{"id":117084,"date":"2021-03-31T22:30:44","date_gmt":"2021-04-01T05:30:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/69.46.6.243\/?p=117084"},"modified":"2021-03-31T22:30:44","modified_gmt":"2021-04-01T05:30:44","slug":"president-biden-on-the-american-jobs-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/?p=117084","title":{"rendered":"President Biden on the American Jobs Plan"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Pittsburg, PA&#8230;Thank you.  (Applause.)  (Inaudible) Mike asked me \u2014 and I said to Bobby, my good friend \u2014 he asked me back there \u2014 he said, \u201cDo you ever get nervous?\u201d  And I \u2014 he said, \u201cBecause I got up this morning, made breakfast for my kids.  I\u2019ve got to introduce the President.\u2019\u201d  And what I say to you, Mike: You did a heck of a job.  But I\u2019d get nervous if I had to get up in the middle of the night, climb up a telephone pole, replace \u2014 in the middle of a storm \u2014 a connection that knocked out everybody\u2019s electricity, and put a transformer in.  That\u2019s what would make me nervous.  So what you did was really good.  I couldn\u2019t do what you do, pal.  I couldn\u2019t do what you do.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/AUytKRys_BY\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>And I want to \u2014 and it\u2019s true, Mike.  You\u2019re a union guy; me too.  I got in trouble, but I don\u2019t make any apologies for it.  I\u2019m a union guy.  I support unions.  Unions built the middle class.  It\u2019s about time they start to get a piece of the action.<\/p>\n<p>To all my colleagues \u2014 (applause) \u2014 to the County Executives, to the Mayor, to everyone who\u2019s here, I want to say: Thank you.  Thank you, Congressman, for the passport into your district.  And I appreciate being here.  I\u2019m honored to be with you.<\/p>\n<p>Two years ago, I began my campaign here in Pittsburgh, saying I was running to rebuild the backbone of America.  And today, I return as your President to lay out the vision of how I believe we do that \u2014 rebuild the backbone of America.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a vision not seen through the eyes of Wall Street or Washington, but through the eyes of hardworking people, like the people I grew up with; people like Mike and his union family; union workers in this Carpenters Training Center; people like the folks I grew up with in Scranton and Claymont, Delaware. <\/p>\n<p>People who get up every day, work hard, raise their family, pay their taxes, serve their country, and volunteer for their communities, and just looking for a little bit of breathing room \u2014 just a little bit of light. <\/p>\n<p>Ordinary Americans doing extraordinary things.  The people who break their necks every day for their families and the country they love \u2014 a country that, in fact \u2014 which, on the day I was elected, was in extreme distress with a virus on a deadly rampage that has now killed four thou- \u2014 excuse me, five hundred \u2014 I carry it in my pocket every day.  I have the list of exactly how many have died: 547,296 Americans dead from the virus \u2014 more than all the people killed in World War One, World War Two, the Vietnam War, 9\/11.  547,296 Americans.  And an economy that left millions out of work and created so much anxiety. <\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s why I moved so quickly to pass the American Rescue Plan with the help of my friends here in the Congress.  I really mean that.  It didn\u2019t pass by a whole lot, but with the leadership of Conor and Bobby and Mayor \u2014 just \u2014 you got it done, because it was an emergency.  We needed to act to save jobs, to save businesses, and to save lives.  And that\u2019s what we did. <\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re beginning to see the results.  We\u2019re on our way to having given 200 million vaccination shots in the first 100 days of my presidency.  When I said I\u2019d get 100 million done, people thought it was a significant exaggeration.  We\u2019re going to get 200 million done \u2014 twice the original goal \u2014 because of all the help of all of you.<\/p>\n<p>Leading economists are now predicting our economy will grow 6 percent this year.  That\u2019s a rate we haven\u2019t seen in years and years.  We can cut child poverty in half this year.  With the American Rescue Plan, we\u2019re meeting immediate emergencies.  Now it\u2019s time to rebuild.<\/p>\n<p>Even before the crisis we\u2019re now facing, those at the very top in America were doing very well, which is fine.  They were doing great.  But everyone else was falling behind.  The pandemic only made the division so much worse and more obvious.  Millions of Americans lost their jobs last year while the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans saw their net worth increase by $4 trillion.  It just goes to show you how distorted and unfair our economy has become.  It wasn\u2019t always this way.<\/p>\n<p>Well, it\u2019s time to change that.  I\u2019d note, parenthetically, that I got criticized for giving tax breaks to middle-class and poor folks this last time.  I didn\u2019t hear that cry \u2014 hue and cry when we were doing the same thing when Trump\u2019s tax bill passed and 83 percent of the money went to the top 1 percent.<\/p>\n<p>You know, this is not to target those who\u2019ve made it; not to seek retribution.  This is about opening opportunities for everybody else.  And here\u2019s the truth: We all will do better when we all do well.  It\u2019s time to build our economy from the bottom up and from the middle out, not the top down.  It hadn\u2019t worked very well.  For the economy overall, it hadn\u2019t worked \u2014 because Wall Street didn\u2019t build this country; you, the great middle class, built this country.  And unions built the middle class.  (Applause.) <\/p>\n<p>And it\u2019s time \u2014 in this time, we\u2019ll rebuild the middle class.  We\u2019re going to bring everybody along.  Regardless of your background, your color, your religion, (inaudible) everybody gets to come along.<\/p>\n<p>So, today, I\u2019m proposing a plan for the nation that rewards work, not just rewards wealth.  It builds a fair economy that gives everybody a chance to succeed, and it\u2019s going to create the strongest, most resilient, innovative economy in the world. It\u2019s not a plan that tinkers around the edges.  It\u2019s a once-in-a generation investment in America, unlike anything we\u2019ve seen or done since we built the Interstate Highway System and the Space Race decades ago.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, it\u2019s the largest American jobs investment since World War Two.  It will create millions of jobs, good-paying jobs.  It will grow the economy, make us more competitive around the world, promote our national security interests, and put us in a position to win the global competition with China in the upcoming years. <\/p>\n<p>Is it big?  Yes.  Is it bold?  Yes.  And we can get it done.<\/p>\n<p>It has two parts: the American Jobs Plan and the American Families Plan.  Both are essential to our economic future.  In a few weeks, I\u2019ll talk about the Americans Family Plan, but today I want to talk about the Americans Jobs Plan.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ll begin with the heart of the plan: It modernizes transportation infrastructure \u2014 our roads, our bridges, our airports.  I just left your airport.  The director of the airport said, \u201cWe\u2019re about to renovate the airport.\u201d  Is that right, Mr. County Executive?  \u201cWe\u2019re going to renovate.  We\u2019re going to employ thousands of people.\u201d  And she looked at me and said, \u201cI can\u2019t thank you enough for this plan.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>It grows the economy in key ways.  It puts people to work to repair and upgrade so \u2014 that we badly need.  It makes it easier and more efficient to move goods, to get to work, and to make us more competitive around the world.<\/p>\n<p>Some of your local officials know, when someone wants to come into the area and a company wants to invest, what do they ask?  \u201cWhere\u2019s the first rail bed?  How can I get to the railroad?  What access to interstate do I have?  What\u2019s the water like?  Tell me about it.\u201d  And it goes on and on.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s about infrastructure.  The American Jobs Plan will modernize 20,000 miles of highways, roads, and main streets that are in difficult, difficult shape right now.  It\u2019ll fix the nation\u2019s 10 most economically significant bridges in America that require replacement.  Remember that bridge that went down?  We got 10 of the most economically significant bridges with more commerce going across it that need to be replaced.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ll also repair 10,000 bridges, desperately needed upgrades to unclog traffic, keep people safe, and connect our cities, towns, and Tribes across the country.<\/p>\n<p>The American Jobs Plan will build new rail corridors and transit lines, easing congestion, cutting pollution, slashing commute times, and opening up investment in communities that can be connected to the cities, and cities to the outskirts, where a lot of jobs are these days.  It\u2019ll reduce the bottlenecks of commerce at our ports and our airports.<\/p>\n<p>The American Jobs Plan will lead to a transformational progress in our effort to tackle climate change with American jobs and American ingenuity.  It\u2019ll protect our community from billions of dollars of damage from historic super storms, floods, wildfires, droughts, year after year, by making our infrastructure more secure and resilient and seizing incredible opportunities for American workers and American farmers in a clean energy future. <\/p>\n<p>Skilled workers, like one we just heard from, building a nationwide network of 500,000 charging stations, creating good-paying jobs by leading the world in the manufacturing and export of clean electric cars and trucks. <\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re going to provide tax incentives and point-of-sale reberts [sic] \u2014 rebates to help all American families afford clean vehicles of the future.  The federal government owns an enormous fleet of vehicles which are going to be transitioned to clean electric vehicles and hydrogen vehicles right here in the United States, by American workers with American products.<\/p>\n<p>When we make all these investments, we\u2019re going to make sure, as the executive order I signed early on, that we buy American.  That means investing in American-based companies and American workers.   Not a contract will go out, that I control, that will not go to a company that is an American company with American products, all the way down the line, and American workers. <\/p>\n<p>And we\u2019ll buy the goods we need from all of America, communities that have historically been left out of these investments: Black, Latino, Asian American, Native American, rural, small businesses, entrepreneurs across the country.<\/p>\n<p>Look, today, up to 10 million homes in America and more than 400,000 schools and childcare centers have pipes \u2014 where they get their water from \u2014 pipes that are lead-based pipes, including pipes for drinking water.<\/p>\n<p>According to scientists, there is simply no safe exposure to lead for a child.  Lead can slow development, cause learning behaviors and hearing problems.<\/p>\n<p>The American Jobs Plan will put plumbers and pipefitters to work, replacing 100 percent of the nation\u2019s lead pipes and service lines so every American, every child can turn on a faucet or a fountain and drink clean water.<\/p>\n<p>With each $5,000 investment replacing a line, that can mean up to $22,000 in healthcare costs saved \u2014 a chance to protect our children, help them learn and thrive. <\/p>\n<p>We can\u2019t delay.  We can\u2019t delay another minute.  It\u2019s long past due.<\/p>\n<p>You know, in America, where the early interest was in Internet \u2014 this thing called the Internet that we invested \u2014 we invented, the early \u2014 the early Internet was invented here.  Millions of Americans, though, lack access to reliable high-speed Internet, including more than 35 percent of rural America.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a disparity even more pronounced during this pandemic.  American Jobs will make sure every single \u2014 every single American has access to high quality, affordable, high-speed Internet for businesses, for schools.<\/p>\n<p>And when I say \u201caffordable,\u201d I mean it.  Americans pay too much for Internet service.  We\u2019re going to drive down the price for families who have service now, and make it easier for families who don\u2019t have affordable service to be able to get it now.<\/p>\n<p>As you saw in Texas and elsewhere, our electric and power \u2014 power grids are vulnerable to storms, catastrophic failures, and security lapses, with tragic results.<\/p>\n<p>My American Jobs Plan will put hundreds of thousands of people to work \u2014 hundred of thousands of people to work \u2014 line workers, electricians, and laborers \u2014 laying thousands of miles of transmission line; building a modern, resilient, and fully clean grid; and capping hundreds of thousands of, literally, orphan oil and gas wells that need to be cleaned up because they\u2019re abandoned \u2014 paying the same exact rate that a union man or woman would get having dug that well in the first place.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ll build, upgrade, and weatherize affordable, energy-efficient housing and commercial buildings for millions of Americans.<\/p>\n<p>Even before the pandemic, millions of working families faced enormous \u2014 enormous financial and personal strain trying to raise their kids and care for their parents at the same time \u2014 the so-called \u201csandwich generation\u201d \u2014 or family members with disability.  You got a child at home, you can\u2019t stay home from work to take care of that child unless you lose \u2014 you\u2019re going to put the child at risk or you lose your job; or you have an elderly parent you\u2019re taking care of.  And seniors and people with disabilities living independently feel that strain as well.  But we know, if they can remain independently living, they live longer.<\/p>\n<p>The American Jobs Plan is going to help in big ways.  It\u2019s going to extend access to quality, affordable home or community-based care.  Think of expanded vital services like programs for seniors, or think of homecare workers going into homes of seniors and people with disabilities, cooking meals, helping them get around their homes, and helping them be able to live more independently.<\/p>\n<p>For too long, caregivers \u2014 who are disproportionately women, and women of color, and immigrants \u2014 have been unseen, underpaid, and undervalued.<\/p>\n<p>This plan, along with the American Families Plan, changes that with better wages, benefits, and opportunities for millions of people who will be able to get to work in an economy that works for them.<\/p>\n<p>You know, decades ago, the United States government used to spend 2 percent of its GDP \u2014 its gross domestic product \u2014 on research and development.  Today, we spend less than 1 percent.  I think it\u2019s seven-tenths of 1 percent. <\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s why that matters: We\u2019re one of only a few major economies in the world whose public investment in research and development as a share of GDP has declined constantly over the last 25 years.<br \/>\nAnd we\u2019ve fallen back.  The rest of the world is closing in and closing in fast. <\/p>\n<p>We can\u2019t allow this to continue.  The American Jobs Plan is the biggest increase in our federal non-defense research and development spending on record.  It\u2019s going to boost America\u2019s innovative edge in markets where global leadership is up for grabs \u2014 markets like battery technology, biotechnology, computer chips, clean energy, the competition with China in particular. <\/p>\n<p>Critics say we shouldn\u2019t spend this money.  They ask, \u201cWhat do we get out of it?\u201d  Well, they said the same thing when we first flew into space for the first time.  They said the same thing. <\/p>\n<p>Well, pushing the frontiers led to big benefits back home.  When NASA created Apollo\u2019s digital flight control system \u2014 unheard of at the time \u2014 it led to technologies that help us today to drive our cars and fly our planes. <\/p>\n<p>When NASA invented ways to keep food safe for the astronauts, it led to programs that have been used to \u2014 for decades to keep food safe in supermarkets.  At least 2,000 products and services have been developed and commercialized as a result of American space exploration. <\/p>\n<p>GPS has helped us find each other.  Computer chips allow us to see and talk to one another, even when we\u2019re separated by mountains and oceans \u2014 singing \u201cHappy Birthday\u201d and watching the first steps of that new baby grandchild; comforting each other when comfort is needed. <\/p>\n<p>Think about what it means to you and your loved ones.  We just have to imagine again. <\/p>\n<p>I had a long discussion with Xi Jinping, the leader of China, when he called to congratulate me.  We spent two hours on the phone.  And he said \u2014 and was astonished by NASA\u2019s security team and the China experts who were on the line \u2014 he said, \u201cYou\u2019ve always said, Mr. President, that you can define America in one word: possibilities.\u201d  That\u2019s who we are. <\/p>\n<p>In America, anything is possible.  Like what we did with vaccines a decade ago that laid the foundation for COVID-19 vaccines we have today.  Like we did when the Interstate Highway System that transformed the way we traveled, lived, worked, and developed.<br \/>\nAmericans could visit relatives anywhere in the country with just a family station wagon.  Businesses here in Pittsburgh could load up a truck and get a product to Portland or Phoenix.  To this day, about a quarter of all the miles Americans drive each year on one of those very original highways. <\/p>\n<p>Imagine what we can do, what\u2019s within our reach, when we modernize those highways.  You and your family could travel coast to coast without a single tank of gas onboard a high-speed train.<br \/>\nWe can connect high-speed, affordable, reliable Internet wherever you live. <\/p>\n<p>Imagine knowing that you\u2019re handing your children and grandchildren a country that will lead the world in producing clean energy technology and will need to address one of the biggest threats of our time.  That\u2019s what we\u2019ll do. <\/p>\n<p>Altogether, along with the American Rescue Plan, the proposal I put forward will create millions of jobs \u2014 estimated by some Wall Street outfits: over 18 million jobs over four years; good-paying jobs.<br \/>\nIt also works to level the playing field, empower workers, and ensure that the new jobs are good jobs that you can raise a family on, and ensure free and fair choice to organize and bargain collectively.<br \/>\nThat\u2019s why my plan asked Congress to pass the Protecting the Right to Organize Act \u2014 the PRO Act \u2014 and send it to my desk.<br \/>\nThis plan is important, not only for what and how it builds, but it\u2019s also important to where we build.  It includes everyone, regardless of your race or your ZIP Code. <\/p>\n<p>Too often, economic growth and recovery is concentrated on the coast.  Too often, investments have failed to meet the needs of marginalized communities left behind. <\/p>\n<p>There is talent, innovation everywhere.  And this plan connects that talent through cities, small towns, rural communities; through our businesses and our universities; through our entrepreneurs, union workers all across America. <\/p>\n<p>We have to move now.  Because I\u2019m convinced that if we act now, in 50 years, people are going to look back and say this was the moment that America won the future. <\/p>\n<p>What I\u2019m proposing is a one-time capital investment of roughly $2 trillion in America\u2019s future, spread largely over eight years.<br \/>\nIt will generate historic job growth, historic economic growth, help businesses to compete internationally, create more revenue as well.  They are among the highest-value investments we can make in the nation \u2014 investing in our infrastructure.<\/p>\n<p>But put it another way, failing to make these investments adds to our debt and effectively puts our children at a disadvantage relative to our competitors.  That\u2019s what crumbling infrastructure does.  And our infrastructure is crumbling.  We\u2019re ranked 13th in the world. <\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s more, it heightens our vulnerability to \u2014 it attac- \u2014 attracts our adversaries to compete in ways that they haven\u2019t up to now.  And our adversaries are worried about us building this critical infrastructure.<br \/>\nPut simply, these are investments we have to make.  We can afford to make them \u2014 or, put another way, we can\u2019t afford not to. <\/p>\n<p>So how do we pay for it?  I spoke to the Majority Leader and \u2014 no longer \u2014 I guess he\u2019s no longer the Majority Leader; he has been for a long time.  I spoke for the Republican \u2014 I spoke to the Republican Leader about the plan.  Everybody is for doing something on infrastructure.  Why haven\u2019t we done it?  Well, no one wants to pay for it. <\/p>\n<p>Less than four years ago, as I said, the Congress passed a tax cut of $2 trillion, increasing the national debt $2 trillion.  It didn\u2019t meet virtually any of the predictions it would in terms of growing the economy.  Overwhelmingly, the benefits of that tax package went to the wealthiest Americans.  It even included new investments that would profit by shifting profits and jobs overseas if you\u2019re a corporation.  It was bad for American competitiveness, deeply unfair to the middle-class families, and wrong for our future.<\/p>\n<p>So, here\u2019s what I\u2019d do.  I start with one rule: No one \u2014 let me say it again \u2014 no one making under $400,000 will see their federal taxes go up.  Period.  This is not about penalizing anyone.  I have nothing against millionaires and billionaires.  I believe American \u2014 in American capitalism.  I want everyone to do well. <\/p>\n<p>But here\u2019s the deal: Right now, a middle-class couple \u2014 a firefighter and a teacher with two kids \u2014 making a combined salary of, say, $110-, $120,000 a year pays 22 cents for each additional dollar they earn in federal income tax.  But a multinational corporation that builds a factory abroad \u2014 brings it home and then sell it \u2014 they pay nothing at all.  We\u2019re going to raise the corporate tax.  It was 35 percent, which is too high.  We all agreed, five years ago, it should go down to 28 percent, but they reduced it to 21 percent.  We\u2019re going to raise it back to \u2014 up to 28 percent. <\/p>\n<p>No one should be able to complain about that.  It\u2019s still lower than what that rate was between World War Two and 2017.  Just doing that one thing will generate $1 trillion in additional revenue over 15 years.<\/p>\n<p>In 2019, an independent analysis found that are 91 \u2014 let me say it again, 91 Fortune 500 companies \u2014 the biggest companies in the world, including Amazon \u2014 they used various loopholes so they\u2019d pay not a single solitary penny in federal income tax.  I don\u2019t want to punish them, but that\u2019s just wrong.  That\u2019s just wrong.  A fireman and a teacher paying 22 percent?  Amazon and 90 other major corporations are paying zero in federal taxes?<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m going to put an end to that, and here\u2019s how we\u2019ll do it.  We\u2019re establishing a global minimum tax for U.S. corporations of 21 percent.  We\u2019re going to level the international playing field.  That alone will raise $1 trillion over 15 years. <\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ll also eliminate deductions by corporations for offshoring jobs and shifting assets overseas.  You do that, you pay a penalty; you don\u2019t get a reward in my plan.  And use the savings from that to give companies tax credits to locate manufacturing here \u2014 in manufacturing and production here in the United States.<br \/>\nAnd we\u2019ll significantly ramp up the IRS enforcement against corporations who either fail to report their incomes or under-report.  It\u2019s estimated that could raise hundreds of billions of dollars.  All of this adds up to more than what I\u2019ve proposed to spend in just 15 years.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s honest.  It\u2019s fiscally responsible.  And by the way, as the experts will tell you, it reduces the debt \u2014 the federal debt over the long haul.<br \/>\nBut let me be clear: These are my ideas on how to pay for this plan.  If others have additional ideas, let them come forward.  I\u2019m open to other ideas, so long as they do not impose any tax increase on people making less than $400,000. <\/p>\n<p>Let me close with this: Historically, infrastructure had been a bipartisan undertaking, many times led by Republicans.<\/p>\n<p>It was Abraham Lincoln who built the transcontinental railroad.  Dwight Eisenhower, a Republican \u2014 the Interstate Highway System.  I could go on.<\/p>\n<p>And I don\u2019t think you\u2019ll find a Republican today in the House or Senate \u2014 maybe I\u2019m wrong, gentlemen \u2014 who doesn\u2019t think we have to improve our infrastructure.  They know China and other countries are eating our lunch.  So there\u2019s no reason why it can\u2019t be bipartisan again. <\/p>\n<p>The divisions of the moment shouldn\u2019t stop us from doing the right thing for the future. <\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m going to bring Republicans into the Oval Office; listen to them, what they have to say; and be open to other ideas.  We\u2019ll have a good-faith negotiation with any Republican who wants to help get this done.  But we have to get it done. <\/p>\n<p>I truly believe we\u2019re in a moment where history is going to look back on this time as a fundamental choice that had to be made between democracies and autocracies. <\/p>\n<p>You know, there\u2019s a lot of autocrats in the world who think the reason why they\u2019re going to win is democracies can\u2019t reach consensus any longer; autocracies do. <\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s what competition between America and China and the rest of the world is all about.  It\u2019s a basic question: Can democracies still deliver for their people?  Can they get a majority? <\/p>\n<p>I believe we can.  I believe we must. <\/p>\n<p>Delivering for the American people is what the American Rescue Plan was all about.  And it\u2019s been overwhelmingly popular. <\/p>\n<p>When I wrote it, everybody said I had no bipartisan support.  We\u2019re overwhelming bipartisan support with Republican \u2014 registered Republican voters.  And ask around.  If you live in a town with a Republican mayor, a Republican county executive, or a Republican governor, ask them how many would rather get rid of the plan.  Ask them if it helped them at all.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s what the American Jobs Plan is about \u2014 the new one I\u2019m proposing.  I hope Republicans in Congress will join this effort.  I hope and I believe a number of businesses will join this effort.  And I hope and believe the American people will join this effort \u2014 Democrats, Republican, and independents. <\/p>\n<p>We can do this.  We have to do this.  We will do this. <\/p>\n<p>We just have to remember: This is the United States of America.  And I\u2019ve said it a thousand times: There\u2019s nothing beyond our capacity if we act together.  So it\u2019s time to move together. <\/p>\n<p>Thank you and I hope I get to come back to see you folks after this plan is passed.  And the question is: You have to attract even more apprentices, more people, because we\u2019re building so much.<br \/>\nGod bless you all.  And may God protect our troops.  Thank you.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>5:10 P.M. EDT<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pittsburg, PA&#8230;Thank you. (Applause.) (Inaudible) Mike asked me \u2014 and I said to Bobby, my good friend \u2014 he asked me back there \u2014 he said, \u201cDo you ever get nervous?\u201d And I \u2014 he said, \u201cBecause I got up this morning, made breakfast for my kids. I\u2019ve got to introduce the President.\u2019\u201d And what [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":117085,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_cbd_carousel_blocks":"[]","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,5,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-117084","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-government","category-news","last_archivepost"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Fullscreen-capture-3312021-102938-PM.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117084","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=117084"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117084\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/117085"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=117084"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=117084"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=117084"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}