Press Release - What They Are Reading in the States: From Pennsylvania to Texas, President Biden's Jobs Cabinet Travels Across the Country to Highlight the American Jobs Plans Historic Investment

Over the course of the last two weeks, President Biden's Jobs Cabinet – including Secretaries Walsh, Raimondo, Fudge, Buttigieg and Granholm – fanned out across the country to highlight the urgent need for the American Jobs Plan. From Pennsylvania to Texas, Americans have been reading in their local news about how the investments proposed by President Biden in the American Jobs Plan could help their state and how the Cabinet Secretaries will make the President's vision a reality for the American people.

See below for a sampling of what people are reading in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Wisconsin, Missouri, West Virginia, Tennessee, New Jersey, and Texas.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in Memphis, Tennessee

Commercial-Appeal: Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg visits I-40 bridge work site, work expected to last through July
[Samuel Hardiman and Daniel Connolly, 6/3/21]

[…]

[Secretary Buttigieg] noted that the shutdown and associated traffic delays are affecting tens of thousands of people as well as a large number of businesses.

"And even for people outside this region, it is important that we restore this connection quickly because like so much about the Memphis region, it is an area of national logistical importance."

Truck and vehicle traffic has been snarled in and outside of Memphis following the bridge's closure, forcing thousands of cars and trucks to use the older Interstate 55 bridge instead of going across the river using Interstate 40. The Interstate 55 crossing has experienced delays among the heavier traffic.

[…]

WREG-TV: Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg tours I-40 bridge in Memphis, pushes infrastructure plan
[6/3/21]

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Buttigieg said this visit helped him realize how crucial the I-40 bridge is.

"Safety is the heart of what's happened at the DeSoto Bridge. Closure has been challenging and costly. I wanted to make sure to be here to emphasize that we often have a single piece of infrastructure in a single place that really influences the life of the entire country when it's not available or diminished," he said.

[…]

WMC-TV: Transportation Sec. Buttigieg talks infrastructure funding during Memphis visit
[6/3/21]

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If anything, the transportation secretary has a whole new appreciation for Memphis as America's distribution center.

"We're seeing just how important our connections and infrastructure are and also we're seeing just how vulnerable it is especially when it comes down to a single point of dependency, like the one bridge that's up and running here," he said. "All you've got to do is take one look around that airfield where FedEx is to see just how important that industry is to Memphis, but also how important Memphis is to the world."

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo in Manassas, Virginia

Inside NoVa: Semiconductor push comes to Manassas
[Jared Foretek, 5/27/21]

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Raimondo said the shortage is proving how crucial the semiconductor supply chain is to the country, but manufacturing has recently been dominated by Taiwan. According to CNBC, Taiwan's contract manufacturers generated 60% of the worldwide foundry revenue in 2020. And according to the bill's authors, the Communist Party of China is investing $150 billion in semiconductor manufacturing to gain more control of the global supply.

"Hospitals and medical equipment rely on semiconductors. Pick up your phone, semiconductors. Do anything on a computer, semiconductors," Raimondo said. "As we go forward – artificial intelligence, quantum computing, everything we do is built on the building blocks of semiconductors. So the supply chain of semiconductors must be secure."

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Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm in Houston, Texas

Houston Chronicle: U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm touts clean energy jobs in Houston
[Shelby Webb, 5/28/21]

[…]

"The bottom line is I want people to see the future of energy here in Texas," [Secretary Granholm] said. "That's why I'm here."

Her visit comes as the Biden administration makes a final push to reach an agreement with Republican lawmakers on a massive $1.7 trillion infrastructure bill, which, as proposed, would pump billions into clean-energy projects and initiatives. Biden's plan includes $174 billion for electric vehicle charging stations and tax incentives for electric vehicle buyers; a $100 billion update to the country's electrical grid; $35 billion in research and development for energy technology and carbon capture projects; and $16 billion to employ oil-and-gas workers to remediate old wells and mines.

[…]

Houston Public Media: U.S. Energy Secretary Visits Houston To Tout Clean Energy Jobs Plan
[Andrew Schneider, 6/1/21]

U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm visited Houston to tout a federal clean energy jobs plan, in her first trip outside Washington since taking office.

Granholm toured Air Liquide's hydrogen production facility in La Porte Friday morning, then visited the Greentown Labs clean energy incubator in Midtown Houston. She hosted a roundtable at the latter stop, listening to the concerns of members of Congress, Houston's mayor, and a variety of business and nonprofit leaders and researchers.

The secretary came to Houston to help promote the American Jobs Plan, the Biden administration's multitrillion-dollar plan to rebuild American infrastructure, and made clear that a major focus of the effort is clean energy technology and the jobs to go with it.

"The president is completely all-in on climate equaling jobs, battling climate change equaling jobs," Granholm said. "He sees this as such an economic opportunity that the American Jobs Plan has a whole slug of climate-related investments that will help us to realize the jobs in this sector."

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KTRK-TV: Pushing jobs plan, US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm comes to Texas warning of grid fix
[Ted Oberg, 5/28/21]

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Secretary Granholm told ABC13's Ted Oberg, "(It would) really be a shame if in fact that is the case. I mean one can hope that there actually is a requirement that Texas weatherize its grid, I would hope that that it would be brought home that we don't want to have people without power in these really extreme weather events in particular."

The American Jobs Plan does include billions to modernize the electric grid across the country. If passed in Washington, it could help Texas make these improvements.

[…]

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm in West Virginia

WSAZ: Steel of West Virginia components to be used in offshore wind development
[6/3/21]

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (WSAZ) – Components from Steel of West Virginia are going to be used to help construct a ship that will be used in a major offshore wind development project.

U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm traveled to West Virginia Thursday and helped announced the new collaboration between Steel of West Virginia, Dominion Energy and Orsted Offshore North America.

[…]

"This is sort of a window into the opportunity for West Virginia to be a leader in the energy of the future in addition to having led the energy that got us here and still powers us," Granholm said. "The important message is that President Biden wants to make sure that no one is left behind and that these communities see an opportunity for themselves in this clean energy future. That this clean energy sector creates all kinds of jobs for all kinds of people."

[…]

U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) is hosting Secretary Granholm in Morgantown and Harrison County.

During her listening tour in the Mountain State, Secretary Granholm will visit several facilities, including an underground coal mine.

"We are all about jobs. As the president said when he hears the word climate he translates it into jobs," Granholm said. "And that's why we are here to hear from West Virginians about what we should be doing as a partner on the federal side to make sure jobs are created here in clean energy. We want to grow the pie."

Thursday, Manchin called the new infrastructure bill a "golden opportunity."

Manchin said we (United States) can 'lead the world in the clean energy transformation.'

[…]

WBOY: Sen. Manchin guides Secretary of Energy Granholm on tour of West Virginia energy
[By Jake Ostrove, 6/3/21]

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – United States Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm is on a visit to the Mountain State on Thursday and Friday. Accompanied by Sen. Joe Manchin, D–W.Va., Granholm will take a tour through some of West Virginia's energy sector.

In a press conference on Thursday, the two, along with Rep. David McKinley, R–W.Va., and local energy leaders, announced a partnership to help supply steel to an offshore wind vessel that will supply West Virginia with clean energy.

A key theme from those who spoke at the press conference was the emphasis on creating jobs in West Virginia through this partnership.

"We're all about jobs. As the president said, when he hears the word 'climate,' he translates it into jobs, and that's what we're here to hear from West Virginians about what we should be doing as a partner on the federal side to make sure that jobs are created here in clean energy."

ENERGY SEC. JENNIFER GRANHOLM
"What people in West Virginia are looking for is hope. They want our children to be able to find hope and dreams and be able to stay here in this area. This could be the beginning in this transition how that might be able to be carried out."

[…]

WDTV: Energy Secretary and Manchin
[By Joe Buchanan, 6/3/21]

MORGANTOWN, W.Va (WDTV) - Senator Manchin will spend the final days of this week touring Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm through Morgantown's energy businesses.

In what is now Secretary Granholm's second official appearance, she joined Senator Manchin, Representative David McKinley and business leaders in West Virginia to tout President Biden's green energy programs and how West Virginia's manufacturing industry would fit in.

"The message President Biden wants to make clear is that no one is going to be left behind," Sec. Granholm said.

The messaging of Thursday evening's conference was that coal and steel still had a place in President Biden's energy plans. This was best exemplified by Dominion Energy CEO Robert Blue's announcement that the business has pivoted resources toward offshore wind projects.

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WV News: Manchin brings U.S. Energy Secretary to Morgantown, announces new opportunities for West Virginia in offshore wind energy production
[By Chris Slater, 6/3/21]

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (WV News) — U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., brought U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm to the Mountain State to announce new opportunities for wind energy for West Virginia.

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Manchin and Granholm will be touring areas in West Virginia that "showcase the promise and potential of … the changing energy economy."

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Granholm said at the press conference that this energy announcement is a window into an opportunity for West Virginia to be a leader in the energy of the future, "in addition to the energy that got us here and still powers us here," referencing coal.

"I'm here with the senator that has been such a leader on manufacturing in the United States and making sure — as chairman of the Senate Energy Committee — that we take the opportunity in the U.S. to manufacture and to generate the energy that will power our future," Granholm said.

The energy secretary said it was exciting to be in West Virginia and to partner on the future of "what can be."

"We're all about jobs," Granholm said. "As the president said, when he hears the world 'climate,' he translates that to mean 'jobs.'"

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Metro News: West Virginia company part of wind development partnership
[6/3/21]

[…]

U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm announced Thursday a new collaboration between Dominion Energy, Steel of West Virginia, Orsted Wind Energy and Eversource to supply the necessary parts for an offshore wind turbine construction vessel to be located in the Atlantic Ocean. The ship, the Charybdis, will begin operations in 2023, and be utilized for building wind farms along the coasts of Virginia and New England.

The project is a step in the Biden administration's goal of developing 30 gigawatts of offshore energy production by 2030.

[…]

Granholm, the former Michigan governor, has stressed creating economic opportunities in communities affected by shifting energy markets.

"In America, we stand up for manufacturing in this country, but particularly in communities that have been struggling," she said.

"The possibility in this state and so many workers who could help to lead the next generation — energy 2.0 — for West Virginia and the nation," Granholm later added.

[…]

Associated Press: Granholm joins Manchin in West Virginia to tout clean energy
[By John Raby, 6/3/21]

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm joined a key member of the U.S. Senate in West Virginia on Thursday to promote the role that the once-booming coal-producing state will play in the development of clean energy.

Sen. Joe Manchin and Granholm were joined at a news conference in Morgantown with partners in a collaboration to build a ship, in part using steel manufactured in landlocked West Virginia, to transport parts for U.S. offshore wind development projects.

"This is sort of a window into the opportunity for West Virginia to be a leader in the energy of the future, in addition to having led the energy that got us here and that still powers us," Granholm said.

[…]

"The reason why I'm here, the reason why I went to Houston, which are fossil fuel communities, is to say it's great that you have gotten us here, and thank you for that," Granholm said. "But now, take us to the next wave, the next leg, which is this clean energy future, and be a part of that."

Labor Secretary Marty Walsh in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania

Spectrum News: Labor Secretary Marty Walsh to visit Milwaukee following western Wisconsin trip to discuss workforce
[By Kevin Schwaller, 5/25/21]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following a trip to western Wisconsin, U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh will travel to Milwaukee on Wednesday to discuss President Joe Biden's American Jobs Plan.

Walsh will meet with workforce development organizations, business and labor leaders, and state and local officials to discuss the American Jobs Plan, similar to his trip to Eau Claire and La Crosse on Tuesday. Per the U.S. Department of Labor, the plan would invest $100 billion to support workforce development and create millions of union jobs in Wisconsin, as well as across the country.

During his visit, the secretary will join roundtable discussions with newly trained construction and manufacturing workers at the Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership, and later with immigrant workers and labor leaders at Voces De La Frontera.

Walsh will also tour the site of a lead pipe replacement project with Rep. Gwen Moore and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett in the afternoon, where they will discuss the need for critical infrastructure work.

On Tuesday, he met with business and union leaders, as well as state and local officials, in Eau Claire and La Crosse.

WISN: US labor secretary to push Biden jobs plan during Milwaukee visit
[5/25/21]

MILWAUKEE — U.S. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh visited Milwaukee to help promote President Joe Biden's American Jobs Plan.

Walsh made stops Wednesday at the Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership, Voces De La Frontera & Milwaukee Area Labor Council and at a lead pipe replacement work site.

[…]

Walsh met with workforce development organizations, business and labor leaders and state and local officials to discuss Biden's employment plan.

The plan would invest $100 billion to support workforce development and create millions of good-paying union jobs in states like Wisconsin and across the nation, Walsh's office said.

During his visit, Walsh joined roundtable discussions with newly trained construction and manufacturing workers and later with immigrant workers and labor leaders on the administration's efforts to advance workers' rights.

The secretary also discussed the need for critical infrastructure work.

Morning Call: U.S. labor secretary visits Lehigh Valley, pushes Biden's $2 trillion infrastructure plan
[By Jon Harris, 6/2/21]

[…]

What Walsh, the U.S. labor secretary, hopes to see next is companies such as Lehigh Heavy Forge Corp. getting a boost from President Joe Biden's American Jobs Plan, which pitches $2 trillion in spending this decade to create jobs, rebuild infrastructure and bolster the country's competitive position against China.

The plan also plots investments in workforce development, job training and domestic manufacturing, all initiatives that could help Lehigh Heavy Forge.

"It's going to be huge. It's going to be huge," Walsh said of the plan. "You talk about job training, and this is a skill and an art here. But we have other areas in other parts of the country — tech, manufacturing, biotech manufacturing, manufacturing as a whole, all of the new, innovative economy — you can't forget, this is that bread and butter right here. Our bread and butter is right in the plant that we're standing in today."

[…]

Times Leader: Labor Secretary Walsh tours Hanover Twp. manufacturer to promote infrastructure plan
[By Kevin Carroll, 6/3/21]

HANOVER TWP. — GMS Piling Products received a visit from U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh on Wednesday, who toured the facility while discussing how President Joe Biden's proposed American Jobs Plan will help strengthen manufacturers like GMS in the future.

[…]

"I'm very impressed with the work I see going on here," Walsh said after the tour, where he spoke to a group of GMS employees about the future of their industry under Biden. "I see product being made in America, being shipped around America and used to get things built in America."

[…]

"Part of building up infrastructure is investing in workers to build it," Walsh said.

According to Walsh, $50 billion of the American Jobs Plan would be invested into workforce development, including apprenticeships, career pathway programs in middle and high schools, community college partnerships and other job training programs based on in-demand skills.

Walsh detailed his own experiences for the workers, explaining how he made it through a year of community college before dropping out of Suffolk University after one semester.

"I didn't want to go to college, I wanted to work," he said. "So I went to work in construction."

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FOX56: Vaccines bringing hope for people returning to work
[By Claudia Murtha, 6/2/21]

Wilkes-Barre (WOLF) — Labor Secretary Marty Walsh-- U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright-- and Senator Bob Casey visited a COVID-19 vaccination site in Wilkes-Barre.

[…]

United States Labor Secretary Marty Walsh says we should be getting more people back to work as more people get the Covid-19 vaccine and with help from the American Jobs Plan.

"Getting more people vaccinated people are still afraid of getting the virus and taking it home into their homes if they are taking care of an elderly parent so I think that we are starting to see. We are seeing in three months a million and a half new jobs added to the economy. That is the most in the history of our country and hopefully over the next three months we are going to see that number more then double," United States Labor Secretary Marty Walsh explained.

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PA Homepage: U.S. Secretary of Labor visits NEPA
[By Madonna Mantione, 6/2/21]

LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh made two stops in Luzerne County Wednesday, discussing President Biden's American Jobs Plan and COVID-19 vaccinations.

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The former Boston mayor visited the Diamond City to meet with healthcare workers and speak with those getting vaccinated. He highlighted President Biden's American Rescue Plan funding that aided the distribution of vaccines across the nation.

"50 percent of the American people have both shots now, and we're starting to see people go back to work. We want to make sure people get back to work and get our economy back up and running again," Walsh said.

Earlier in the day, Senator Robert Casey, along with representative Matt Cartwright, joined Secretary Walsh at the Pile Solutions in Hanover Township. They met with workers on the factory floor, and talked about President Biden's proposed American Jobs Plan.

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WNEP: Lawmakers tour healthcare facility in Wilkes-Barre
[6/2/21]

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — The United States Labor Secretary joined area lawmakers in Luzerne County Wednesday evening to promote President Biden's 'month of action.'

Secretary Marty Walsh joined Congressman Matt Cartwright and Senator Bob Casey for a tour of the Kirby Health Center in Wilkes-Barre.

Throughout June, the White House aims to promote its vaccination efforts as well as its plan to create more jobs through a massive overhaul of the nation's infrastructure.

As part of the 'month of action,' the White House says some pharmacies, including CVS, Rite-Aid, and Walgreens, will remain open 24 hours on Friday nights to offer vaccinations.

WFMZ: U.S. labor secretary, lawmakers visit Lehigh Valley to promote American Jobs Plan
[By Justin Backover, 6/2/21]

ALLENTOWN, Pa. - Labor Secretary and former Boston Mayor Marty Walsh made his first trip to the Lehigh Valley on Wednesday to talk President Biden's American Jobs Plan.

"We have money in there for workforce development. We have money for apprenticeship programs," Walsh said.

It's a nearly $1.7 trillion proposal that also includes money for roads and bridges.

"There's over 3,000 bridges in Pennsylvania that are in need of repair," Walsh said.

[…]

"One of the things we talked about when we went inside was the need for the workforce of the future right here on site," Walsh said.

They ended in Allentown at the Lehigh County Courthouse, with Sen. Bob Casey, to focus on the more than $400 billion in the package for in-home care, which has been a non-starter for Republicans, who have their own trillion-dollar proposal.

[…]

"This is an investment in the American people. We're going to continue conversations with members of the Republican side, the Democratic side, and I think we're at a point now where people are expecting something to come out of Congress," Walsh said.

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Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge in Kansas City, Missouri

Kansas City Star: In Kansas City tour, HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge promotes Biden's infrastructure plan
[Bill Lukitsch, 5/26/2021]

As negotiations continue between federal lawmakers over a major infrastructure proposal, U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Marcia Fudge took a look at some of the local projects underway aimed toward expanding affordable housing.

Fudge, touring Kansas City alongside U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II and Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, visited an under-construction home in the 100 block of North Topping in the city's Northeast community. The home was built for roughly $120,000, a cost expected to rise under current conditions as the prices of raw materials like lumber keep increasing.

[…]

Throughout her day trip, Fudge offered a vision of treating housing as an essential piece of the nation's infrastructure along with the roads and bridges that lead to them. She also met with those responsible for putting the home together and other community and business leaders during a roundtable discussion.

Fudge was in town promoting President Joe Biden's American Jobs Plan, which includes an estimated $150 billion for HUD programs. Proponents also highlight its potential for creating jobs for skilled workers that typically offer higher than minimum wages.
[…]

WDAF: Building a better KC: HUD Secretary pitches new housing, infrastructure plan to improve metro
[Heidi Schmidt and John Pepitone, 5/26/21]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Marcia Fudge visited the city's Jazz District to push for President Joe Biden's $1.7 trillion infrastructure spending plan.
Fudge is concerned about the national debate over whether housing should be considered infrastructure.

The secretary joined allies in U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver and Mayor Quinton Lucas to call for housing to be included as infrastructure in the bill currently being debated by Congress.

[…]

But President Biden has included $200 billion for building new homes and bringing existing housing up to code.

That includes $40 billion to rehab public housing already built. There's $10 billion in place to address a growing homeless population, where Fudge says the problem has become a lack of space to put people.

[…]

Northeast News: HUD Secretary visits Northeast
[Abby Hoover, 6/2/21]

Northeast got some national attention this week when Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Marcia Fudge visited Mattie Rhodes Center's (MRC) first net zero house project followed by a roundtable discussion with CoBuild and MRC staff as part of her tour of Kansas City on Wednesday, May 26 to highlight the American Jobs Plan.

[…]

Earlier in the day, Fudge gave remarks on the Biden Administration's proposal to use $35 billion in HUD's Home Investment Partnership program and another $45 billion in addressing housing needs across the country.
[…]

KSHB-TV: HUD Secretary visits Kansas City to talk American Jobs Plan, funding for housing
[Sarah Plake, 5/26/21]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — On Wednesday, Marcia Fudge, Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary visited Kansas City, Missouri, to discuss affordable housing.

[…]

Fudge is pushing President Joe Biden's $2 trillion American Jobs Plan, which would include billions for infrastructure. She said infrastructure absolutely includes housing.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a president to say, 'not only am I going to put $40 billion in it to get rid of mold, to get rid of lead, et cetera,'" Fudge said. "And bring it up to a place that makes you feel good about going home, but we're going to put $200 billion more to make sure you have the opportunity to buy a home."

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