ICYMI: Vice President Kamala Harris Touts White House Priorities During Visits to New Mexico and Washington State

The Vice President traveled to Albuquerque, New Mexico and Seattle, Washington to amplify the Biden-Harris Administration's commitment to protecting reproductive rights, and to announce investments to reduce emissions, protect children's health, and create jobs for America's workforce.

While in Albuquerque, the Vice President joined Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM) and Dr. Eve Espey, MD, MPH, for a moderated conversation on protecting reproductive rights.

In Seattle, the Vice President, joined by EPA Administrator Michael Regan, announced the awards from the first $1 billion in funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law's $5 billion investment in clean school buses and our greater economy.

Albuquerque, New Mexico

KSFR: VP visits Albuquerque to campaign for governor, hold reproductive rights discussion
By: Gino Gutierrez
October 26, 2022

While in the city, Harris held a discussion on reproductive rights at the University of New Mexico that was moderated by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and Dr. Eve Espey, the chairwoman of UNM's Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. […]

Vice President Harris has been traveling all over the country this month to hold similar reproductive rights conversations in four previous states prior to coming to New Mexico. During her trip, Harris said she's encountered individuals who are fearful given the recent overturning of Roe v Wade and Dobbs and the possible prosecution both those seek abortions and abortion care providers might face, but praised the governor for her leadership and New Mexico for being a "safe haven" state.

"I want to recognize your leadership and the leadership in New Mexico. This is a safe haven for the surrounding states, Texas, Arizona, Oklahoma, what you are doing as a sanctuary, safe place for them."

Source New Mexico: Vice president visits with NM governor in ABQ to reiterate importance of protecting abortion
By: Megan Gleason
October 26, 2022

Harris said the attacks on reproductive rights extend to creating issues with contraceptive access and LGBTQ+ rights. […]

Another issue Harris has been trying to bring attention to on a federal level is the disproportionately high mortality rate for Black and Indigenous people that give birth as well as those that live in rural areas.

"It literally has to do with the fact that when she walks into that doctor's office or that clinic or emergency room, she's not taken seriously," Harris said.

New Mexico Daily Labo: Vice President Kamala Harris speaks on reproductive health and justice at UNM
By: Elizabeth Secor and Marcela Johnson
October 25, 2022

On Tuesday, Oct. 25, Vice President Kamala Harris spoke in Keller Hall at the University of New Mexico about protecting reproductive rights. New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and chair of UNM's department of obstetrics & gynecology, Dr. Eve Espey, also participated in the conversation. […]

During the talk, Harris said that New Mexico was a safe haven for surrounding states such as Texas and Arizona.

"Among the laws that are being proposed against (abortion), (this) include laws that make no exception for rape or incest," Harris said. "The idea that a so-called leader would pass a law that would prohibit someone who has survived such an extreme act of violence and violation — a violation of the autonomy of the body — and then to pass a law saying, in addition, you cannot make choices about your body. It's immoral." […]

Bringing up marginalized communities was not the only way audience members thought Harris went above just speaking on reproductive rights. Ty'Queese Keyes, a member of the UNM Black Law Students Association who attended the talk, said Harris showing a map with different laws regarding abortion across different states was a key moment for her.

"I believe her bringing in the props to give us a visual and show us the data in a way (that represents) the decisions that states are making. I think that was the most important," Keyes said.

Albuquerque Journal: Vice president visits NM to campaign for Lujan Grisham
By: Dan Boyd
October 25, 2022

Vice President Kamala Harris touched down on Air Force Two at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque at 12:04 p.m. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller, U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., and U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., were waiting to greet the vice president on the tarmac. […]

"The work we're doing will not be real if it doesn't hit the streets … and your governor is a key ingredient in making that happen," the vice president said. […]

Harris also talked about abortion, drawing loud applause when she said: "One does not have to abandon their faith or their deeply-held beliefs to agree the government should not be making that decision for you." […]

Additional Coverage:
KQRE: Vice President Kamala Harris visits New Mexico, backs up right to abortion
Santa Fey New Mexican: At New Mexico event, Harris says 'freedom and liberty' at stake in abortion fight
KOAT: Vice President Kamala Harris participates in a discussion on reproductive rights at UNM
The Paper: VP Kamala Harris Visits ABQ to Discuss Reproduction Rights

Seattle, Washington

CNN: Harris will announce awards for electric school buses for all 50 states
By: Nikki Carvajal
October 26, 2022

Vice President Kamala Harris will announce rebate awards for school districts across the country that will support the purchase of nearly 2,500 school buses – most of which will be electric, the White House said. The funding is part of the bipartisan infrastructure law President Joe Biden signed last year.

Speaking in Seattle on Wednesday, Harris "will announce nearly $1 billion in total awards from the EPA's Clean School Bus program to deliver 2,468 electric and low-emission buses to school districts across all 50 states, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and a number of tribal run or tribal serving schools," White House senior adviser and infrastructure coordinator Mitch Landrieu told reporters in a briefing on Tuesday afternoon. "The vast majority of those buses, 95% will be purely electric."

The announcement comes as the infrastructure law near its one-year anniversary.

"We've put the unprecedented funding in this bill to work," Landrieu said. "We're pushing millions of dollars out of the door and we're turning dirt on projects all across the country."

Seattle Times: Vice President Kamala Harris, in Seattle, touts electric school buses, infrastructure bill
By: David Gutman
October 26, 2022

Vice President Kamala Harris, in Seattle on Wednesday, announced that nearly $1 billion has been awarded to school districts throughout the country to replace older school buses with newer electric and cleaner running models. […]

"Who doesn't love a yellow school bus?" she asked. "It's part of our experience growing up, it's part of a nostalgia, a memory of the excitement and joy of going to school to be with your favorite teacher, to be with your friends and to learn." […]

"We are witnessing around our country and around the world the effects of extreme climate," she said. "What we're announcing today is a step forward in our nation's commitment to be a leader on these issues, to reduce greenhouse gases, to invest in our economy, to invest in job creation, to invest in building the skills of America's workforce."

AP: EPA awarding nearly $1 billion to schools for electric buses
By Matthew Daly
October 26, 2022

Nearly 400 school districts spanning all 50 states and Washington, D.C., along with several tribes and U.S. territories, are receiving roughly $1 billion in grants to purchase about 2,500 "clean" school buses under a new federal program.

The Biden administration is making the grants available as part of a wider effort to accelerate the transition to zero-emission vehicles and reduce air pollution near schools and communities.

Vice President Kamala Harris and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan are set to announce the grant awards Wednesday in Seattle. The new, mostly electric school buses will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, save money and better protect children's health, the White House said. […]

E&E News: VP Harris: 'Who doesn't love a yellow school bus?'
By: David Ferris
October 26, 2022

Vice President Kamala Harris is really into electric school buses. Standing next to a big yellow bus in Seattle on Wednesday, the vice president touted the Biden administration's efforts to fund electric buses around the country in an effort to curb greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution that can cause respiratory problems. […]

"Many of us went to school on the yellow school bus, right? And it's part of our experience growing up," Harris said. "And today, 95 percent of our school buses are fueled with diesel fuel, which contributes to very serious conditions that are about health and about the ability to learn," she added. […]

Wednesday's announcement marks "a step forward in our nation's commitment to be a leader" on addressing climate change, Harris said.

"The clock is ticking — loudly," the vice president said. "We are witnessing around our country and around the world the effects of extreme climate. There is a direct correlation that, thankfully, as we progress as a nation, is not being debated, which is the correlation between all of that and human behaviors."

Additional coverage:
KIRO: VP Harris speaks about investment in clean school buses during Seattle visit
MYNorthwest: VP Harris heads back to DC, says $5b will be invested in electric school buses
The Center Square: Vice President Harris announces $1B in grants for low-emission buses on Seattle trip
King 5: Harris, EPA announce $1 billion awarded to schools for electric buses during Seattle visit