{"id":147280,"date":"2022-09-12T15:18:47","date_gmt":"2022-09-12T22:18:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/?p=147280"},"modified":"2022-09-12T15:18:47","modified_gmt":"2022-09-12T22:18:47","slug":"president-biden-on-the-bipartisan-infrastructure-law","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/?p=147280","title":{"rendered":"President Biden on the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Boston, MA&#8230;Hello, Boston!  (Applause.)  Hello, hello, hello!  Gov, is it okay if they sit down?  Please, have a \u2014 take a seat if you have one.  I once said that when there were no chairs out there, \u201cTake a seat.\u201d  And they said, \u201cThere goes Biden again.\u201d  Anyway, thank you.  Jenaya, thank you for that introduction. <\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/fLfXePoPs8o\" title=\"President Biden Delivers Remarks on the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>And I know Marty has a heavy load to carry, but he\u2019s doing a hell of a job for me.  Good to see you, Marty, there.  Look, he\u2019s making sure projects like the one here \u2014 that we\u2019re here to talk about are done with not \u201clabor\u201d \u2014 union labor.  Union labor.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ve got the building trades here with us today: the Laborers, Pipefitters, Ironworkers, Electricians, steel metal [Sheetmetal] Workers, Painters, Operating Engineers, Sprinkler Fitters.  And we also have got Service Workers, Hospitality Workers, Machinists, Mechanics.  This is \u2014 this is going to \u2014 this project won\u2019t get done without you.  And when it gets done, it\u2019ll get done the best.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>You know, Gov, when I spoke to the National Chamber of Commerce and with the business roundtable, I said, \u201cI\u2019m a union guy.\u201d  And I made it clear why.  It makes sense.  The single-best-trained workers and trades in the world are American union workers.  That\u2019s the God\u2019s truth. <\/p>\n<p>And what people don\u2019t realize \u2014 and I keep saying it and saying it over and over again, Senator, is that, you know, they have to \u2014 they don\u2019t just show up and decide to be an electrician.  They get four or five years of training.  Four or five years of training, like going to college; it\u2019s like going back to school.  They get some pay during that period, but they got to do it. <\/p>\n<p>And so, the reason why I\u2019m always pushing labor and let \u2014 unions \u2014 union labor \u2014 is because, ultimately, it\u2019s the cheapest investment you make because it\u2019s the longest duration of whatever is done and is being done well. <\/p>\n<p>And \u2014 and besides, you know, everyone \u2014 my dad used to have an expression, \u201cEveryone is entitled to be treated with dignity.\u201d  Everybody.  And I want to tell you, unions demand they be treated with dignity, and I demand you do that too.  So thank you.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>Mayor Wu, thank you for the passport into this city.  I don\u2019t know where you\u2019re sitting.  I know I just had my picture taken with you.  But, Mayor \u2014 back there; there you go, Mayor.  Thank you very much.  I appreciate it.  (Applause.)  You\u2019re a great champion for the working people of Boston.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>And, Governor Baker, thank you for your partnership over the years. <\/p>\n<p>I said to the Gov \u2014 I hope it doesn\u2019t hurt your reputation, Gov \u2014 but, you know, what \u2014 when I got started, we all used to be like you and I: actually get along, cared for each other, treat each other decently.  We may disagree, but just straight up, we got to return to that kind of politics.  We got to return that kind.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>And I tell you what \u2014 what a congressional delegation.  Holy God.  (Laughter.)  I can\u2019t do anything without checking in on the delegation.  You know what I mean?  It\u2019s the most powerful and most talented delegation, I think, in the country: Senator Elizabeth Warren and Eddie Markey; you know, Representatives Clark, Lynch, Keating, Moulton, Pressley.  You know, and \u2014 and, Lori, I think you may be the best of all, based on the kids.  (Laughter.) <\/p>\n<p>But at any rate, I just think that \u2014 and \u2014 and \u2014 and, Jake, you know, Auchincloss, is \u2014 you\u2019ve done a good job.  And the problem is you\u2019re too young.  (Laughter.) <\/p>\n<p>I remember Teddy came down to help me the very last event we had when I was running for the United States Senate.  True story.  And he came down to Delaware, and we had this great big thing in a \u2014 an old center they were about to tear down, but it was \u2014 it was the largest group we had.  It was two days before the election.  There were, I don\u2019t know, six, seven thousand people assembled at St. Anthony\u2019s.  And he stood up and he said, \u201cI like Joe Biden a lot.  I like him a lot.  He\u2019ll be a good \u2014 he\u2019ll be very good in the United States Senate.  The problem is I think he\u2019s a little too young.\u201d  I was 29 at the time.  And the Wall Street Journal ran straight story: \u201cKennedy says Biden too young to be in the Senate.\u201d  (Laughs.)<\/p>\n<p>Any rate, but Teddy was a great friend.<\/p>\n<p>Along with Jim McGovern and Richie Neal, who you made possible today with your support of the Infrastructure \u2014 we wouldn\u2019t be here without you guys.  We wouldn\u2019t.  And many more, but wouldn\u2019t have gotten this done.<\/p>\n<p>And I want to thank you to the Massachusetts Port Authority.  Lisa, thank you very much for welcoming me to the Logan Airport today.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>And I\u2019m here to talk about the historic investment we\u2019re going to make at Logan and in airports all across the country. <\/p>\n<p>For too long, we\u2019ve talked about having the best economy in the world.  We\u2019ve talked about asserting American leadership around the world with the best and the safest roads, railroads, ports, airports.  But now \u2014 now we\u2019re finally doing something about it.  We\u2019re finally getting it done.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re turning \u201cInfrastructure Week\u201d in \u2014 from a punchline that my \u2014 that was my predecessor, into an \u201cInfrastructure Decade\u201d on our watch.<\/p>\n<p>Last year, I signed into law a once-in-a-generation investment in our nation\u2019s roads, highways, bridges, railroads, ports, airports, water systems, high-speed Internet, et cetera. <\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s called the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and it\u2019s the most significant \u2014 this is a fact \u2014 the most significant investment since President Eisenhower\u2019s Interstate Highway System.  The most significant investment.  (Applause.)  And your members of Congress got it done.<\/p>\n<p>And Mitch Landrieu, from Louisiana, from New Orleans \u2014 he \u2014 former mayor \u2014 I put him in charge of making sure this investments from this transformative law get to the right places quickly and that they have the right impact.  Mitch, as the Mayor of New Orleans, following in the footsteps of his dad, Moon Landrieu \u2014 a great man who just recently passed away.<\/p>\n<p>Mitch understands how important this kind of investment is for our cities and our towns across America because he\u2019s done it.  And \u2014 and it matters here at Logan Airport.<\/p>\n<p>In 2019, 42 million people flew through this airport.  Before the pandemic, it was the 16th largest [busiest] airport in the United States.  And it\u2019s more than an airport, it\u2019s an economic engine.<\/p>\n<p>In 2019, $17 billion worth of exports and imports flowed through here.  The airport supports 162,000 jobs across the region and hundreds of small businesses, not to mention the 18,000 people who work right here at Logan.<\/p>\n<p>It was first built 100 years ago.  It\u2019s critical to our economy and to your economy.  But it needs a significant upgrade to accommodate the passengers flying in and out from all over the world and to support \u2014 and the support of international trade.<\/p>\n<p>Three hundred thousand metric tons of cargo move through this airport annually, most of it shipped internationally.  This airport also is part of a system that moves goods and services for key industries in the area, like medical supplies, technology products, and seafood.  And, folks, it really matters.  And that gets me \u2014 it gets us to the terminal we\u2019re standing in today.<\/p>\n<p>Terminal E, here at Logan, first opened in 1974.  It\u2019s the terminal serving international flights.<\/p>\n<p>When it opened in 1974, there were 1.4 million international passengers a year passing through the gates.  Today, 50 years later, there\u2019s over 5.6 million passengers moving through, four times as many the number that came through initially. <\/p>\n<p>It means crowded gates, longer taxi times, airplanes full of passengers just waiting, all of which is causing congestion and flight delays.<\/p>\n<p>For travelers passing through, it means missed connections, lost baggage, long lines.  For businesses, it can mean delayed orders, spoiled products, and very unhappy customers.<\/p>\n<p>The traffic jam of planes taxiing on the runway caused unnecessary air pollution in neighboring communities in East Boston.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s frustrating.  It\u2019s inconvenient.  And it\u2019s bad for the environment.  And there\u2019s simply no reason for it.  This is the United States of America, for God\u2019s sake.  This is who we are?  This is not \u2014 this is not what we should be doing.  But we\u2019re finally going to do something about it.<\/p>\n<p>The Governor and the legislature have moved to try to do as much as they can, but through the Infrastructure Law, we\u2019re investing $62 million here at Logan.  It\u2019s the largest grant for airport terminals in the country thus far and one of the largest federal investments in airports [the airport] ever.  Ever.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>This project is going to create 5,900 jobs \u2014 union jobs \u2014 where people make a decent salary.  (Applause.)  It\u2019ll go to expanding capacity by adding more gates, baggage claims, ticket counters.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s going to increase accessibility by adding ramps, rails, elevators, wheel-chair accessible shuttles and buses.  A new HVA[C] system and electric-powered gates are going to make it more energy efficient.  Less idling time for planes will mean fewer emissions.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re creating a modern terminal worthy of America\u2019s city on the hill.<\/p>\n<p>Folks, because \u2014 (applause) \u2014 because of the significant decline in revenues and travelers due to the pandemic, this project was going to be scaled back.  But thanks to the Infrastructure Law that your members of the House and Senate really got done \u2014 they were the engine behind it \u2014 we\u2019re full steam ahead.  We\u2019ve already have \u2014 we \u2014 well, we\u2019ll have a first-class airport here in very short order.<\/p>\n<p>Folks, America invented modern aviation, but we\u2019ve allowed our airports to lag behind our competitors.  Today \u2014 today, not a single, solitary American airport \u2014 not one \u2014 ranks in the top 25 in the world.  The United States of America, not one airport ranks in the top 25 in the world.  What in the hell is the matter with us? <\/p>\n<p>It means commerce.  It means income.  It means security.  And we don\u2019t even rank in the top 25.  Not one single airport.<\/p>\n<p>I remember when I was Vice President, I was flying into New York on Air Force Two.  We landed at LaGuardia.  And as I got into the terminal, there was an escalator \u2014 this is the God\u2019s truth \u2014 going up to the gates.  And it said, quote, \u201cOut of order.  Will be fixed in two months.\u201d  LaGuardia.  \u201cOut of order.  Will be fixed in two months.\u201d  With all the international passengers flying through LaGuardia taking a look. <\/p>\n<p>We wonder why \u2014 we wonder why folks in China and others think we\u2019re a spent economy.  \u201cWill be fixed in two months.\u201d  And I thought to myself, \u201cThis is the United States of America.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The good news is LaGuardia is changing, with a multi-billion-dollar investment that\u2019s turning it into a world-class airport again, just like you\u2019re going to do here.<\/p>\n<p>Just imagine walking in here when the construction is done \u2014 a bright, modern terminal.  You\u2019ll know you\u2019re in the 21st century in the greatest country in the world and one of the finest cities in the country.<\/p>\n<p>And we\u2019re not only doing this here in Boston.  With this new law, across the country we\u2019re investing $25 billion \u2014 $25 billion to modify our airports, from airports serving small towns like Turners Fall Airport in Western Massachusetts to major cities like Boston.  It matters.<\/p>\n<p>And, by the way, my administration is also cracking down on the airlines to get passengers fairer treatment.<\/p>\n<p>Last month, if your flight was canceled or delayed, no top airline guaranteed covering your cost of hotels and meals; only guaranteed \u2014 one guaranteed free booking, even when the delay or cancellation was the airline\u2019s fault.  Well, then Secretary Buttigieg, at my request, called them out.<\/p>\n<p>And guess what happened?  As of last week, airlines now cover hotels \u2014 eight of them; nine [cover] meals; nine rebook for free.  (Applause.)  And that\u2019s progress.  And we\u2019re going to get more rules in the works to protect airline passengers even further.<\/p>\n<p>Folks, for most of the last century, we led the world in a \u2014 by a significant margin because we invested in our people and we invested in our infrastructure.  We invested in ourselves.  But, along the way, we stopped. <\/p>\n<p>We used to be ranked number one in the world in investment and research and development as part of our GDP.  Number one in the world.  Now we rank number eight [nine].  China used to be ranked number eight, and now \u2014 nine [eight], excuse me \u2014 and now they rank number two in the world.<\/p>\n<p>The risk \u2014 we risk losing our edge as a nation to China and to the rest of the world.  It\u2019s catching up.<\/p>\n<p>That stops now with investments like we\u2019re celebrating here today.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ve already announced $2 billion in funding from the Infrastructure Law spread throughout the commonwealth.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re investing $190 million in Massachusetts to improve bus service, including $116 million to replace dirty diesel buses right here in Boston with electric buses.<\/p>\n<p>This will reduce emissions coming out of those buses, lowering air pollution along the bus routes.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re spending $20 million in Roxbury to allow for faster and safer commutes by adding protected bus lanes, sidewalks along some of the neighborhood\u2019s busiest streets, like Warren Street.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re investing $20 million in Lynn to make the community more bus, bicycle, and pedestrian-friendly.  We\u2019re reducing congestion by undergirding the \u2014 the Lynnway, the city\u2019s main north-south corridor.<\/p>\n<p>And when you see these big projects in your hometowns \u2014 cranes going up, shovels in the ground \u2014 I want you to feel the way I feel: pride.  Pride in what we can do; pride in what we can do when we come together.<\/p>\n<p>Now, the Infrastructure Law is just one part of the economic plan.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re working to grow the economy from the bottom up and the middle out.  I\u2019ve never \u2014 my family never got much from trickle-down economies.  And by the way, when we work from the bottom up and the middle out, the wealthy do very, very well.  The poor have a shot, and the middle class, as my dad would say, have a little bit of breathing room.  A little bit of breathing room.  Building an economy that finally works for working families. <\/p>\n<p>We started with the American Rescue Plan.  That\u2019s taken us from economic crisis to economic resurgence.  Jobs and incomes are up.  People are back to work.  And that progress has continued in recent months, even as economics around the world \u2014 economies around the world have faced challenges, from Delta to Omicron to the ongoing war in Ukraine.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re seeing hopeful signs of progress on inflation as well.  The price of gas, when we said not \u2014 what I was doing wouldn\u2019t many any difference \u2014 well, guess what?  It\u2019s down $1.30 since the start of the summer and continues to go down.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>Inflation eased in July. <\/p>\n<p>I said last spring that our top economic priority was to bring down inflation without giving up on all the gains American workers made in the last year.  But there\u2019s more to do \u2014 a lot more to do.  The American people should have confidence that we are on the right track, that we\u2019re seeing real progress.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ve worked to make sure our economy recovers, to lower costs for families, but we aren\u2019t stopping here.<\/p>\n<p>I ran for office to build America, not just to get us back to where we were before the pandemic.  So we launched a once-in-a-generation effort to invest in America to come out better than we went in: our infrastructure, our clean energy future, our innovation economy.<\/p>\n<p>I signed the Infrastructure Law that\u2019s upgrading this airport and investing in communities around the country.<\/p>\n<p>I signed the Inflation Reduction Act that\u2019s going to mean American jobs.  And it\u2019ll make sure American-led industries are leading the world in building a clean energy future. <\/p>\n<p>I want to pay special tribute to Ed because I \u2014 without him, we would\u2019ve never gotten it passed, because he said, \u201cLet\u2019s get what we can.\u201d  And we got 362 billion \u2014 -69 billion dollars.  We didn\u2019t get the 518 I was looking for.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>And, by the way, when you hear your Republican friends or anybody else tell you, \u201cBoy, they\u2019re spending a lot of money,\u201d guess what?  We cut the budget [sic] $350 billion last year.  (Applause.)  We cut the deficit \u2014 I mean the deficit.  We cut the deficit this year by over $1 trillion this year.  (Applause.)  Listen, we know how to grow and reduce the burden as well.<\/p>\n<p>Folks, look, I also signed the groundbreaking CHIPS and Science Act that\u2019s going to ensure that technologies and jobs of the future are made here in America.  It invests billions of dollars in research and development, workforce training, manufacturing incentives to bring the semiconductor manufacturing back to America, where it began.  We invented the damn chip \u2014 the United States.  (Applause.)  <\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m serious.  Think about it.  Think about it.  Just think about it.  And think about anything that matters to you in terms of your daily life that doesn\u2019t require a computer chip.  I\u2019m not joking. <\/p>\n<p>The biggest reason for inflation last year was the cost of automobiles, because there weren\u2019t the chips available to build the automobiles.  That\u2019s the reason.<\/p>\n<p>Well, look, the fact is that there\u2019s a lot \u2014 a lot we can do, a lot we have to do.  You know, the fact is that, right now, with this Infrastructure Law, America is really getting on the move again.<\/p>\n<p>Let me close by saying that we\u2019re moving, and your life is going to change for the better.  You know, as I said, when you think about who we are and describe \u2014 like, think about \u2014 go back to the way your mother or father would explain to you what America was like 50 years ago.  There\u2019s no question there wasn\u2019t a damn thing we couldn\u2019t do if we set our mind to it.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m heading from here to the Kennedy Library to talk about the President\u2019s Moon launch speech because I\u2019m launching a similar initiative on cancer. <\/p>\n<p>The American people, because of our failure to think big, in my view, have begun to wonder, you know, \u201cCan we really do anything?  How much can we do?  Are there any things that are significant that America can do better than any other country in the world?\u201d <\/p>\n<p>We have the most qualified workforce in the world. <\/p>\n<p>When I was speaking to the Japanese \u2014 excuse me, the South Koreans investing in ships \u2014 chips factories here with se- \u2014 $100 billion, I asked, \u201cWhy are you investing in America?\u201d  He said, \u201cIt\u2019s the most secure nation in the world, number one.  Number two, you have the most advanced workforce in the world.  And number three, we can get anywhere in the world from America.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Folks, we got to remember who the hell we are.  I\u2019m not \u2014 I\u2019m not joking when I say this.  We kind of forgot.  This is the United States of America.  The United States of America.  When have you ever heard your parents or grandparents talk about, \u201cWell, maybe we can\u2019t do that; maybe we can\u2019t get that done\u201d? <\/p>\n<p>Folks, look, we\u2019re the United States of America, and investing the money we\u2019re investing in this Infrastructure Act, investing the money in the Inflation Reduction Act, we\u2019re \u2014 this means jobs.  Jobs. <\/p>\n<p>I can\u2019t think of any time we\u2019ve ever given the American people an even shot that they haven\u2019t stepped up to the ball.  I can\u2019t think of one single time when America is given an opportunity, they haven\u2019t taken advantage of it. <\/p>\n<p>And so, folks, together, I really believe that we\u2019re building a better America, not because of Joe Biden, not because the Democrats, and not because \u2014 but because of who we are as a people.  We the people. <\/p>\n<p>We are the most unique nation in the history of the world.  That\u2019s not hyperbole.  Every other nation in the world is based on geography, ethnicity, religion.  We\u2019re the only nation in the world that was organized based on an idea.  Not a joke.  Think about it.  The only one on an idea.  \u201cWe hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men and women are created equal, endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable\u2026\u201d  We\u2019ve never fully lived up to it, but we\u2019ve never before walked away from it.  Never before walked away from it.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s about time we come back home and remember who the hell we are.  Because we the people \u2014 we the people can do anything we want to do if we set our minds to it.  And, folks, together, we\u2019re going to build a better America.  (Applause.) <\/p>\n<p>So just remember who we are: We\u2019re the United States of America, and there\u2019s nothing beyond our capacity.  Nothing, nothing, nothing. <\/p>\n<p>God bless you all.  And may God protect our troops.  Thank you.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Boston, MA&#8230;Hello, Boston! (Applause.) Hello, hello, hello! Gov, is it okay if they sit down? Please, have a \u2014 take a seat if you have one. I once said that when there were no chairs out there, \u201cTake a seat.\u201d And they said, \u201cThere goes Biden again.\u201d Anyway, thank you. Jenaya, thank you for that [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":147281,"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-147280","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\/09\/Fullscreen-capture-9122022-31711-PM.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147280","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=147280"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147280\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":147282,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147280\/revisions\/147282"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/147281"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=147280"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=147280"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=147280"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}