Remarks During a Virtual Meeting With State, Tribal, and Local Officials on the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and an Exchange With Reporters

The President. Hello, folks. Sorry I'm a few minutes late. It's good to see you all. Gretchen, how are you?

I understand we have another 95,000 people on this Zoom, but apparently, there's a large number of folks on. I'm going to begin by thanking you all—all those of you I can't see as well—for signing on to help pass the infrastructure bill. It mattered a lot. It's the first big bipartisan thing we've done in a long while, and I think it's long overdue. And it is great to see you all.

Yesterday the Senate passed the bipartisan infrastructure bill, in no small part because of all of you, in a significant milestone in the road toward making what we all know are long-overdue and much-needed investments. As Gretchen, when she ran, said, "Just fix the roads, damn it." Right? Well, we're going to do more than that this time around.

I want to thank you for the work and for all of you—and my administration, with the Members of Congress, with the media—to highlight the need to make these investments in our Nation's infrastructure.

As mayors, Governors, Tribal and county leaders, State and local officials at every level, you know that there's no such thing as a Democratic road or a Republican bridge. But you do know what's not working, and you know what it means to be accountable to the people you serve and to focus on solving real problems people are facing in your communities.

But you also know that often States and cities and counties can't do it alone. They need the Federal Government to be a partner, solving problems. And being a partner is what we're supposed to be doing.

That's the approach we've been taking with this bipartisan infrastructure bill. It's going to create literally millions of jobs, good-paying jobs, putting America on a path to win the 21st-century global economy. And we're in a competition with many other nations.

And it makes key investments to put people to work in cities, small towns, and rural communities. And I believe it's a historic investment in roads and rail, in transit and bridges, in clean energy and clean water. And it's going to enable us not only to build back, but to build back better than ever before.

Across America, more than 45,000 bridges are structurally deficient. Let me say that again: 45,000 bridges in America are structurally deficient. One out of every five miles of highway is in disrepair. And this bill makes the largest investment in bridges since the creation of the Interstate Highway System.

You know, 10 million households, and 400,000 schools, daycare centers—they lack safe drinking water. This bill is going to allow us to replace 100 percent of the Nation's lead pipes and service lines so every child in America can turn on a faucet in their school or at home and drink clean water.

That's what this infrastructure is all about today. We're going to need to build the infrastructure for tomorrow, not just today. We've got to build back not just—well, I know you're tired of hearing me say it, but build back better that it was before we hit this God-awful circumstance we found ourselves in.

This bill is going to deliver high-speed internet to every American. And we'll build a national network of 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations.

And here is another important part of the bill: Nearly 90 percent of the jobs created by this bill don't require a college degree. This is the ultimate blue-collar blueprint to rebuild America.

And we're going to do it without raising taxes by 1 cent on anyone making less than $400,000 a year. That's why we wouldn't even support a gas—increased gas tax.

As we did with the transcontinental railroad and Interstate Highway System, we're going to once again transform America and propel this Nation into the future.

Look, I believe that passing this bill will also do something else: It will help ease the years of gridlock in Washington and show the American people that their Government can and will work for them again. We're going to still have big disagreements, but it's happening at a critical time, because now is the moment to build our—on our momentum.

Folks, we've added more than 4 million new jobs since my first day in office 6 months ago. The unemployment rate is the lowest since the pandemic hit. We're delivering a tax cut to families with children every single month. And those who get their health insurance through the Affordable Care Act, we're covering more people, and we're able to do it at lower premiums by up to 40 percent.

And it's a battle with Delta virus. We have the tools. We have the vaccinations. We have—we need to vaccinate more Americans and the tools to keep our economy growing and growing. But we've got to get more people vaccinated. I know you all know that well.

We just have to act. And that's what I want to talk about today. I want to hear from you about these investments: what they're going to mean for your States and communities; what we could have done better, if there's things we could have done; and why it is so urgent.

And so let me start with Governor Whitmer. We all remember your campaign slogan, Gov—[laughter]—that you've been focused on trying to fix the roads in your State since you took office. And what will this Federal investments in Michigan roads and bridges do and mean to your State's economy and job creation?

So—and then I want to hear from the rest of you. But I'll go one at a time, if that's okay.

Governor Gretchen E. Whitmer of Michigan. Sounds perfect.

The President. Gretchen, fire away.

Gov. Whitmer. All right. Thanks, Mr. President. I'm so glad to be here with you. It's my honor to be here as the Governor of the great State of Michigan as we come together to make the largest infrastructure investment in American history.

And, Mr. President, you mentioned it, but I ran on fixing the damn roads.

The President. I remember. [Laughter]

Gov. Whitmer. And you know, and it's fixing the dams and roads. You know, don't think I haven't noticed that so many other Governors and Cabinet Secretaries have been stealing that tagline. But, of course, it's because it is true across the Nation, right?

[Gov. Whitmer continued her remarks, concluding as follows.]

So this is a much-needed investment in moving us towards an electric future, and it may be the momentum we need for bigger investments in the future.

Now, our Senators Stabenow and Peters spearheaded a record $1 billion investment in the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

The President. Yes.

Gov. Whitmer. It will help us clean up and restore the beautiful freshwater lakes and preserve our picturesque peninsulas.

And finally, the package includes $10 billion to help us continue cleaning up toxic chemicals and contaminants from our water supply. It includes $4 billion to help water utilities remove chemicals from their supply or to connect well owners to local systems and another $5 billion to help small or disadvantaged communities tackle PFAS in drinking water.

[Gov. Whitmer continued her remarks, concluding as follows.]

And I'm so glad to be with you today.

The President. Well, thank you. And by the way, you know, I think, sort of breaking through this first big barrier in a bipartisan way, I really believe—it doesn't make everything easy, but it does have a way—it has an effect on other things.

I noticed that you mentioned having—I had the three presidents of the three major American automobile companies, the UAW, and all of the—all the auto workers in my backyard here at the White House with their electric vehicles. The commitment is to get 40—I believe, 50 percent of all our vehicles in America be electric vehicles, with 550,000 charging stations along the highways that are being repaired and—you know, or built.

And you know, that means, for Michigan, if I'm looking at my notes here, you're going to receive $110 million dollars for the expansion of EV charging networks.

So I just think, hopefully, this makes people realize if the autoworkers and the automobile executives can get together and form this kind of alliance, I think we're making some real progress.

But thank you, Jennifer [Gretchen],* for what you've done and continue to do.

And, Mr. Mayor—Jerry, I don't want to get you in trouble out in Fresno, California, for letting you know I actually like a Republican. But you've done a hell of a job. I'm anxious to hear about your electric buses later.

But, anyway, the floor is yours, Jerry.

Mayor Jerry Dyer of Fresno, CA. Thank you, Mr. President, for your leadership on this critical infrastructure package. You know, there are really many things to like about this infrastructure bill, beginning with bipartisan support. That always makes it easier on us at the local level, as you mentioned. And the last time I checked, both Republican and Democrats alike travel on our roadways and cross our bridges, use mass transit, and breathe the same air.

So, unfortunately, Fresno, along with Los Angeles, our neighbors to the south, had some of the worst air quality in the Nation——

The President. Yes.

Mayor Dyer. ——which is why we're focused on transitioning to clean air buses in Fresno, as you mentioned. In fact, we rolled out our first two electric buses last week——

The President. I know.

Mayor Dyer. ——thanks to a Federal Transportation Administration grant. Thank you, Mr. President, to your administration. And this bill, I believe, will accelerate those efforts here in Fresno.

Second, as you know, Fresno is ground zero to—for California's high-speed rail efforts.

The President. Yes.

Mayor Dyer. And I'm proud to say that Fresno will be host to the Nation's first high-speed rail station right here in downtown Fresno. And so Federal assistance is vital in order to complete this project. And I'm hopeful that this infrastructure bill will provide that financial support to us here in Fresno.

And Fresno, like many cities, is in the midst of airport expansion with the addition of a new terminal at our Fresno Yosemite International Airport this coming year. And certainly, this bill has the potential to expedite our airport expansion as well.

And with the changing climate and drought conditions in California, we are facing, on a weekly basis, life-threatening wildfires that not only put our power grid in danger locally, but our firefighters as well. And this bill will strengthen our power grid by investing in it, which is vital in our region. And it's very important that we do so in order to avoid some of the rolling blackouts that we experience here in Fresno as a matter of routine.

And lastly, unfortunately—and I'm not proud of this—but Fresno is number two in poverty in the State of California. We have a very poor valley, a very poor region. Most of our jobs historically have been agricultural-centric, although that is changing. And this infrastructure bill will create good-paying, meaningful jobs, which are desperately needed in Fresno and throughout our region, and allow us to build upon those agricultural jobs that we've been relying upon.

So I just want to say, on—as the mayor of Fresno and as a Republican, I am very grateful for your leadership, Mr. President on this infrastructure package—making it a priority with your administration, considering—or taking into consideration input from State and local jurisdictions, as well as working diligently to pursue that bipartisan support.

So thank you again, and we are here to assist and take advantage of that funding.

The President. Jerry—thank you, Mr. Mayor. Look, I'm not being solicitous, but we kind of had Fresno in mind—I'm not joking—because the air quality, the—where you sit, how tough it is for you there. And you know, all the things you mentioned have an impact—are going to allow you to have an impact on air quality.

You know me, because you're aware of it, I'm a big rail guy.

Mayor Dyer. Yes.

The President. We have more money in this area for high-speed rail than all the money we spend on setting up Amtrak. This is a gigantic investment. And you know as well as I do, when people can take a train from point A to point B—conveniently and faster than you can drive your vehicle—they take the train.

We're talking about electric. We're talking about electric. We're not talking diesels. We're talking about electric. And we're talking about being able to transform and impact on the air quality in your area, because of geographic location and the spot you're in.

Also, with regard to the power grid: You know, you have seen more than most people—in California, you've seen the impact that weather has on not being able to sustain the security of the power grid——

Mayor Dyer. Right.

The President. ——whether it was bad weather or fires or whatever it is. And there's a lot of money in here—a lot of money in here—for making sure we can take care of the lines that carry the electricity, the lines that move it along.

And one of the other pieces in here that I know you know about because you're already doing it, is that—you know, your airport—your airport, as well as the high-speed rail terminal. That also—there's money in here for airports. Republicans strongly supported it, as well as Democrats, because there's a lot that has to be done to modernize the airports. And that also has the impact of cutting down on air quality problems and the like.

And so there's so much. And I understand you have seven more electric buses on order or you're thinking about getting another seven. We've got some money for you.

Mayor Dyer. Yes, we have——

The President. We've got some money for you. [Laughter]

Mayor Dyer. Well, thank you, Mr. President. We actually have seven more that are going to be coming on line in 2022. So—and if you want to send us more, we'll take them.

The President. Well, by the way, it is really a big, big deal. And one of the things we're doing is, we have provisions that we're trying to encourage the American manufacturers to actually generate and build the platforms for these electric buses.

I was in Carolina looking at a factory where they're making not only school buses, but also, you know, the regular transit systems that are electric-based. It's phenomenal what's going on, but we have to make sure we have all the, you know, access to the various pieces of materials and minerals we need to produce them. But it's a big deal.

So I'm going to be coming back to you, and all of you, to get help on making sure we continue to make these investments because I view this as just starting, not the end. But this is going to play out over the next 8 years—these investments. It's a lot of money. It's over $500 million—billion in new money over those 8 years. And it's paid for. It's paid for.

So thanks for what you're doing. And you know, I always joke with my friends: You know, being a mayor maybe is the toughest job in American politics; they know where you live—[laughter]—and you affect their everyday lives more than anybody. So I wish you the best of luck.

Mayor Dyer. Thank you, Mr. President.

The President. Mayor Lumumba, from Jackson, Mississippi. How you doing, pal? Good to see you again. Thanks for being so nice to my wife. [Laughter]

Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba of Jackson, MS. Thank you, Mr. President. It's a pleasure to join you. It's a pleasure to join all of the amazing people on this call today.

I want to express my gratitude not only to your administration, but towards the bipartisan effort that has led to this bill passing the Senate.

I want to thank Roger—Senator Roger Wicker——

The President. Yes.

Mayor Lumumba. ——from Mississippi——

The President. He stepped up.

Mayor Lumumba. ——who stepped up and supported this effort.

Mr. President, as you are well aware, the residents of Jackson, who I have the honor to serve, are greater than the sum of their challenges. And the city of Jackson is greater than the sum of its challenges, with amazing people and with a city which is pregnant with possibilities. But we do have real challenges, which were reflected in our February storms, the consecutive storms that we faced, that completely debilitated our water distribution system. These are challenges we have seen frequently and were reflected in a different fashion most recently in February.

[Mayor Lumumba continued his remarks, concluding as follows.]

And so I want to, once again, express my gratitude for your hard work, your focus on this issue. When I met you during your campaign in Atlanta, Georgia, you stated that this would be a focus of yours, and I'm thankful for you holding true to that promise.

The President. Well, Mr. Mayor, thank you. You know, I think it's important that the other sixteen- or seventeen hundred people who are on this call understand what you and others have gone through. You found yourself in a position, in terms of water, where—it's estimated by our team that over the next 20 years, Mississippi drinking water infrastructure—Mississippi drinking water infrastructure is going to require $4.8 billion in additional funding.

And the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act includes $55 billion in investment to ensure clean, safe drinking water. And it's a right of all communities, as you point out. And the bill would eliminate the Nation's lead-based service lines, which I know you and I talked about. And so there's a lot of good that's going on in here.

And I say to Mayor Dryer [Dyer]* as well that—we talk about, you know, the poverty rate of these towns—you know, we're going to be able to have—all of you have full-blown internet that's affordable and available in rural and cities across the way that's going to change the circumstance for people in those communities that—particularly, those folks—so people don't have to—when they're, God forbid, we're back to having, you know, distanced learning, where they don't have to sit in the McDonald's parking lot to get access—with their mom or dad—to get access to the internet to do their work.

So I just can't thank you enough. You've really gone out of the way to deal with the issues that we're talking about here. And I think—I hope you're going to see a lot of benefit flow from this. Because the idea, you know, no more Flints, no more Jacksons, in terms of water, because we're going to get this done with—as my grandfather used to say, "with the grace of God and the good will of the neighbors."

But we've got, also, the entire United States Senate supporting it by 69 votes. And we're looking forward to it happening in the House as well. So thanks a lot, pal. And let us know what you need in this if you're—if—any of you, if you, you know—if any of it comes across as confusing.

Now, I know Liz Hausmann of Fulton County—county commissioner—isn't going to be confused about anything. But I—you know, I—Liz, I made a mistake saying that being a mayor is the toughest; maybe being a county commissioner is. You know why? Because you knock on a door and say, "My name is Joe Biden, candidate for the county council." And they'll look at you and smile and say, "Yes." And you know what they're thinking: "What do you do? What does a commissioner do?" [Laughter]

Anyway, you have a hell of a job, Liz, and so why don't you tell me what you—what's on your mind. And I know you take—do you take in a lot of Atlanta in your district?

Fulton County, GA, Commissioner Liz Hausmann. Atlanta is in our county. Yes, sir.

The President. Yes.

Commissioner Hausmann. We have 15 cities, including Atlanta.

The President. Yes. Well, fire away. The floor is yours.

Commissioner Hausmann. Well, Mr. President, first of all, it's an honor to serve the citizens of Fulton County, but it's a true honor to be here with you today as we have this important conversation about the future and improving our Nation's infrastructure. So thank you for having me.

The President. Thank you.

Commissioner Hausmann. I'm coming from the State of Georgia, which provides—which prides itself in being the number-one State in the Nation to do business. Along with that, of course, comes heavy traffic and congestion.

[Commissioner Hausmann continued her remarks, concluding as follows.]

So we've long suffered with local governments being the—required to fund what really is a regional problem.

The President. Yes.

Commissioner Hausmann. The reality is, each county is limited to funding projects within our county borders. And our authority may stop at the county border, but our transportation needs do not.

The President. Absolutely.

Commissioner Hausmann. So we can't do it without the support and partnership of our State and Federal Government. And this bipartisan infrastructure package will help us do just that. So thank you very much.

The President. Well, thank you. Look, what usually is—I know all of you understand this—and the other over a thousand people on this call understand—local officials—is that when you talk about the commute times and public transportation, you know, the—in Georgia, public transportation spends an extra—those on public transportation spend an extra 74.1 percent of their time commuting. And nonwhite households are 3.9 times more likely to commute on public transportation.

Seven percent of the trains and other transit vehicles in the State are past their useful life. And based on the formula funding alone, Georgia would expect to get $1.4 billion over the next 5 years—a significant portion of which would be in your county—under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to improve public transportation across the State.

When you spend that much time commuting—all of you know this—it costs taxpayers—it cost those commuters a lot of money. For example, the average Georgia driver, on average, spends $375 a year in costs due to driving on roads that need to be repaired.

You have a circumstance in your State where 374 bridges and over two thousand six—260 miles of highway are in poor condition. So it all comes down to being able to move and move without creating additional pollution and generating the ability to move safely and do it in a way that will significantly increase business opportunities and the like.

So I—having been a county official myself, I know that it's hard to convince people of that, because you overlap cities and towns and the like, that, you know, it all affects you; you don't have it all. So thank you for your support. And I think it's going to be very helpful, I hope.

Commissioner Hausmann. Thank you. I'm glad to hear you've got Georgia on your mind, Mr. President.

The President. Oh, I do, for more than one reason. [Laughter]

Look, I finally want to turn to Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin, Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma. Principal Chief Hoskin, your administration has invested millions of dollars to bring high-speed internet to Cherokee Nation, especially rural Cherokee communities. How will the additional Tribal broadband resources support your Tribal citizens? Or whatever else you want to talk about. But it seems to me that ought to be—that should be of significant help to you, I hope.

Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin, Jr., of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. It is. Thank you, Mr. President. It's a great honor to be with you and with all the leaders on this panel.

This bill is important for the country. But I want you to know that the bill is important to me because you didn't forget Indian Country. This bill, overall, has more than $11 billion in investment in Indian Country. That is historic, potentially transformational investment for Tribes across this country. That's very important.

The President. Indian nations. Indian nations.

Principal Chief Hoskin. Indian nations across this country, working as sovereigns with the United States.

[Principal Chief Hoskin continued his remarks, concluding as follows.]

So we are applying for the Tribal Broadband Connectivity grant through the United States Department of Commerce, the National Telecommunications——

The President. Yes.

Principal Chief Hoskin. ——and Information Administration. What this bill does is, it injects $2 billion—more dollars into that program. It extends the life of the program by 4 years.

[Principal Chief Hoskin continued his remarks, concluding as follows.]

We couldn't have done it without our Federal partners. We're certainly proud of our leadership. We couldn't do it without this bill, I'm confident. And you have my great appreciation and admiration for that.

The President. Well, you have my appreciation. You don't owe me anything or nothing to appreciate. This is what we used to do when I first got to the Senate. We—you know, we actually worked with one another.

And look, one of the things that affects Tribal lands, in my experience—not just Cherokee, but across the board—is that they're significantly at risk for the effects of climate change. And infrastructure investments that we're talking about here is going to invest in everything from forest management, to helping communities build resilience, to wildfires and floods, and everything from elevating buildings to roads to bridges. Because it's—we have to build back to where we know the minimum requirements are now, and we've got to do it better.

You can't build back to what it used to be. You used to be able to build back a road to what it was before it got flooded out, before—you can't do that anymore because the climate has changed so significantly already, and so you have to elevate. You have to move.

You see what's happening on—at least in the East Coast, from Florida up to where I live in Delaware and beyond, along the coast. You see the effects of the rising seas and buildings literally sinking or tilting and losing their ability to stand.

I mean, it's a big deal, the things that are changing. And so—and I think it's particularly, you know, important in Tribal lands: elevating buildings, roads, bridges, winterizing the power grid, and the like. And so there's a lot to do that benefits everybody.

You know, one of the points I want to make—and I'll get off my soapbox here—but you know, my observation of my years in public life have been that when ordinary folks do well, everybody does well. Everybody does well. The wealthy do very well. The upper middle class do very well. The middle class—I mean it sincerely. When it works from the middle out and the bottom up, everybody does well.

And there's all kinds of studies from the great universities in your States demonstrating that that is the case. And so this is what this is about.

And I think we have a real chance to deliver everything from clean drinking water, to access to Internets, to roads that are not congested, to dealing with the—I was up in—I think it was Wisconsin, and I was talking to a group of folks in a factory. And then I spoke afterwards, and they showed me around. And there were about a couple hundred people. And in front of me, in this factory floor, were the elected officials—the Governor and other folks—and to my right were all the folks, both the hourly workers and the management.

And I talked about this having safety provisions in it. And they all looked at me like, "What the hell does that mean?" And I said, "I'll bet every one of you can name for me the intersections in your town, in your city where the highest accident rate is, where the most pedestrians are hit, where bicyclists get killed, where there's accidents.

And in unison—not a joke—if there were 120 people there, 100 of them started shaking their heads, "Yes, we know." This does a lot of practical things—a lot of practical things—to change the environment that people live in. So I—and there's a lot more to do. I know. And we still have to get it through the House and get things moving.

But I want to thank you all for your time, your insight, and your continued leadership. And I want to thank you for—we're closer than we've ever been in a long time to making a once-in-a-generation investment. You know, this total investment in roads, in highways is bigger than we did in the—Eisenhower's, you know, Interstate Highway System. You know, this is—the only analogies out there and the vote to get it are similar.

Our—you know, we started off with, you know, the Erie Canal. We started off with moving people west. We started off the intercontinental railroad in the late 1800s. All kidding aside, we linked the coasts. Now we came along and we did—and we had the—all the way up to Eisenhower's Interstate Highway System. It has literally changed the way Americans live, changed the way we live and the way we've developed.

And now we're investing as much money or more money to do those kinds of things that can make us better connected and also give us more breathing room and clean the air a little bit. So I want to thank you all because almost all of you—I think all of you signed on to the bipartisan effort of mayors and—as well as other State and county officials to support this.

And I promise you, we're going to stay on top of making sure, as long as I'm here, that it gets out, it gets out swiftly, and it gets out economically, and it gets out in a way that builds this country.

And I know I got criticized when I was running. Said—I said I was running for three reasons: one, to restore the soul of the country; two, to rebuild the backbone—the middle class and working class people—of this country, and not leave them behind; and thirdly, to unite the country.

I know a lot of people were skeptical, but we can do this. We can do this. We're going to disagree in philosophy on some of the things, but we can do this. I'm convinced we can.

And by the way, I'm going to say something that has no direct bearing on—immediate bearing on what any of you are dealing with. But you know, when I was over in the NATO conference; or I was over for the G-7, with the largest industrial nations in the world; and when I was at a, you know, summit with Putin—and I'm about to go do the same thing, in terms of the G-20—you know what affects our—the attitude of the rest of the world about the United States? "Can we still do—get things done?" Not a joke. Not a joke.

When I went over, I said—with those seven leaders, I said, "We're back." And the response was: "For how long? For how long? You guys can't get anything done."

I'll conclude by saying that, you know, when I won—just because of my Irish background, heritage—they were ringing bells in Ireland and painting my picture on the side of buildings and the like. But the Taoiseach of Ireland—the Prime Minister of Ireland—said something just before I got sworn in that made a lot of sense. He said: "I think I'm—I'm not sure what America can do anymore. They can't even deal with COVID. They can't lead anymore." That's what the world is looking at us; they're wondering.

And you've got guys like Xi Jinping and Putin who think the answer is autocracy, because democracies can't get together. The world is changing so rapidly—so rapidly. We can't get together and answer the big, tough questions.

I really mean it. I'm not joking. I promise you, this is what your children and grandchildren are going to be writing about in their senior thesis and graduate school. And we've got to make sure we can demonstrate we can get things done. And it can't be done by one party.

So thank you all so very, very, very much. And as I said, as my grandpop would say, "With the grace of God, the good will of the neighbors, and the creek not rising, we're going to get all this done."

And I hope you all take a look at my Build Back Better plan that has to do with a lot of other pieces that are—that the Senate just agreed to move forward on. You may not agree, but take a look at it and see if any of it has a value to your communities. Okay?

Thanks, everybody. I really do appreciate it. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.

Mayor Dyer. Thank you, Mr. President.

Gov. Whitmer. Thank you.

Public Debt Limit

Q. Are you worried about the debt ceiling, Mr. President?

The President. Nope. They're not going to let us default.