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<\/a><\/p>\nThis is America, where I\u2019m standing right now. (Applause.) These are the people, whether it was in Scranton or Claymont or anywhere around the world \u2014 the country \u2014 who built this country. And it\u2019s about time we step up. They\u2019re always the first ones that are hurt and the last ones that are helped. But that\u2019s not going to happen this time.<\/p>\n
The group I have standing with me, led by Chuck Schumer and your \u2014 Congresswoman, is this your district?<\/p>\n
LEADER SCHUMER: Grace Meng.<\/p>\n
THE PRESIDENT: Oh, it\u2019s Grace\u2019s district. No, it\u2019s \u2014<\/p>\n
REPRESENTATIVE MENG: AOC. Alex.<\/p>\n
LEADER SCHUMER: Ocasio-Cortez.<\/p>\n
THE PRESIDENT: I want to thank her personally for her gumption, the way she\u2019s fought and hollered and fought so hard for all the people in this alley. I really mean it. Thank you, thank you, thank you. <\/p>\n
But that goes for everybody here. (Applause.)<\/p>\n
And look, folks \u2014 you know, I want to thank the governor for \u2014 and Leader Schumer and Kristen [Kirsten] \u2014 I shouldn\u2019t \u2014 I should say, Senator Gillibrand, and Congresswoman Meng and Maloney and Meeks and Mayor de Blasio for being here.<\/p>\n
You know, it\u2019s not \u2014 how can I say this? Sometimes some very bad things happen that have a tendency to bring out the best in a people and a country. And I think what people are seeing across this country \u2014 from the wildfires in California and the far West, which I\u2019m heading to in a couple of days; all the way to down in Louisiana, the Gulf, where I was a couple of days ago; to New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, to a lesser extent; Delaware, to a lesser extent; and New York \u2014 people are beginning to realize this is much, much bigger than anyone was willing to believe. And a whole segment of our population denying this thing called \u201cclimate change.\u201d<\/p>\n
LEADER SCHUMER: Right.<\/p>\n
PARTICIPANT: Right.<\/p>\n
THE PRESIDENT: But I really mean it. <\/p>\n
Sometimes my mother used to say, \u201cOut of everything bad, something good will come if you look hard enough for it.\u201d Well, I think we\u2019ve all seen \u2014 even the climate skeptics are seeing that this really does matter. <\/p>\n
And it\u2019s not just whether or not people who are just trying to get by in these homes, in these alleys here, working their butts off, do well; it\u2019s people in high towers along the shore will find that as this rain and all this change takes place in the groundwater, the buildings are actually beginning to tilt \u2014 100-story buildings. <\/p>\n
This goes so far beyond what anybody is willing to speak to up to now. <\/p>\n
We just finished surveying some of the damage in the neighborhood here in Queens. And earlier today, we were in the Raritan Valley in New Jersey, which also got badly, badly hit. <\/p>\n
Walking these neighborhoods, meeting the families and the first responders, seeing how folks are doing after this destruction and pain and another devastating storm, is an eyeopener. The people who stand on the other side of the fences who don\u2019t live there, who are yelling that we\u2019re talking about interfering with free enterprise by doing something about climate change \u2014 they don\u2019t live there. <\/p>\n
PARTICIPANT: That\u2019s right. That\u2019s right.<\/p>\n
THE PRESIDENT: They don\u2019t live \u2014 they don\u2019t understand. <\/p>\n
And, you know, last week, right here, in so many other communities, these waves crashed through the streets here, testing the aging infrastructure and taking lives. More lives were taken here than down in Louisiana. Let me say that again: They had over 20 inches of rain. They had 178-mile-an-hour winds \u2014 gusts. And more lives were taken here than down in Louisiana. <\/p>\n
And, you know, you all saw the harrowing images of \u2014 stories and families trapped in flooding basements and struggling to survive. Well, you didn\u2019t have to \u2014 just go along this Valley, talk to the people. I\u2019m sure the press has done that. <\/p>\n
My message to everyone grappling with this devastation is: We\u2019re here. We\u2019re not going home until this gets done. I really mean that. We\u2019re not leaving. We\u2019re going to continue to shout as long as it takes to get real progress here.<\/p>\n
Folks \u2014 and we have to take some bold action now to tack- \u2014 tackle the accelerating effects of climate. If we don\u2019t act now \u2014 I\u2019m going to be heading, as Chuck knows, as the Senator knows \u2014 I\u2019m going to be heading from here to Glasgow, in Scotland, for the COP meeting, which is all the nations of the world getting together to decide what we\u2019re going to do about climate change.<\/p>\n
And John Kerry, the former Secretary of State, is leading our effort putting it together. We are determined \u2014 we are determined that we are going to deal with climate change and \u2014 and have zero emissions \u2014 net emissions by 2050. By 2020 [2050], make sure all our electricity is zero emissions. We\u2019re going to be able to do these things, but we\u2019ve got to move. We\u2019ve got to move. And we\u2019ve got to move the rest of the world. It\u2019s not just the United States of America. <\/p>\n
And so, folks, this summer alone, communities with over 100 million Americans \u2014 100 [million] American \u2014 Americans call home, have been struck by extreme weather. One in every three Americans has been victimized by severe weather \u2014 the hurricanes along the Gulf, the East Coast, up through this community. And I saw the human and physical costs firsthand, as I said, in Louisiana. <\/p>\n
But, Governor, you called Phil Murphy, so many of the leading \u2014 Governor Murphy \u2014 so many leading with urgency and action are \u2014 said, \u201cEnough. Enough.\u201d And there\u2019s not a single request I\u2019m aware of \u2014 there may be something \u2014 that we haven\u2019t signed off on \u2014 that we haven\u2019t signed off yet. <\/p>\n
And here\u2019s the deal: The New York Fire Department and the New York Police Department, the Sanitation Department, and other first responders, they\u2019re leading with incredible, incredible courage. Two linemen have been killed \u2014 (applause) \u2014 trying to make sure we have \u2014<\/p>\n
LEADER SCHUMER: Bless those fellas.<\/p>\n
THE PRESIDENT: And, folks, the evidence is clear: Climate change poses an existential threat to our lives, to our economy. And the threat is here; it\u2019s not going to get any better. The question: Can it get worse? We can stop it from getting worse. <\/p>\n
And when I talk about building back better \u2014 and Chuck is fighting for my program \u2014 our program \u2014 on the Hill \u2014 when I talk about building back better, I mean, you can\u2019t build to what it was before this last storm. You\u2019ve got to build better, so if the storm occurred again, there would be no damage \u2014 there would be. <\/p>\n
But that\u2019s not going to stop us though. Because if we just do that, it\u2019s just going to get worse and worse and worse, because the storms are going to get worse and worse and worse. <\/p>\n
And so, folks, we got to listen to the scientists and the economists and the national security experts. They all tell us this is code red; the nation and the world are in peril. And that\u2019s not hyperbole. That is a fact. <\/p>\n
They\u2019ve been warning us the extreme weather would get more extreme over the decade, and we\u2019re living it in real time now. <\/p>\n
Or we can look around the wreckage and the ruins and the heartbreak from so many communities, to feel it. (Inaudible) don\u2019t understand. You can feel it. You can taste it. You can see it. <\/p>\n
Precious lives lost in Louisiana, in New Jersey, in New York. Families living in shelters. Subway stations flooded. Decaying infrastructure pushed beyond the limits. Lives and livelihoods interrupted once again. <\/p>\n
We\u2019re working closely with the governors and mayors and members of Congress and community leaders. <\/p>\n
On Sunday, I immediately approved the disaster declaration of Governor Hochul to rush federal assistance to where it was needed here. (Applause.)<\/p>\n
FEMA \u2014<\/p>\n
PARTICIPANT: Thank you, President.<\/p>\n
PARTICIPANT: Thank you, Mr. President.<\/p>\n
THE PRESIDENT: FEMA is working \u2014<\/p>\n
SENATOR SCHUMER: Fastest ever.<\/p>\n
THE PRESIDENT: \u2014 intensively with state and local officials, assessing the damage and mobilizing resources. <\/p>\n
One of things I want to thank Chuck for, as Leader of the Senate: He has helped mobilize state, local, and federal. When they\u2019re all working together, that\u2019s when things happen positively. <\/p>\n
The Health and Human Services Secretary is working with the state to ensure folks on Medicare and Medicaid get the emergency care if they need it. They\u2019re going to make sure it\u2019s equitable so that the hardest hit, including lower-income folks, communities of color, and the elderly, and the most vulnerable get help and get it first. They are the ones in the greatest need. <\/p>\n
And there\u2019s much to be done. And we\u2019re working around the clock on all these critical needs in areas. <\/p>\n
Look, I say to anyone who could hear this or if this is broadcast: If you need help, please go to DisasterAssistance.gov or call 1-800-621-FEMA. 1-800-621-3362. We can get you help now. We can get you help now. And I know these disasters aren\u2019t going to stop; they\u2019re only going to come with more frequency and ferocity. <\/p>\n
And as I said, I\u2019m working in Congress to pass two important pieces of legislation that this man here is honchoing through the Congress for me: the bipartisan fla- \u2014 plan to modernize our physical infrastructure \u2014 our roads, our bridges, our power transmission, our distribution lines. (Applause.) How many bridges I just went \u2014 went through in New Jersey that had been overflowed by the river. The river has gone higher than the bridges, having done damage to them. <\/p>\n
My Build Back Better plan, with key investments in \u2014 in \u2014 to fight climate change, cutting emissions, and make things more resilient. Each dollar we invest, every dollar we raise \u2014 a city block by two feet, flood-proof power stations, sanitations, reduction in the buildup of kindling in our forest, installing electrical lines underground rather than overhead \u2014 saves us six dollars for every single dollar we spend to do those things.<\/p>\n
Because the next time disaster strikes, the flood is contained, the fire doesn\u2019t spread as wisely [widely], and power stays on, not to mention those investments save lives, homes, and create good-paying union jobs.<\/p>\n
LEADER SCHUMER: Yay! (Applause.) <\/p>\n
THE PRESIDENT: I hosted \u2014<\/p>\n
LEADER SCHUMER: We like union jobs.<\/p>\n
THE PRESIDENT: I hosted 56 heads of state in Washington. And I pointed out \u2014 we\u2019re talking about climate change, and I said, \u201cI think of one word when I think of climate change: jobs. Good-paying jobs.\u201d (Applause.) <\/p>\n
Each of these things requires a good-paying job. Not $7 or $12 or $15, but $45, $50 an hour, plus healthcare. That\u2019s what is needed. (Applause.)<\/p>\n
And so, folks, it will also \u2014 and Wall Street, not too far from here, acknowledges if we spend the money on these things, we\u2019re going to grow the economy, increase employment. <\/p>\n
You know, the fire in Oregon sent smokes all \u2014 sent smoke all the way to the Atlantic. The storm in the Gulf, as you\u2019ve now figured out, can reverberate 10 states away. Supply chains and crop production get interrupted, driving up costs, devastating industries all over America. <\/p>\n
This is everybody\u2019s crisis \u2014 everybody\u2019s crisis. <\/p>\n
And let me just say again: The fact is that the damage done on the West Coast, which I\u2019ll be heading to \u2014 they\u2019ve already burned 5 million acres to the ground. That\u2019s bigger than the state of New Jersey, if I\u2019m not mistaken. Five million acres. And you see it by the smoke that ends up coming over the East Coast.<\/p>\n
Folks, we\u2019re all in this. It\u2019s about time we stopped the regional fights and understand helping somebody make sure there\u2019s no \u2014 fewer fires in the West warrants helping people in this alley make sure they\u2019re not flooded. <\/p>\n
And, by the way, it\u2019s not just the flooding \u2014 and I\u2019ll end with this. It\u2019s not just the flooding. Flooding ends up overrunning sanitation systems, and it causes disease, and people get sick. And it\u2019s serious, serious business.<\/p>\n
So, we got a lot of work to do. Again, it\u2019s good-paying jobs; we can put the economy back on the path to real growth. But in the meantime, we\u2019re going to save a whole hell of a lot of people\u2019s lives, and we\u2019re going to save a whole hell of a lot of money. <\/p>\n
God bless you all. Let\u2019s get this done. (Applause.) <\/p>\n
LEADER SCHUMER: Mr. President, look at that nice kid with the American Flag. Say hello.<\/p>\n
THE PRESIDENT: How are you, pal?<\/p>\n
LEADER SCHUMER: What\u2019s your name? He can\u2019t hear us.<\/p>\n
THE PRESIDENT: How old are you?<\/p>\n
CHILD: Seven.<\/p>\n
THE PRESIDENT: Oh, you\u2019re getting old! (Applause.)<\/p>\n
And, by the way, the neat thing about America: Every time we end up with a problem going into a serious circumstance, we come out better than we went in. That\u2019s because we\u2019re so diverse. That\u2019s America. Be proud of it. (Applause.) Thank you. And don\u2019t jump. (Laughter.) All right. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Queens, NY…Chuck, thank you very much. As the old joke goes, if my father were here, he\u2019d say, \u201cThank you.\u201d If my mother were here, she\u2019d say, \u201cWho are you talking about?\u201d (Laughter.) Look, folks, let me begin by saying I wish every American could walk down this alley with me to see and talk […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":128391,"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-128390","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\/09\/Chrome-Legacy-Window-972021-90047-PM.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128390","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=128390"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128390\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":128392,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128390\/revisions\/128392"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/128391"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=128390"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=128390"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=128390"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}