{"id":131217,"date":"2021-10-25T21:09:26","date_gmt":"2021-10-26T04:09:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/?p=131217"},"modified":"2021-10-25T21:09:26","modified_gmt":"2021-10-26T04:09:26","slug":"president-biden-on-build-back-better-and-the-bipartisan-infrastructure-deal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/?p=131217","title":{"rendered":"President Biden on Build Back Better and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Kearny, NJ&#8230;Thank you.  Hello, New Jersey!  (Applause.)  Thank you, Lieutenant Commander Mikie Sherrill.  Well, Governor Murphy, so many of the national challenges we\u2019re confronting are areas where you\u2019re already leading \u2014 and that\u2019s not hyperbole \u2014 whether it\u2019s making healthcare or preschool or college more affordable; providing paid family leave; replacing lead in pipes; and protecting public health.  So, thanks for showing the way, pal.  Thanks for showing the way.  (Applause.) <\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/0iQPK3bFQ8I\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s also good to meet my old friends \u2014 a lot of my friends in Congress. <\/p>\n<p>But, Bill, you and I have been doing this a long time, pal.  Thanks for the passport back into Jersey and your district. <\/p>\n<p>And Josh Gottheimer has been the best go-between I\u2019ve had trying to get all of this done, whether it\u2019s the Build Back Better portion or the infrastructure portion.<\/p>\n<p>And Tom Malinowski has done a hell of a job \u2014 and Don Payne and Frank Pallone. <\/p>\n<p>I keep telling Frank, I remind him \u2014 we\u2019ve been doing things together a long time: I know Delaware is small, I know how important New Jersey is, but Delaware owns the Delaware River up to the highwater mark in New Jersey.  (Laughter.)  So, you know what I mean?  (Laughs.)<\/p>\n<p>And one of my favorite members of Congress, who I campaigned for and she won in spite of it: Mikie Sherrill \u2014 Lieutenant Commander of the United States Navy, a naval graduate of Georgetown Law.  Incredible person.<\/p>\n<p>And I want to acknowledge both Senators Booker and Menendez, who represent you so well in Washington.  They\u2019re down there trying to get this all moving.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m here today to talk about what\u2019s fundamentally at stake for families of New Jersey, the whole region here, and for our country.<\/p>\n<p>For most of the 20th century, we led the world by a significant margin \u2014 not just led the world by a significant margin \u2014 because we invested in ourselves, we invested in our people.  Not only in our roads and our highways and our bridges, but in our people, in our families.<\/p>\n<p>We were among the first to provide access to free education \u2014 12 years of free education for all \u2014 anyone who is an American \u2014 beginning back in the late 1800s and the early 1900s.  And that decision to invest in our children and our families was a major part \u2014 a major part of why we were able to lead the world for so much of the 20th century.<\/p>\n<p>But somewhere along the way, we took our eyes off the ball.<\/p>\n<p>Our infrastructure used to be the best in the world.  Not hyperbole \u2014 the best in the world.  Today, according to the World Economic Forum, we rank 13th in the world.  Twelve other nations have superior infrastructure to us, and China has trains that go 230 miles an hour for long distances.  And we got money to do that back in the administration of Barack Obama and Joe Biden, and you had a Republican governor who didn\u2019t want it \u2014 didn\u2019t want any parts of it.<\/p>\n<p>And we used to lead the world in educational achievement.  Now, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development ranks America 35 out of 37 major countries when it comes to investing in early childhood education and care.  Thirty-five out of thirty-seven.<\/p>\n<p>We cannot be competitive in the 21st century global economy if we continue to slide.<\/p>\n<p>My wife, who\u2019s a community college professor, says, \u201cAny nation that out-educates us will outcompete us.\u201d  I\u2019ll say it again: \u201cAny nation that out-educates us will outcompete us.\u201d  And that\u2019s a fact. <\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s why I resolved that we have to, once again, build America from the bottom up and the middle out.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve never seen a time in American history when the middle class did well and the wealthy didn\u2019t do very well.  But I\u2019m tired of trickle-down.  Trickle-down doesn\u2019t \u2014 hasn\u2019t worked so much for the last 15 years for working-class and middle-class folks.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s why I proposed two critical pieces of legislation being debated back in Washington right now. <\/p>\n<p>These bills are not about left versus right, or moderate versus progressive, or anything else that pits an Amer- \u2014 one American against one another.<\/p>\n<p>These bills are about competitiveness versus complacency \u2014 competitiveness versus complacency.  They\u2019re about expanding opportunity, not opportunity denied.  They\u2019re about leading the world or continuing to let the world pass us by.<\/p>\n<p>First, the infrastructure bill.  It\u2019s about rebuilding the arteries of America.  And the Portal Bridge project is showing why investments like this are so important.<\/p>\n<p>When the Portal Bridge was built, it was state of the art \u2014 and it really was, but 110 years ago.  Today, it\u2019s been called something different: a \u201cchokepoint,\u201d a \u201cbottleneck,\u201d an \u201cAchilles heel\u201d of the Northeast Corridor.<\/p>\n<p>Since the Portal Bridge was built, it has become the busiest rail span in the entire Western Hemisphere.  Let me say that again: It\u2019s the busiest \u2014 busiest rail span in the entire Western Hemisphere.  At peak usage, 450 trains pass over it every day; 200,000 Amtrak and New Jersey Transit passengers.<\/p>\n<p>But ships and barges also need to get under it, and many can\u2019t fit.  That means the bridges need to swing open and closed again \u2014 a process that stops rail traffic and causes other problems.<\/p>\n<p>The bridge opens over 100 times a year.  And 15 percent of the time, something goes wrong.  Fifteen percent of the time.<\/p>\n<p>For example, if the rails don\u2019t lock back in place exactly right, the bridge closes.  And sometimes, you know what fixes it in the 21st century?  A sledgehammer.  Come out with a sledgehammer and align the tracks.  Literally a sledgehammer to knock it back into place in the year 2021.<\/p>\n<p>One report a couple years ago found that the Portal Bridge was particularly responsible for 2,000 hours of delays between 2014 and 2018.  You know that old expression: \u201cTime is money.\u201d  As one commuter said, \u201cIf you\u2019re on the train and they say \u2018Portal Bridge,\u2019 you know you better make other plans.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Aging infrastructure like this is more than an inconvenience or a nuisance; it\u2019s an impediment \u2014 impediment to America\u2019s global competitiveness.  We\u2019re in a worldwide race.  Things have changed.  Take a look.  That\u2019s why what\u2019s happening right now is so important.  <\/p>\n<p>Today, we\u2019re moving forward on a new bridge that will be higher over the water so it won\u2019t need to open and close.  It\u2019ll allow us to increase speed, safety, and efficiency, and capacity.  It\u2019s going to make life a lot better for New Jersey\u2019s commuters.  It\u2019s also going to create nearly 8,000 construction jobs in this area alone \u2014 this area\u2019s workers \u2014 8,000 union jobs.  (Applause.)  Union.<\/p>\n<p>It was pointed out to me not long ago that I said I\u2019m a \u201cunion President,\u201d that I apparently use \u2014 someone calculated I use the word \u201cunion\u201d more than the last seven Presidents combined.  (Applause.)  Because guess what?  It\u2019s a decent wage.  It\u2019s about to make rail transportation \u2014 which is a cleaner, greener way to travel \u2014 the better choice for a lot of New Jersey residents, but not just New Jersey resi- \u2014 everybody up and down the East Coast. <\/p>\n<p>If I can pause for a second \u2014 I apologize because some have heard this: I commuted every single day, 263 miles a day, on Amtrak from the time I got elected United States senator.  As matter of fact, when I was Vice President, I used to like to take the train home because my mom was very sick and dying, and I\u2019d come home every weekend to make sure I\u2019d take the train home.  And Secret Service \u2014 and I\u2019m not criticizing them \u2014 legitimately would rather me fly because it\u2019s safer, because too many people can get on and off, et cetera.<\/p>\n<p>And I\u2019m getting on one Friday, and then one of the senior guys on Amtrak, Angelo Negri \u2014 I got to know all the conductors really well; they became my friends.  I mean, really, my genuine friends.  I have them in my home at Christmas and during the summer.  And Ang walks up to me and goes, \u201cJoey, baby!\u201d  Grabs my cheek.  And I thought the Secret Service was going to blow his head off.  (Laughter.)  I swear to God.  True story. <\/p>\n<p>I said, \u201cNo, no, he\u2019s a friend.\u201d  I said, \u201cWhat\u2019s up, Ang?\u201d  He said, \u201cJoey, I read in the paper \u2014 I read in the paper you traveled 1,000 \u2014 1,200,000 miles on Air Force planes\u201d \u2014 because they keep meticulous tabs of it.  I said, \u201cYeah.\u201d  He said, \u201cBig\u2026\u201d \u2014 I won\u2019t say the whole thing \u2014 \u201cBig deal.\u201d  (Laughter.)  He said, \u201cYou know how many miles you traveled on Amtrak, Joey?\u201d  And I said, \u201cNo.\u201d  He said, \u201cThe boys and I figured it out at the retirement dinner.\u201d  He says, \u201cYou travel 2 million\u2026\u201d \u2014 I think it was 180, but \u2014 \u201c2,200,000 miles.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I said, \u201cHow did you get that answer?\u201d  He said, \u201cWell, 267 miles a day.  We figured you traveled 119 days a year for 36 years, and then you traveled was Vice President.\u201d  And then he goes, \u201cSo, Joey, I don\u2019t hear this about the Air Force anymore.\u201d  (Laughter.) <\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m a train guy, because it also is the single-most significant way we can deal with air pollution, the single-most significant way we can deal with global warming.  It\u2019s going to help the region\u2019s vital maritime industry as well, by making \u2014 making the movement of ships and bridges safer and more efficient.<\/p>\n<p>Look, with my infrastructure bill, we\u2019re going to make sure projects like this are just the beginning.  Across the country, there are 45,000 bridges in disrepair, some of them dangerously so; 173,000 miles of roads are in poor condition.  We\u2019re going to create them totally new.  We\u2019re going to fix them.  This is going to be good union jobs, a prevailing wage you can raise a family on, jobs that can\u2019t be outsourced. <\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re going to make the largest investment in public transportation in the history of America, replacing transit vehicles that are past their useful life and make the most significant investment in rail since the creation of Amtrak 50 years ago. <\/p>\n<p>During peak periods when railroads are congested and rail carriers are more \u2014 have more passengers, rail is up to 10 times more energy efficient than a person driving.  Ten times. <\/p>\n<p>We have a huge opportunity here to provide fast, safe, reliable, and clean transportation in this country.  All \u2014 every study shows \u2014 I won\u2019t bore you with them all because I\u2019ve been working them my whole life \u2014 every study shows if you can get from point A to point B faster on rail and you can drive your automobile, you take the rail.<\/p>\n<p>The Northeast Corridor \u2014 we\u2019re talking about a $30 billion investments in major projects like the Hudson River Gateway tunnels and the Portal Bridge, which it feeds into.<\/p>\n<p>Look, we\u2019re going to create jobs replacing lead water pipes so families can drink clean water \u2014 something New Jersey and Governor Murphy have been leading on. <\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re going to make sure high-speed Internet is affordable and available everywhere in America, including the nearly one in three New Jersey families that don\u2019t have the Internet subscription.  How many times did you see people pulling up to McDonald\u2019s, sitting outside during the pandemic so they could do their homework because they couldn\u2019t get \u2014 get it off of their \u2014 their line?<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re going to create jobs laying thousands of miles of transmission lines to build modern, resilient \u2014 an energy grid.  And we\u2019re going to invest in strengthening our infrastructure against the impacts of climate change.<\/p>\n<p>The Governor and I were talking a little bit earlier.  You know, just this year, we\u2019ve \u2014 global warming has caused over $1 trillion \u2014 excuse me, $100 billion \u2014 $100 billion in damage.  I visited New Jersey, as the Gov mentioned, after the Hurricane Ida came through.  The Governor and several of you were with me. <\/p>\n<p>In Manville, we met people who had been put out of their homes by flooding.  It was devastating.  Water marks over people\u2019s heads.  They\u2019d show me where the water had gotten to.  I told them that help was on the way. <\/p>\n<p>Since then, FEMA processed assistance applications for nearly 30,000 New Jerseyans and approved $150 million in repairs, replacement, and rental assistance and other needs. <\/p>\n<p>Between 2010 and 2020, this state has had 24 extreme weather events \u2014 24.  Nationally, extreme weather, as I said, cost the taxpayers $100 billion a year [last year].<\/p>\n<p>Our plan is going to build our roads higher, our levees stronger, our power grids more durable, all to withstand the ever-increasing ferocity and intensity of extreme weather.  And with my Build Back Better plans, we\u2019re going to address the root cause of ever-increasing extreme weather and destruction.  The climate crisis \u2014 we have a climate crisis.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve flown all over this nation this year, in helicopters, going from Lake Mead \u2014 you know, more land, Gov, has been burned to the ground in the West \u2014 to the ground \u2014 forest homes \u2014 than the entire state of New Jersey, from all the way down to Cape May, all the way up to the Hudson.  That\u2019s how much has burned to the ground.<\/p>\n<p>My infrastructure bill will also put Americans to work for long-overdue national environmental cleanups, like cleaning up the Passaic River \u2014 the nation\u2019s most expensive superfund site.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re going to invest $42 billion in modernizing and electrifying our ports and airports \u2014 like the Port of New York and New Jersey, Newark Liberty International Airport \u2014 reducing congestion and emissions and creating thousands more good-paying union jobs. <\/p>\n<p>This is going to help us meet the moment of the climate crisis in a way that creates good jobs, makes us more economically competitive, and we can breathe. <\/p>\n<p>Look, we haven\u2019t passed the transformation \u2014 the transformative infrastructure bill for a decade.  Think about this: How many times, under the former guy, did we have \u2014 we had \u201cInfrastructure Week\u201d?  Not a single thing happened.  We need to get this done. <\/p>\n<p>And it isn\u2019t enough just to invest in our physical infrastructure.  We also have to invest in our people.  That\u2019s what my second bill \u2014 the Build Back Better plan \u2014 does.<\/p>\n<p>I just had the opportunity to visit a preschool in East End Elementary in North Plainfield.  North Plain[field] provides access to preschool for all kids four years and above. <\/p>\n<p>My plan is going to make it possible for the district to expand that program to three-year-olds all across America.  The earlier our children begin to learn, the better for themselves, their families, and for the nation.<\/p>\n<p>Studies show that children who have attended high-quality preschool are 50 percent more likely to finish high school and get a two- or four-year degree after high school.  But right now, we\u2019re lagging behind.<\/p>\n<p>Today, only about half of three- and four-year-olds in America are enrolled in early education.  In Germany, France, the UK, and even Latvia, that number is over 90 percent.  Over 90 percent of three- and four-year-olds are in school.<\/p>\n<p>My Build Back Better plan gets us back on track.  And we\u2019ll make two years of high-quality preschool available to every child in America.<\/p>\n<p>An average two-parent household in this state spends $15,000 to care for just one young child every year. <\/p>\n<p>Everybody says, \u201cHow do you know?\u201d  I \u2014 I know about this.  When I got elected to the United States Senate, my wife and daughter were killed.  I had two little boys.  I was making a lot of money as a U.S. senator \u2014 $42,000 a year \u2014 and I could not afford.  That\u2019s why I started commuting every single day.  Couldn\u2019t afford to have two houses and to have daycare.  Thank God I have a sister, who\u2019s my best friend; a brother; my mother; and my father who helped out. <\/p>\n<p>My Build Back Better plan is going to cut childcare costs more than in half for low- and middle-income New Jersey residents.  Under my plan, no middle-class family will spend more than 7 percent of their income on childcare.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ll also extend historic middle-class tax cuts for parents by expanding the Child Care Tax Credit.  Everybody talks about children.  And Josh has heard me say it: I view it as a tax cut for middle-class families \u2014 a tax cut.  We never have an argument when we talk about the wealthy.  This is a tax cut.  It changes the lives of the American people.  (Applause.)  Because many people here in New Jersey understand it means you get $300 a month for every child under the age six and $250 for a child between 6 and 17.<br \/>\nThat money is already a life-changer for so many working families.  It\u2019s projected to cut child poverty in New Jersey by 36 percent.<\/p>\n<p>These bills are going to change the lives of millions of people in the area and hundreds of millions of people across the country for better and for years to come.<\/p>\n<p>So, to everyone here today, especially Governor Murphy and other dedicated officials here today, thank you for showing us what\u2019s possible.  Because when we make these investments, there\u2019s going to be no stopping America.  We will own the future.<\/p>\n<p>This initiative is about betting on America, about believing in America, about believing in the American people.<\/p>\n<p>If you look at the history of the journey of this nation, what becomes clear is this: Given half a chance, the American people have never, ever, ever let their country down.<\/p>\n<p>So let\u2019s get this done.  Let\u2019s move.  Folks, we have the most \u2014 we have the most talented workforce in the world.  What are we doing?  What in God\u2019s name are we doing? <\/p>\n<p>And, by the way, you hear these numbers \u2014 $3.5 trillion or $1.75 trillion.  We pay for it all.  It doesn\u2019t increase the deficit one single cent.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>So, let\u2019s get to work.  Let\u2019s put people to work.  And let\u2019s once again reestablish America as the most advanced country in the world.  (Applause.)  <\/p>\n<p>God bless our \u2014 America.  And God bless our troops.  Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kearny, NJ&#8230;Thank you. Hello, New Jersey! (Applause.) Thank you, Lieutenant Commander Mikie Sherrill. Well, Governor Murphy, so many of the national challenges we\u2019re confronting are areas where you\u2019re already leading \u2014 and that\u2019s not hyperbole \u2014 whether it\u2019s making healthcare or preschool or college more affordable; providing paid family leave; replacing lead in pipes; and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":131218,"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-131217","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\/10\/Chrome-Legacy-Window-10252021-90616-PM.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131217","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=131217"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131217\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":131219,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131217\/revisions\/131219"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/131218"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=131217"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=131217"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=131217"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}