executive actions to help promote safe storage of firearms that implement President Biden’s Executive Order on promoting safe gun storage in order to reduce gun violence and make our communities safer.

Gun violence is the leading cause of death of children in America. That is why the Biden-Harris Administration is taking comprehensive action to prevent gun violence affecting children. Approximately 4.6 million children live in homes with unsecured firearms. Studies show that safe storage can dramatically reduce children’s risk of self-inflicted harm and unintentional shootings.

Safe storage of firearms can physically prevent youth from accessing firearms, helping to keep youth, schools, and communities safe from gun violence. Unsecured guns are also closely associated with school shootings, youth suicide, unintentional shootings, and theft of firearms.

• 76 percent of school shootings are committed with guns from the home. The Department of Homeland Security’s National Threat Assessment Center reviewed targeted school violence over the past 40 years and found that three-quarters of school shooters acquired their firearm from the home of a parent or close relative.
• 80 percent of firearm suicides by children (age 18 or younger) involved a gun belonging to a family member. The firearm suicide rate among children and teens has increased by 66 percent over the past decade.
• 76 percent of unintentional shootings of children were committed with unsecured guns from the home, most often stored in nightstands or other sleeping areas. From 2003 to 2021, 1,262 children (0-17 years) were killed by fatal unintentional firearm injury, with approximately half caused by another person.
• Over 1 million stolen firearms. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) reported that from 2017 to 2021, local law enforcement reported 770,642 private theft incidents involving 1,026,538 firearms. A rising trend has been firearms stolen from unattended motor vehicles.

New Actions to Reduce Gun Violence and Save Lives

Local leaders, like school officials, community and faith leaders, and law enforcement can be trusted, credible messengers when it comes to providing guidance on gun violence prevention and safe firearm storage options. Today, the Biden-Harris Administration is announcing three actions to help further promote safe storage and protect children:

• The U.S. Department of Education will take new action on safe firearm storage by sending a letter to school principals across the country explaining the importance of safe storage and encouraging them to communicate with parents, families, caregivers, and the broader community about how safe storage can protect students in school and in their communities.
• The U.S. Department of Education will also issue a new communication template that principals and school leaders can use to engage with parents and families about the importance of safe firearm storage, and encourage more people to take preventive action by safely storing firearms.
• The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) will release a guide to safe storage of firearms in order to provide subject matter expertise on different types of storage devices and best practices for safely storing firearms. This is the most comprehensive guide on safe storage ever released by the federal government.

To highlight these new actions, First Lady Jill Biden, White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention Director Stefanie Feldman and U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona will join a town hall with school principals at the White House. The town hall will elevate the importance of safe firearms storage and emphasize the role that principals and education leaders can play in helping prevent gun violence. A livestream of the town hall is available here: School Principals Town Hall with the Office of Gun Violence Prevention & the Department of Education – YouTube

Building on a Record of Action to Promote Safe Storage of Firearms

These new actions build on the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to promoting safe storage of firearms, including:

• The Administration’s launch of an unprecedented focus on lethal means safety in the White House strategy to reduce military and veteran suicide, with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) also launching the first of its kind paid media campaign, KeepItSecure.net to highlight the importance of firearm safe storage in preventing veteran suicide. The Department of Defense (DoD) also released new evidence-informed communication tools, including a public service announcement, to encourage safe storage among military service members and their families.
• The issuing of a new ATF final rule clarifying firearms dealers’ statutory obligations to make available for purchase gun storage or safety devices compatible with the dealer’s firearm inventory.
• The publishing by ATF of an open letter to all federal firearms licensees on their legal obligations if they choose to provide temporary storage options on their premise.
• The DOJ announcement of new grant funds available through its STOP School Violence Program for schools to promote awareness of safe storage.  The DOJ’s Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program made grant funds available for law enforcement to acquire gun locks and storage devices that can be distributed to individuals and businesses.
• The release of a statement by the Assistant Secretary of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration bringing attention to lethal means safety, and particularly safe storage of firearms, as a critical component of comprehensive suicide prevention efforts.
• The publishing of a Vital Signs Report on Firearm Safety by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) highlighting the growing disparities in firearm violence, including firearm-related suicide and emphasized the importance of lethal mean safety. CDC also published a Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report examining unintentional injury among children and teens that emphasized the role of unsecured firearms and how safe storage can prevent harm.

The Biden-Harris Administration will continue to take action to promote safe storage and calls on Congress to assist these efforts by passing a national safe storage law to create accountability for those who leave firearms unsecured. In addition, the Administration is working with state and local leaders on safe storage efforts.

In December, Vice President Harris, the Office of Gun Violence Prevention and the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs convened 100 state legislators to announce the Biden-Harris Administration’s Safer States Initiative to reduce gun violence and save lives. The Administration urged states to enact and implement strong laws requiring firearms owners to safely store their firearms in their homes and vehicles. The laws should impose a clear standard to penalize those who do not safely store their weapons and whose weapons end up being used for violence.

• States were also encouraged to invest in efforts that raise awareness of the range of safe storage options available to keep guns out of the hands of children and unauthorized individuals, and fund individuals’ access to effective storage options through tax incentives and other programs.
• In addition, the Department of Justice published model safe storage legislation to help states craft appropriate requirements for securing firearms kept in residences and vehicles and to ensure that those firearms do not fall into the hands of children, teens, and prohibited persons.

While safe gun storage is an important factor in curtailing death and injuries among children, the Biden-Harris Administration, through the American Rescue Plan, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, and other grant programs, has also provided unprecedented funding to establish safe, healthy, and supportive learning opportunities and environments; to increase access to school-based mental health services; and to strengthen the pipeline of mental health professionals in high-need communities. These historic investments provide greater access to the services and supports that help keep students safe and healthy. These investments help advance the President’s Mental Health Strategy, which directly implements his Unity Agenda for the nation by helping to tackle the mental health crisis.

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Today, President Biden will visit Superior, Wisconsin, where the Blatnik Bridge connects Wisconsin and Minnesota, to announce nearly $5 billion in funding for major transportation projects across the country as part of his Investing in America agenda. A key pillar of Bidenomics, the President’s Investing in America agenda—including the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS and Science Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act—is making long overdue investments in infrastructure, unleashing a clean energy and manufacturing boom, and creating good-paying jobs, many of which do not require a college degree. To date, the Administration has announced over $400 billion in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding for over 40,000 infrastructure projects across the nation, and has mobilized over $640 billion in private sector manufacturing and clean energy investments in the United States. And, since day one of the Biden Administration, over 670,000 construction jobs and 210,000 clean energy jobs have been created in communities across the country.

Two years ago, after he signed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, President Biden visited the Blatnik Bridge and highlighted the vital yet deteriorating bridge as the type of infrastructure that he would rebuild across the country. Today’s announcement—a transformative $5 billion investment that includes $1 billion to replace the Blatnik Bridge itself—is a key example of the President following through on that commitment. Due to its poor condition, the current Blatnik Bridge is predicted to close by 2030, and this new investment will change that by expanding weight capacity to accommodate freight, building wider shoulders to improve safety, and increasing accessibility for pedestrians and cyclists. During his visit to Wisconsin, President Biden will highlight the impact of the Blatnik Bridge investment on people in the community—including small business owners who rely on timely orders, deliveries, and commutes for their customers and employees; families that need to cross the bridge safely and with less traffic; truck drivers whose loads are too heavy for the current bridge; workers who will be hired on the project, and more. The President will meet with a small business owner who says his local business—and the downtown community in Superior—will benefit from the new Blatnik Bridge.

In addition to the Blatnik Bridge, key projects from today’s announcement include: replacing the I-5 Bridge over the Columbia River between Vancouver, Washington, and Portland, Oregon, which carries over 143,000 vehicles per day and no longer meets the needs of commerce and travel; improving 10 miles of I-10 through the Gila River Indian Community and Pinal County in Arizona; making multimodal improvements in the I-376 corridor of Pittsburgh; and reconnecting communities divided by the Cross Bronx Expressway in New York, which displaced residents and separated communities when constructed in the mid-1900’s. These historic projects will create good-paying jobs, make our transportation systems safer and more resilient, and unlock economic opportunity for communities across in every corner of the country. Overall, half of the funding announced today – nearly $2.8 billion – is going to projects in rural areas. These investments also build on historic funding that President Biden has announced over the past year—including $1.7 billion through the Mega and INFRA programs early last year, $2.1 billion through the Bridge Investment Program, and major rail announcements at the end of 2023—$16.4 billion to modernize Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor and $8.2 billion for world-class rail, including the country’s first high speed rail projects.

Already, the projects funded by previous announcements are hitting major milestones. For example, thanks to $1.6 billion in funding, construction to upgrade the existing Brent-Spence Bridge and build a new bridge along this critical freight corridor is expected to begin this year. In addition, thanks to the $11 billion investment from the Biden-Harris Administration, construction is now underway to replace the over 100-year-old Hudson River Tunnel between New York and New Jersey, which serves 200,000 passengers daily and is a source of frequent delays. Early work is now underway to replace the 150-year-old Frederick Douglass Tunnel in Baltimore, thanks to $4.7 billion from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Work is also underway to construct the 10.3-mile St. Paul Gold Line Bus Rapid Transit system that will serve nearly 2 million passengers annually thanks to $240 million in funding. Thanks to $198 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding, construction is also ongoing to extend the Phoenix Northwest Light Rail which will serve about 2 million passengers per year. Finally, due to a $84.5 million investment, upgrades to Boston Logan Airport’s Terminal E are now complete, with increased capacity, improved energy efficiency, and new passenger waiting areas.
Funding announced today will support 37 projects across the country, including: 

• $1.06 billion to replace the Blatnik Bridge connecting Superior, Wisconsin with Duluth, Minnesota. The Blatnik Bridge is a 1.5-mile-long bridge that connects Duluth, MN, and Superior, WI, often referred to as the “Twin Ports”. The current bridge is weight restricted and cannot carry large or heavy trucks, causing lengthy detours for regional freight. The replacement bridge will increase capacity and create a new shared-use path for pedestrians and bicyclists.
   
• $600 million to replace the over 100-year-old I-5 Bridge—a critical connection linking Oregon and Washington across the Columbia River as part of a vital regional, national and international trade route. This project will replace the aging bridge with a modern, earthquake-resilient, multimodal bridge. It will also add safety shoulders and auxiliary lanes, include add transit improvements, and create safe and accessible shared use paths.
   
• $427 million for the Humboldt Offshore Wind project in California. The project will establish the first offshore wind terminal on the Pacific Coast. The terminal will support the transport, assembly, launch, and maintenance of floating offshore wind turbines.  
   
• $372 million to replace the 80-year-old Sagamore Bridge, one of the Cape Cod Bridges that spans the Cape Cod Canal and provides the only vehicle access to the Massachusetts mainland from Cape Cod.
   
• $300 million for the Louisiana International Terminal Project to construct a new container terminal on the Gulf Coast for the Port of New Orleans. The new terminal will be a new alternative for larger vessels compared to inland terminals that have height restrictions.
   
• $200 million for the Hood River White Salmon Bridge in Oregon and Washington. The project will replace the bridge between Hood River, OR, and White Salmon, WA, which serves as a critical link for freight and provides hospital access and a wildfire evacuation route. The current bridge is structurally deficient, and the replacement will have higher clearance, wider lanes, seismic improvements, and a separate bicycle and pedestrian pathway.
   
• $150 million to reconnect communities divided by the Cross Bronx Expressway between the Harlem River and the Hutchinson River Parkway in New York—one of the most congested stretches of interstate in the U.S. with some of the highest rates of traffic and collisions. The project will improve pedestrian, bicycle, and transit connections across the highway and along parallel routes, expand open space, increase safety on local routes along the corridor, and improve traffic management, especially for freight vehicles. The Expressway was constructed between 1948 and 1972 and divided the borough, displacing residents and separating communities.
   
• $95 million for the Gila River Indian Community I-10 Project in Arizona. The project will widen approximately 10 miles of I-10 in Pinal County from two lanes to three lanes, make interchange improvements and build a new interchange, and remove or replace low-clearance bridges along the route. The project will improve safety, increase capacity, and provide job opportunities for the Gila River Indian Community.
   
• $66 million for the Mineral County I-90 Improvement Project in Montana. The project will reconstruct almost six miles of I-90, making resilience, drainage, and safety improvements, and replacing three bridges on westbound I-90. 
   
• $28 million for the Elko Nevada Rail Corridor Enhancement project in Nevada. The project will make improvements on the Union Pacific Railroad at the Elko Yard. Track improvements, infrastructure upgrades, and enhanced signal infrastructure will reduce an average of 2.5 hours of delay per freight train using the corridor.
   
• $15 million for the East River Terminal Berth Replacement project in Georgia. The project will replace three berths at the Port of Brunswick’s East River Terminal, as well as support growing export of wood pellets at the port.

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2:30 P.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT: Hello, UAW! (Applause.)

AUDIENCE: UAW! UAW! UAW!

THE PRESIDENT: It’s great to be home. (Applause.) One of the best unions in the world. (Applause.) You look out for one another. And the whole country — the whole country benefits from what you do.

You know — please take a seat if you have one. (Laughter.)

You’re tough as they come, starting with your president, Shawn Fain — (applause) — a leader with backbone — a backbone like a ramrod. I don’t know where he is, but he is.

Together, we’re proving what I’ve always believed: Wall Street didn’t build America. The middle class built America, and unions built the middle class. (Applause.) That’s a fact.

Look, I kept my commitment to be the most pro-union president ever, and I’m proud you have my back. Let me just say I’m honored to have your back and you have mine. That’s the deal. (Applause.)

It comes down to seeing the world the same way. It’s not complicated.

You know, my dad — who never went to college; who was the smartest, toughest, most gracious man I knew; who managed a car dealership for the bulk of my life — taught me a very important lesson. He’d say, “Joey” — this is the God’s truth — “a job is about a lot more than a paycheck. It’s about decency. It’s about your dignity. It’s about your place in the community. It’s about being able to look your kid in the eye and say, ‘Honey, it’s going be okay,’ and mean it — and mean it.”

Folks, that’s what the UAW is all about, and it’s always been that way. (Applause.)

Just after the UAW was founded nearly 90 years ago, it launched what historians call the most important strike in the 20th century: Flint, 1936. (Applause.) Walter Reuther org- — organized a sit-down in a factory.

They weren’t sure what would happen. They were worried about getting beat up. But they were determined. They were determined. And it took 44 days, but they won the first collective bargaining victory in American history. (Applause.)

And the leadership of the UAW spread across the country and led to the first substantial wage increase in a long time, the first cost-of-living allowance, the first employer-provided healthcare. Within four years, workers across the entire auto industry unionized, inspiring workers across other industries as well, giving life to new industries in the labor movement.

I share that history with you because all of you made history again. I’m confident — and I mean this — 90 years from now, people are going to look back on the impact you had — you in this room. Just like them 90 years ago, you matter now. You lead.

And I respect all of you here today. You represent unions that always led, always lifted, and always inspired workers.

The UAW legacy from Walter Reuther to Shawn Fain today — Shawn, you took a lot of heat, but you demonstrated extraordinary leadership. (Applause.) You did.

And that’s what I saw a few months ago during your historic UAW strike — the time — this time in Belleville, Michigan.

And I’ll say I was so damn proud to stand on that picket line with you. (Applause.) It’s not the first — it’s not the first UAW picket line I stood in. In my home state of Delaware, I’ve done it many times. But it’s the first time a president did it, I found out later. (Laughter and applause.)

I’ve always fought for a strong auto industry, with UAW-built cars leading the world. This is what — it’s about a simple proposition: You built these iconic companies. You built GM. You built — you built these companies. You sacrificed to save them in the worst of times. And you deserve to benefit when these companies thrive. (Applause.)

As Shawn said, record profits mean record contracts. (Applause.) I’m serious. And that’s what you got: record wage increases, winning back cost-of-living adjustments, greater retirement security, more paid leave, and eliminating tiers. (Laughs.) (Applause.) Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. (Laughs.) You all know my position.

I’m — I’m tire- — I’ve tried — you know, I’m tired about jobs going overseas, having products shipped to — (applause).

Look, during the Trump administration and a lot of administrations before that, what’d they do? So many — so many people around America lost their sense of pride. Because whether it was an automobile company or any company at all, that factory was there for 30 years. Hiring — they maybe only had 150 people in it, but it was a part of the community.

Guess what? Corporate America found the cheapest labor in the world and they sent the jobs to those laborers and sent the product back to us. But not anymore. We’re building product here and shipping it overseas. (Applause.) Buy America and build America. (Applause.)

I mean it. And what’s really important, you made sure the auto future of the world will be made in America. (Applause.) Oh, I mean it.

You know, I’m going to digress just a second. Most people don’t know that back in the ‘30s when Roosevelt was talking about the value of unions, he didn’t just say unions are okay. He said any product that — in fact, that Congress — any money that Congress gives the President to spend, to build a product — whether it’s an aircraft carrier, an automobile, a tanker, a staircase — no matter what that was, it should be built —

AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.)

AUDIENCE: UAW! UAW! UAW!

THE PRESIDENT: For —

AUDIENCE: UAW! UAW! UAW!

THE PRESIDENT: But for a long time — for a long time —

AUDIENCE: UAW! UAW! UAW! (Applause.)

THE PRESIDENT: For a long time, the Congress would make an appropriation and send it to the President to spend, whether it was building an aircraft carrier or staircase. And guess what? It was supposed to be built by an American worker with American products.

Well, guess what? I’m going back to that. We build in America, and we buy American. (Applause.)

And here is what you all did: You won commitments from the Big Three to create thousands of more jobs. So, that’s tens of billions more dollars. Building an auto future made in America.

It wasn’t just about what you did for the UAW workers. The fact is, you’ve transformed the entire auto industry that’s not yet unionized — or, as we call that, the “UAW bump.” (Applause.)

Because of you, Toyota, Volkswagen, Nissan, Tulsa [Tesla] all gave their workers double-digit raises.

Because of you — (applause) — workers across the country have seen the largest wage increases for workers building cars and trucks and any other transportation equipment in nearly 30 years.

Thousands of these workers are already asking to join your union. (Applause.)

Even before this, the UAW has been expanding its reach to workers in auto plants in cont- — from auto plants to casi- — to casi- — casinos. (Laughter and applause.) You can tell I don’t spend much time there. (Laughter.)

But guess what most people don’t know what the UAW represents? Researchers in higher education and workers. And because of this union, I’m pleased and proud that you expanded the UAW to include 5,000 researchers at the National Institute of Health — UAW workers. (Applause.)

I, honest to God, have always believed that the union movement in America is important because it produces the best-skilled workers in the world.

That’s what happens. It’s good for everybody. It’s good for companies. It increases the quality of the jobs, the quality of the products. And it’s good for economic growth.

In fact, I asked — which is unusual for a president to do — I asked the Treasury Department to do a significant study — the most comprehensive report ever — detailing how unions are good for all workers, including non-union workers; how they found that unions raise standards across workplaces in industry, improving skills and sa- — pushing up wages, strengthening the benefits for everyone.

It matters. It matters, it matters. And some in corporate America are finally beginning to figure it out.

And look at what we’re doing — what’s good for workers and companies.

Since I took office, we’ve attracted billions of dollars in investment here in the United States. We supercharged advanced manufacturing, including electric vehicles made by union workers in America.

China is determined — (applause) — China is determined to dominate that market, with EV predominantly made in China and Chinese jobs. The previous administration consent — was content to sit on the sidelines and let China take all these jobs, but I won’t let that happen. (Applause.) I will not.

That’s why I — (applause) — that’s why I pushed and drafted the CHIPS and Science Act, investing more than $50 billion in manufacturing semiconductors here at home.

Automobiles today require 3,000 chips — of these chips to be made. That’s why my Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is building a network of 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations all across America, installed by your brothers and sisters at the IBEW. That’s who is doing it. (Applause.)

That’s why the Inflation Reduction Act — which, the other team, not a single person supported — that I signed into law — dramatically — is a dramatic incentive for the Big Three and other auto companies to make it here — their future here in America with American jobs — jobs that we want to make union jobs. (Applause.)

That’s why I announced $12 billion to help companies that respect their workers implement a just transition to electric vehicle future. Because I strongly believe — (applause) — that companies transitioning to new technology should retool, reboot, and rehire in the same factories in the same communities with comparable wages. (Applause.) And existing union workers should have the first shot at those jobs. (Applause.)

Shawn said I appointed — I appointed a historically pro-union National Labor Relations Board, because I don’t believe any company should be using threats or tactics to stand in the way of workers’ rights to organize. Period. (Applause.)

And, folks, you’ve been very patient, sitting a long time. But these investments are paying off.

Since I came to office — by the way, the last guy said he’s looking for — he’s hoping for a recession — (the President makes the sign of the cross) — (laughter) — because he does not want to be the next Herbert Hoover.

He’s already Herbert Hoover. (Laughter and applause.) He’s the only president other than Herbert Hoover who lost jobs when he was president.

Look, since I came to office, with your help, we’ve created 14 million new jobs — 14 million — (applause) — nearly 800,000 manufacturing jobs nationwide. (Applause.) And that means we’re creating American jobs and exporting American products instead of the other way around, like we saw for too long.

Unemployment has been below 4 percent for the longest stretch in 50 years, and it’s going down. (Applause.) Wages are up; household wealth is up.

We have the lowest inflation and fastest recovery of any major economy in the world. We have the fastest growing economy in the world.

I know we have more to do. And we’re making real progress. Over the last year, prices are down on everyday items from a gallon of gasoline to a gallon of milk. And folks are beginning to feel it.

Last week, we saw one of the biggest jumps in how positive consumers are about — feeling about their personal circumstance. But we have more work to do.

But our plan is delivering for the American people, building an economy from the middle out and the bottom up, not the top down. That’s what I said I was going to do — that’s what I tried to do as a senator and vice president — but because, when we do that, the poor have a ladder up and the middle class does well, and the wealthy do well. Although, they should be paying a hell of a lot more in taxes. (Applause.)

We all do well. It’s called Bidenomics. If you notice, all the major — all the major economists who are talking about “there’s going to be a recession next week, next month” — they’re all of a sudden — they’re seeing the Lord. (Laughter.) I’m a little worried; some of the major economists in American history are now giving me credit. It’s like, “Oh, God, what’s going on?” (Laughter.)

But, look, all kidding aside. This is a fundamental break from what used to be called trickle-down economics. And some Democrat presidents did it as well as Republican.

You know, I sat — not a lot trickled down on my dad’s kitchen table growing up. There wasn’t a lot. The idea was if the wealthy do very well, there will be a lot left over, and it will trickle down to ordinary folks. Well, guess what? That trickle-down economy was supercharged by my predecessor.

He cut taxes for the very wealthy and the biggest corporations. They shipped good-paying jobs overseas because labor was cheaper. It shrank public investment in infrastructure and education — invested less. It hollowed out entire communities, closing factories — I’m not making this up; you know this to be true — closing factories, attacking unions, and leaving too many Americans behind.

In fact, when Donald Trump was in office, six auto factories closed around the country. Tens of thousands of auto jobs were lost nationwide during Trump’s presidency.

During my presidency, we’ve opened 20 auto factories with more to come. (Applause.) We’ve created more than 250,000 auto jobs all across America. (Applause.)

And while I stood in solidarity with you on the picket line — as — as your president said, I went to the picket line; Donald Trump went to a non-union shop and attacked you.

Let me tell you something I learned a long time ago. If I’m going to be in a fight, I want it to be in a fight with you, the UAW — with you. (Applause.) No, no, I mean it.

We have a big fight in front of us. We’re fundamentally changing the economy in this country. And everybody is getting a little worried about it — the — the very powerful. Some are seeing the light.

But changing the economy — taking it from an economy that takes care of those at the top and changing an economy that gives people who built this country a fair shot.

Getting back to my dad, all anyone wants is just a fair shot — just a fair shot, an even shot to be able to make it. That’s what my economic plan is all about. That’s what the UAW is all about. That’s what the — your battle has been about.

The days of working people being dealt out of the deal are over in this country as long as I’m President. (Applause.) Working people are going to get their fair share. You’ve earned it, you’ve fought for it, and you deserve it.

So, today, I want to say to all of you: Thank you, thank you. (Applause.) I could not be more proud or more honored that you’ve chosen to stand with me.

AUDIENCE: Joe! Joe! Joe!

THE PRESIDENT: For all the progress we’ve made together, you’re the real hero. I mean — I want to make it clear: You’re the heroes of this story. It’s not what I did; it’s what the American people standing up with backbone did. You’re the reason why. And I mean it sincerely.

I’m supposedly an expert in foreign policy. I’ve known every major world leader for the past 25 years. And guess what? As I tell every world leader, remind them, whether they’re an adversary or an ally, it’s never, ever, ever been a good bet to bet against the American people — never, never, never. (Applause.)

And that’s been true throughout history, and it’s still true today.

Because of you — I mean this — because of you, I’ve never been more optimistic about America’s future. We just have to remember who we are. We are the United States of America. (Applause.)

And I mean this: There is nothing beyond our capacity when we work together. We’re the only nation in the world that’s come out of every crisis stronger than we went in.

So, God bless you all. And may God protect our troops. And God bless the American worker.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. (Applause.)

Every time I’d walk out of my grandfather — leaving his house up in Scranton, he’d yell, “Joey, keep the faith.” And my grandmother would come to the door, and she’d say, “No, Joey, spread it.” Let’s spread the faith. (Applause.)

2:51 P.M. EST

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We are gravely concerned by reports today of strikes hitting a UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) facility — with subsequent reports of fires in the building—in a neighborhood in southern Gaza where more than 30,000 displaced Palestinians had reportedly been sheltering. While we don’t yet have all the details on what happened and will continue to seek further information regarding today’s incidents, the loss of every innocent life is a tragedy. This conflict has already resulted in the devastating deaths and injuries of tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians, and we mourn every single civilian life that has been lost. It’s heartbreaking to see children killed, injured, and orphaned. The United States is unwavering in our support for Israel’s right to defend itself, consistent with international humanitarian law, against Hamas terrorists who hide among the civilian population and want to annihilate the State of Israel. But Israel retains a responsibility to protect civilians, including, humanitarian personnel and sites. And, as President Biden has been clear from the earliest days of this crisis, the United States will also continue working to increase life-saving humanitarian assistance into Gaza and to bring home all of the hostages held there.

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     I am returning herewith without my approval S.J.Res. 38, a resolution that would disapprove under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, an action by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) relating to “Waiver of Buy America Requirements for Electric Vehicle Chargers.”

     This resolution would eliminate the domestic manufacturing standards for electric vehicle (EV) chargers funded by the FHWA, thereby harming domestic manufacturing and American jobs.  If enacted, it would weaken Buy America requirements by reverting to FHWA’s general waiver for manufactured products, allowing Federal dollars –- including $7.5 billion from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law –- to be spent on chargers made in competitor nations like the People’s Republic of China.  Additionally, if enacted, this resolution would undermine the hundreds of millions of dollars that the private sector has already invested in domestic EV charging manufacturing, and chill further domestic investment in this critical market.

     Finally, if enacted, this resolution would undermine efforts to ensure that the national network of EV chargers, being funded with Federal dollars, must be manufactured in the United States.  Specifically, in 2023, my Administration issued a new policy for EV chargers that restores Buy America protections that are consistent with the Build America, Buy America Act (BABA) standards included in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.  This policy immediately required that EV chargers purchased through FHWA grants be manufactured in the United States and that EV charger housing comprised of iron and steel must use iron and steel produced in the United States.  Based on information gathered through public outreach, the policy phases in full Buy America coverage by requiring full BABA compliance starting on July 1 of this year.  These actions ensure that Federal dollars for EV chargers are used to purchase American-made products, while allowing newly announced manufacturing capacity for EV charger components the necessary time to ramp up production.

     If enacted, this resolution would harm my Administration’s efforts to encourage investment in critical industries and bring high-quality jobs back to the United States.  It would not only thwart the collective goal of the Congress and the Administration to establish a domestic EV charger manufacturing industry, but it would also delay the significant progress being made by my Administration and the States in establishing the EV charging network.  Establishing resilient supply chains is critical to our national economic and energy security, and my Administration will not support policies that would undermine efforts to bring this critical manufacturing back to the United States.

     Therefore, I am vetoing this resolution.
 
 

                               JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.
 

THE WHITE HOUSE,
  January 24, 2024.

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