{"id":135049,"date":"2022-01-24T09:22:54","date_gmt":"2022-01-24T17:22:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/?p=135049"},"modified":"2022-01-24T09:22:54","modified_gmt":"2022-01-24T17:22:54","slug":"president-biden-at-the-u-s-conference-of-mayors-90th-annual-winter-meeting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/?p=135049","title":{"rendered":"President Biden at the U.S. Conference of Mayors 90th Annual Winter Meeting"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Washington, DC&#8230;Hello, hello, hello.  (Applause.)  It\u2019s good to have you all back in person.  (Applause.)  Mr. Mayor, thank you for your leadership.  I appreciate it.  I know one thing: We both did marry up.  (Laughter.)  Mayor Bowser, thanks for hosting us.  You\u2019re the best.  You really are.  Thank you for everything you do.  I\u2019ve had the honor of addressing this body many, many times.  And I\u2019ve always had enormous respect for the job you do.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/UQ7_zOzeG6w\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Some of you have heard me say it before, but it\u2019s the truth: I ran for the United States Senate in 1972 as a 29-year-old kid because I was a local official and it was too hard.  (Laughter.)  They know where you live.  (Laughter.)<\/p>\n<p>And so \u2014 you think I\u2019m kidding.  It\u2019s not a joke.  Mayors carry the quality of the people\u2019s lives on your shoulders.<\/p>\n<p>Everything you do every day affects their lives more than almost anything anybody else does.  And you can make or break a person\u2019s day.  \u201cWill the bus get me home on time?\u201d  It sounds silly but, \u201cWill the garbage get be picked up?\u201d  \u201cWill I be safe walking in the park?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>These are the bigger questions: \u201cCan I afford \u2014 can I afford to give my family a good life?\u201d  \u201cWill my kids have a chance to get a good job someday?\u201d  \u201cHow will I rebuild from the fire or the storm?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>You know, all of these questions, they\u2019re not partisan, but they\u2019re practical.  People you [they] look to are you.  They\u2019re the people you look \u2014 that they look to \u2014 are you.  For real.<\/p>\n<p>You know there\u2019s no way to walk into the corner drugstore without being accosted immediately as to what\u2019s going on.  Right?  (Laughter.)<\/p>\n<p>Well, so you know what it means to solve real problems, to<br \/>\nbe held accountable for the people you serve.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s why, when I put together my Cabinet, I called on former mayors \u2014 and I mean this sincerely.  (Applause).  Take a look.  Tom Vilsack was a governor; he was also a mayor.  Marcia Fudge, governor \u2014 I mean, excuse me, a mayor.  Marty Walsh a mayor in Boston.  Pete Buttigieg was a mayor.  And I picked Mitch Landrieu to oversee the implementation of the infrastructure law, which is over  a billion 200 million dollars [$1.2 trillion], because he knows how mayors get things done.  (Applause.)  No, I mean it.  Not a joke.  Because mayors know the measure of success isn\u2019t scoring partisan points, it\u2019s did you fix the problem.  Did you fix \u2014 seriously, think about it: Did you fix the problem?<\/p>\n<p>The infrastructure law is a perfect example of what we can achieve when we tackle problems the way mayors do.  Everybody in America \u2014 everybody in America knows we\u2019ve fallen behind on infrastructure.  So we came together \u2014 Democrats and Republicans \u2014 and did something about it.<\/p>\n<p>The number of really brave \u2014 and I\u2019m not being facetious when I say that brave Republicans stood up and joined us in a bipartisan effort to get it done.<\/p>\n<p>And, by the way, I want to thank you all.  More than 360 of you signed a letter that was sent to me when we were trying to get this legislation passed.  Three hundred and sixty of you.  You lobbied Congress to get it done, and it\u2019s the reason it got done.  Not a joke.  It\u2019s the reason it got done \u2014 because of you.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>There were a lot of people who wanted to vote for it, but they had a lot of pressure not to vote for it for political reasons.  But because of you, they voted for it, we got it done.    Because they know \u2014 they know how it goes in your cities to determine how their states go.<\/p>\n<p>And now, after years of dead-ends and broken promises, not only has \u201cInfrastructure Week\u201d finally arrived \u2014 (applause) \u2014 but we can literally, because of you, look forward to an \u201cInfrastructure Decade.\u201d  That\u2019s not hyperbole.<\/p>\n<p>Back in 2009, when President Obama asked me to lead the recovery effort, which was an $800 billion effort \u2014 and the first thing I did, I went to the mayors.  Not a joke. <\/p>\n<p>Now, most of you are too young to have been around in 2008.  (Laughter.)  But \u2014 but, look, I spoke to over 200 mayors putting that together.  Because of them, because of you, we came through that moment together.  That\u2019s the same approach that Mitch has taken, having been a former mayor, with all of you.<\/p>\n<p>I know Mitch has spoken to many of you already.  And in just two months, we\u2019ve already seen this law start to make a real difference, creating better jobs, transforming our communities in tangible ways.  <\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ve announced billions of dollars for highways, ports, airports, water and sewage systems, high-speed Internet; funding to clean up the rivers in Ohio, chemical plants and sites in Florida, polluted lakes in Michigan and dozens of other sites; a new program to cap and plug orphaned oil and gas wells spewing methane into the air, cleaning up the communities that, in fact, they\u2019re affecting, while [creating] good-paying jobs.<\/p>\n<p>The folks who dug those wells when we needed them, they got paid well.  Well, they\u2019re getting paid the same amount to plug those wells.  It matters.  It matters.<\/p>\n<p>A new initiative to bolster our energy grid with stronger transmission lines and towers to keep the power flowing more reliably and, consequentially, more secure energy supply.<\/p>\n<p>You know, I\u2019ve flown all over the wor- \u2014 all over the country these last \u2014 this last year, visiting sites that have been damaged by \u2014 as a consequence of environmental changes.<\/p>\n<p>You know, more forest, homes, buildings, and businesses have been burned to the ground than make up \u2014 if you\u2019re taking the square miles \u2014 than the entire state of New Jersey, from New York all the way down to Cape Henlopen.  That\u2019s how much has burned to the ground.  A lot of it because of the lack of resilience in those towers that get blown over and the wires snap.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ve got a lot \u2014 so much we can do with this legislation now.<\/p>\n<p>Last week, we rolled out a historic investments in our nation\u2019s bridges, like the one I visited in New Hampshire, where restrictions forced school buses and fire trucks to go 10 miles out of their way just to get across a small river. <\/p>\n<p>Or the I-10 bridge I visited in Louisiana \u2014 it\u2019s 20 years past its planned life.  It doesn\u2019t have modern safety fishures [sic] \u2014 features.  And it\u2019s last inspected \u2014 the bridge \u2014 the bridge is deemed to be in poor condition.  And now it has two lanes on the bridge \u2014 okay? \u2014 that a four-lane interstate feeds into, creating and causing major backups.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re going to upgrade thousands of bridges, creating good-paying jobs, cutting commute times, ensuring that as we build back, no community gets left behind.<\/p>\n<p>Folks, that mayor\u2019s view of problem-solving is exactly what we brought to the American Rescue Plan.  It\u2019s designed so that you\u2019d be able to have the resources and the flexibility to take both the short-term and long-term challenges created by this pandemic.<\/p>\n<p>Ten months ago [later], that law is still carrying the nation forward on vaccines, on boosters, on keeping schools open.  And it\u2019s still making a difference for communities across the country.<\/p>\n<p>And, I might add, a lot of money in that to keep those schools open.  Some states have spent the money well.  I\u2019ve gotten it to you all so you can, in fact, keep those schools open and change the ventilation system and change the busing and all \u2014 the whole works.  Some states haven\u2019t distributed the money.<\/p>\n<p>Everything I\u2019ve done in my career, when it comes to federal funding, I\u2019ve tried to make sure that you don\u2019t have to go past \u201cGo\u201d to get it.  It goes directly to the mayors.  Directly to them.  (Applause.)  I mean it.  It\u2019s not a joke.<\/p>\n<p>A major part of the Rescue Plan was the $350 billion we allocated to state and local budgets.  And again, because of you, over a mil- \u2014 $100 billion of that went directly to cities and counties, not through anybody.  (Applause.)  A hundred billion.<\/p>\n<p>It was not easy to get done, but it was important to get done because you know it\u2019s needed.  You didn\u2019t have to go through your state legislature \u2014 they\u2019re not bad folks; I don\u2019t mean that \u2014 (laughter) \u2014 or your governor; good folks \u2014 to get the money.<\/p>\n<p>Today, communities are still putting those funds to work \u2014 keeping people on the job, connecting people to better jobs.<\/p>\n<p>In Seattle, the money is being used to give premium pay to local childcare workers so they can keep childcare centers open and available for folks who need it.  I\u2019m not sure that would\u2019ve happened if not gone directly to the states \u2014 I mean, from \u2014 gone directly to the states.<\/p>\n<p>You know, in Phoenix, partnering with community colleges, these funds are going to help workers find careers in the region\u2019s \u2014 in the region\u2019s \u2014 in the semi-conductor industry, which is a big, big deal.<\/p>\n<p>In Milwaukee, you all are training workers to get help to get rid of lead pipelines.  You have 450,000 school \u2014 I mean, the idea that we have our kids drinking out of fountains that have lead pipes feeding the fountains.  Because everybody deserves clean water \u2014 everybody \u2014 no matter where you are: city, suburban, urban, or rural areas.<\/p>\n<p>Here in Washington, D.C., it\u2019s funding the expansion of an Infrastructure Academy, preparing local workers to take the good-paying jobs in manufacturing, construction, and utilities that are going to be created as a consequence of the infrastructure law.<\/p>\n<p>Look, I urge every American to take a look at what you all are doing.  I urge every mayor in America to follow suit, to use the resources \u2014 the Rescue Plan \u2014 and the resources that were intended not just to stave off disaster but to build for a future around the people who make communities run.<\/p>\n<p>Use your funds to cover childcare costs or temporary paid leave to help certain workers dealing with Omicron; to build pathways to better jobs through union-based apprenticeships and on-the-job training; to give people in every ZIP code a chance to deal for themselves and deal them into this booming economy.<\/p>\n<p>That also means building more affordable housing so people can have safe places closer to their jobs.<\/p>\n<p>Funding proven programs to help fight violent crime.  We shouldn\u2019t be cutting funding for police departments.  I proposed increasing funding. <\/p>\n<p>Look, you know, we ask cops to do everything, including be psychologists and social workers.  Guess what?  They need psychologists and soc- \u2014 social workers.  (Applause.)  No, I mean it.  Not a joke.  So they can hire more social workers \u2014 folks trained in mental health \u2014 so they can partner with trusted community leaders, like the programs the Rescue Plan is funding in Atlanta and Louisville and other cities across the country.<\/p>\n<p>The truth is, we have an incredible opportunity ahead of us this year.  We still have a lot of work to do to defeat COVID, to bring down costs for families.<\/p>\n<p>But just look at what we\u2019ve accomplished together so far, even in the face of those headwinds.<\/p>\n<p>In 2021, more jobs are created in America than ever in a single year in American history.  More jobs \u2014 over 6 million.  The unemployment rate dropped more than any year in American history.  (Applause.)   <\/p>\n<p>Income \u2014 incomes for folks working frontline jobs in service industries rose more than any year in history \u2014 the folks at the bottom of the economic rung.<\/p>\n<p>We lowered child poverty in this country by nearly 40 percent \u2014 more than any time in U.S. history.  (Applause.) <\/p>\n<p>You all know this: Business applications grew by nearly 30 percent last year \u2014 more than any year in history.  If they\u2019re saying everything is so bad, why are people fighting to open businesses?<\/p>\n<p>More Americans gained health insurance than any year in history.<\/p>\n<p>These are facts. <\/p>\n<p>To confront the climate crisis, we deployed more solar wind, batteries, and electric vehicles than ever, ever before.<\/p>\n<p>And we\u2019re teaming up with mayors, labor, and industry to save families and businesses money by improving energy efficiency in our buildings.<\/p>\n<p>And in the battle against the deadly virus, we\u2019ve gone from putting 2 million shots \u2014 vaccinations in people\u2019s arms to 210 million Americans fully vaccinated.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>And you mayors have been critical partners \u2014 I\u2019m not trying to be nice to you; it\u2019s just a fact \u2014 (laughter) \u2014 you\u2019ve been critical partners in that fight from day one, from masking to testing to vaccinations.  (Applause.) <\/p>\n<p>We partnered with you.  (Applause.)  We partnered with you on the Mayors Challenge last summer \u2014 115 cities working together to get Americans vaccinated.<\/p>\n<p>In Richmond, Mayor Stoney, you created vaccination clinics that doubled the job fa- \u2014 doubled as job fairs.  Get your shot and it\u2019s also a job fair, encouraging people to come in.<\/p>\n<p>In Detroit, Mayor Duggan \u2014 are you here, Mr. Mayor? \u2014 I tell you what: I worked with him for a long time; there\u2019s a man who knows what he\u2019s doing.  Mayor Duggan partnered with solar \u2014 saloons [salons] and barber shops to get shots in peoples\u2019 arms.<\/p>\n<p>In St. Louis, Mayor Jones worked with churches and local food programs to reach neighborhoods with low vaccination rates.<\/p>\n<p>All of these efforts \u2014 you\u2019ve saved lives.  Not a joke.  You\u2019ve saved lives.<\/p>\n<p>Now, to keep up that fight against Omicron, we\u2019ve launched dozens of federal testing sites in New York; Philadelphia; Henderson, Nevada; and elsewhere throughout \u2014 sites that we\u2019re launching every week.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ve devoted federal medical teams made up of military first responders, National Guard to bring relief to the hardest-hit hospitals who need additional personnel just to keep it moving because they\u2019re so overrun.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re purchasing and distributing free 1 billion at-home tests so people can test themselves in their communities.<\/p>\n<p>And we still face tremendous challenges, though.  But together, we\u2019ve proven that we can get big things done in this country.<\/p>\n<p>Last year, with your help, we laid the groundwork.  This year, we have to build it.  The biggest weapon in our arsenal is the Build Back Better Act.  Nothing is going to do more to ease pressure on families.<\/p>\n<p>As a \u2014 as my friend Jim Clyburn says, it\u2019s all about making everything more affordable and more accessible to people.<\/p>\n<p>Every mayor knows if people can\u2019t find and afford childcare, they can\u2019t work.  (Applause.)  Some of your cities, it\u2019s 14-, 15,000 bucks a year for childcare.  That\u2019s why we have nearly 1.2 million extremely qualified women who haven\u2019t been able to return to the workforce.<\/p>\n<p>We can cut the cost of childcare in half and fix that problem.<\/p>\n<p>Health insurance: We can reduce the cost for families \u2014 and we\u2019ve done for $600 per year.<\/p>\n<p>On climate: Extreme weather disasters cost communities $145 billion last year.  That\u2019s how much we spent because of weather-related crises.  $145 billion.  By investing in resilience and clean energy technology, we can do something about that.<\/p>\n<p>To give relief to families, in the American Rescue Plan we had the Childcare Tax Credit.  That did reduce child poverty by 40 percent.  There\u2019s no reason it shouldn\u2019t continue.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>And on education \u2014 on education: Today, about half of the three- and four-year-olds are enrolled in early childhood education.<\/p>\n<p>In Germany, France, UK, Latvia, the number is more than 90 percent.  Where the hell are \u2014 heck are we?  (Laughter.)  No, I\u2019m serious.  We\u2019re falling further and further behind the curve.  But we can fix that problem.<\/p>\n<p>We can do this and more on healthcare, nutrition, and a host of other issues.<\/p>\n<p>And, folks, here\u2019s the point: We can do it without increasing inflation or the deficit.<\/p>\n<p>Seventeen Nobel laureates in economics wrote a letter to me recently, affirming that this bill would reduce inflationary pressures on the economy, not increase \u2014 reduce it.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>And by the way \u2014 by the way, it\u2019s entirely paid for.  (Applause.)  Every single penny.  (Applause.)  And not a single person making less than $400,000 a year will pay a single additional penny in federal taxes.  Not a single penny.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>And, by the way, I\u2019m a capitalist.  I\u2019m not a socialist.  If you can make $1 billion or $10 million, good for you.  Just begin to pay your fair share.  Pay a little bit.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>We can pay for all this by just making sure that the wealthy \u2014 making sure that the wealthy and the biggest corporations pay their fair share.<\/p>\n<p>Case in point: The last two years, 55 of the Fortune 500 companies \u2014 and I come from the corporate capital of the world:  Delaware.  Not a joke.  More corporations incorporated in my state than every other state in the union.  Okay?  I get it.  And I represented it for 36 years.  But guess what?  You got 55 corporations last year that made $40 billion in profits and didn\u2019t pay a single penny in taxes.  That\u2019s not right.  That\u2019s not right. <\/p>\n<p>Look, we can tackle all these challenges just like we did with the Rescue Plan, the infrastructure law, and the fight against COVID, but we can\u2019t do it without you.  I\u2019m not trying to be nice to you; we can\u2019t do it without you.  (Laughter.)  No, no, really, that\u2019s the God\u2019s truth. <\/p>\n<p>You understand the challenges people are facing and you understand the solutions.  You know that this isn\u2019t \u2014 when it gets down to whether the garbage gets collected or someone is safe in the street \u2014 this isn\u2019t partisan, it\u2019s practical. <\/p>\n<p>You understand the cost if we fail to act.  We need the voice of mayors telling the stories of what your communities need, and the impact we\u2019re making on people\u2019s lives or not making.  If we can get this done \u2014 I believe this with every fiber of my being: If we can get this done, there\u2019s no limit what Americans can achieve.  So, let\u2019s continue to give working families a fighting chance. <\/p>\n<p>I wasn\u2019t kidding when I said \u2014 when I announced for president \u2014 that I am so tired of the working class and middle class carrying the burden.  It\u2019s about time we grow the economy from the bottom up and the middle out. <\/p>\n<p>And, by the way, when the middle class does well, the wealthy do very, very, very well.  I\u2019m not joking. <\/p>\n<p>This isn\u2019t about punishing anybody.  It\u2019s about getting everybody in the game. <\/p>\n<p>Raise your hand if you think the present tax structure is fair.  And we\u2019ll take a picture of you and send it home.  (Laughter and applause.)<\/p>\n<p>Seriously, guys.  (Laughter.)  You know, the thing I like about mayors is you\u2019re straight.  You know what I mean?  You just \u2014 you shoot from the shoulder.  (Laughter.)  <\/p>\n<p>So, let\u2019s keep investing in the future of every city and town in America.  Let\u2019s face these challenges head on and keep building.  We can build back better. <\/p>\n<p>Folks, I really believe it: There\u2019s not a damn thing we can\u2019t do if we set our minds to it.  And every single time \u2014 (applause) \u2014 think about this now \u2014 this is not hyperbole: No other country than America has come through every crisis we\u2019ve faced and ended up stronger than we were before we got into the crisis.  Think about that.  (Applause.)  Think about that.<\/p>\n<p>So, don\u2019t give up on the American people. <\/p>\n<p>You know, I\u2019ve said many, many times to world leaders, particularly when they ask me about America: It\u2019s never been a good bet to bet against the American people.  Never, never, never been a good bet to bet against the American people. <\/p>\n<p>And when we stand together, there\u2019s not a damn thing we can\u2019t do \u2014 Democrat and Republican.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>Thank you all.  May God bless you.  And may God protect our troops.  Keep it going, folks.  We need you badly.  We need you badly.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Washington, DC&#8230;Hello, hello, hello. (Applause.) It\u2019s good to have you all back in person. (Applause.) Mr. Mayor, thank you for your leadership. I appreciate it. I know one thing: We both did marry up. (Laughter.) Mayor Bowser, thanks for hosting us. You\u2019re the best. You really are. Thank you for everything you do. I\u2019ve had [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":135050,"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-135049","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\/2022\/01\/Chrome-Legacy-Window-1242022-91935-AM.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135049","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=135049"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135049\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":135051,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135049\/revisions\/135051"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/135050"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=135049"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=135049"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=135049"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}