Travel Pool Reports of April 29, 2021

Travel Pool Report No. 1 - background info on today's trip

Good morning from Joint Base Andrews - I'll be your print pooler for today's trip to Georgia.

The White House sends along background info on today's trip, greeters and staff on board AF1.

Apologies if the formatting is wacky.

It's 79 degrees here and sunny as we await Marine One.

Upon arrival at Joint Base Andrews, the President and the First Lady will be greeted by:

• Colonel Stephen P. Snelson, Commander, 89th Airlift Wing, Joint Base Andrews
• Mrs. Catherine Snelson, Spouse of Colonel Snelson

Staff traveling with the President and the First Lady to Georgia:

• Jen O'Malley Dillon, Assistant to the President & Deputy Chief of Staff
• Anita Dunn, Senior Advisor to the President
• Anthony Bernal, Assistant to the President & Advisor to the First Lady
• Julissa Reynoso, Assistant to the President & COS to the First Lady
• Karine Jean-Pierre, Deputy Assistant to the President & Principal Deputy Press Secretary & Senior Advisor to the Press Secretary
• Vinay Reddy, Deputy Assistant to the President & Director of Speechwriting
• Kurt Campbell, Deputy Assistant to the President & Coordinator for the Indo-Pacific for the National Security Council
• Ryan Montoya, Deputy Assistant to the President & Director of Scheduling & Advance
• Ashley Williams, Special Assistant to the President & Deputy Director of Oval Office Operations
• Stephen Goepfert, Special Assistant to the President & Personal Aide to the President
• Jordan Montoya, Director of Advance and Trip Director for the First Lady
• Carla Frank, Director of Strategic Planning for the Office of Political Strategy and Outreach
• Michael LaRosa, Press Secretary for the Office of the First Lady

BACKGROUND MEMORANDUM

TO: Out-of-Town Travel Pool

FROM: White House Press Office

DATE: April 29, 2021

RE: Background for the President's Visit to Georgia

Impact of the American Rescue Plan in Georgia

In total, Georgia received the following American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds:

• $5.1 billion in state fiscal relief.
• $3.5 billion in local fiscal relief.
• More than $4.3 billion in relief for K-12 schools.
• Economic impact payments of up to $1,400 per person (above the $600 per person provided in December) for more than 6,255,700 adults and 2,919,400 children. This is 88% of all adults and 88% of all children in the state.
• Additional relief of up to $1,600 per child through the Child Tax Credit to the families of 2,274,000 children, lifting 171,000 children out of poverty.
• Additional relief of up to nearly $1,000 through the Earned Income Tax Credit to 572,000 childless workers.
• Marketplace health insurance premiums that are $1,406 lower per month for a 60-year old couple earning $75,000 per year.

The Need for the American Jobs Plan in Georgia

Georgia's infrastructure received a C+ grade on its Infrastructure Report Card. The American Jobs Plan (AJP) will make historic investments in our nation's infrastructure:

• Roads and bridges: In Georgia there are 374 bridges and over 2,260 miles of highway in poor condition. Since 2011, commute times have increased by 10.8% and on average, each driver pays $375 per year in costs due to driving on roads in need of repair. The AJP will devote more than $600 billion to transportation infrastructure, including $115 billion for repairing roads and bridges.
• Public Transportation: Georgians who take public transportation spend an extra 74.1% of their time commuting and non-White households are 3.9 times more likely to commute via public transportation. The AJP will modernize public transit with an $85 billion investment.
• Resilient Infrastructure: From 2010 to 2020, Georgia has experienced 46 extreme weather events, costing the state up to $20 billion in damages. The AJP invests $50 billion to improve the resiliency of our infrastructure and support communities' recovery.
• Drinking Water: Over the next 20 years, Georgia's drinking water infrastructure will require $12.5 billion in additional funding. The AJP includes a $111 billion investment to ensure safe drinking water.
• Housing: In part due to a lack of available and affordable housing, 654,000 renters in Georgia are rent burdened, meaning they spend more than 30% of their income on rent. The AJP invests over $200 billion to increase housing supply and support affordable housing.
• Broadband: 10% of Georgians live in areas where there is no broadband infrastructure that provides minimally acceptable speeds. 15% of Georgia households do not have an internet subscription. The AJP will invest $100 billion to bring universal, reliable, high-speed, and affordable coverage to every family in America.
• Caregiving: Across the country, hundreds of thousands of older adults and people with disabilities need home and community-based services. The AJP will invest $400 billion to help more people access care and improve the quality of caregiving jobs.
• Child Care: In Georgia, 44% of residents live in a childcare desert. The AJP will modernize our nation's schools and early learning facilities and build new ones in neighborhoods across Georgia.
• Manufacturing: Manufacturers account for more than 10% of total output in Georgia, employing 411,000 workers, or 8.9% of the state's workforce. The AJP will invest $300 billion to retool and revitalize American manufacturers.
• Home energy: In Georgia, an average low-income family spends 10-12% of their income on energy costs forcing tough choices between paying energy bills and buying food or other essentials. The AJP will support upgrades to make low-income homes more energy efficient.
• Clean energy jobs: As of 2019, there were 83,806 Georgians working in clean energy, and the AJP invests in creating more well- paying union jobs advancing clean energy production by extending and expanding tax credits for clean energy generation, carbon capture and sequestration, and clean energy manufacturing.
• Veterans Health: Georgia is home to over 697,127 veterans (12.7% are women and 38% are 65+). The AJP invests $18 billion to improve the infrastructure of VA health care facilities.

The Need for the American Families Plan:

The AFP will directly invest in Georgians to strengthen our schools, expand access to good paying jobs, and support our workers to once again build a middle-class that carries our nation forward.

• Higher Education: The average cost of a 2-year degree in Georgia is almost $4,100 per year. High costs are partly why just 61% of students in Georgia are able to complete a postsecondary degree within 6 years of enrolling. The AFP will provide at least two years of free community college to all students, including DREAMers. It will also increase the maximum Pell Grant awards by $1,400 to support the 220,000 students in Georgia who rely on Pell. In addition, the AFP will support Georgia's 38 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), and Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs).
• Universal Pre-school: Only 30% of the 296,000 3- and 4-year-olds in Georgia have access to publicly-funded pre-school. The AFP will provide access to free, high-quality pre-school to all 3- and 4-year-olds in Georgia. In addition, the AFP will ensure that all employees in funded pre-school programs are paid a $15 minimum wage.
• Investing in teachers: Having teachers reflect the communities they serve is critical to student performance and in Georgia just 31% of teachers are teachers of color, while students of color make up 61% of the student population. The AFP will invest $9 billion to address teacher shortages, improve teacher preparation, recruit and develop more teachers of color.
• Child nutrition: 14% of children in Georgia live in food insecure households and 31% are obese. The AFP will expand access to free school meals to an additional 159,000 students and provide 1.1 million students ways to purchase food during summer.
• Child care: The average annual cost of childcare for a toddler or infant in Georgia is over $8,100, meaning the average family spends 9% of their income on child care every year. The lack of affordable childcare also makes it more difficult for women to work, contributing to the 19% gap in workforce participation between mothers and fathers. The AFP will enable low and middle-income families to pay no more than 7% of their income on high-quality child care.
• Paid leave: More than 30 million workers in 41 states, including Georgia, lack access to paid sick leave. The AFP will create a national, comprehensive paid family and medical leave program.
• Health care: The ARP provides two years of lower health insurance premiums for those who buy coverage on their own; the AFP will make those premium reductions permanent. In Georgia, that means 193,000 uninsured people will gain coverage and 262,000 will save hundreds of dollars per year on their premiums. The average family in Georgia will save $50 per person per month on health coverage.
• Tax cuts for families and workers:
  
  • The AFP will extend through 2025 the Child Tax Credit increases of $3,000 per child 6-years-old and above and $3,600 per child under 6 that were enacted in the ARP. It will make the credit fully refundable so that low-income families receive the same credit as middle-income families. This extension will benefit more than 91% of children in Georgia, more than 1.3 million of whom are children of color, and is estimated to lift 171,000 children out of poverty in the state.
  • To support families with childcare needs, the AFP will provide a permanent increase to the temporary Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit expansion enacted in the ARP. Families will get back as a tax credit as much as half of their spending on child care for children under age 13.
  • The American Families Plan will also make the Earned Income Tax Credit Expansion for childless workers permanent to support low-wage workers. This will benefit 569,000 workers in Georgia, many of whom are essential workers and 289,000 of whom are people of color.

Federal Support for Georgia Vaccinations

Pharmacies: As of April 27, through the federal program, the Biden-Harris Administration has made vaccines available in nearly 1,200 pharmacies to date, with over 600 receiving deliveries in the past week. Participating retail pharmacies are primarily Walgreens, Kroger, CVS, and Walmart locations.

Community Health Centers: The Biden-Harris Administration has invited all 35 health centers in Georgia to receive direct vaccine allocations, spanning 26 cities. Combined, the centers have sites at over 250 different care delivery locations across the state. As of April 27, 16,970 doses have been delivered to Community Health Centers in Georgia through the federal vaccinations program.

Federal Funding: As of April 26, the Biden-Harris Administration has provided over $116 million to the state to support vaccination operations. There are 9 community vaccination centers operational in the state, including one FEMA pilot CVC at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. 270 federal personnel are currently deployed to the state to support vaccination efforts, in addition to more than 1,000 federally-funded National Guard members supporting the state's COVID-19 response.

Travel Pool Report No. 2 - JBA departure

Marine One landed at 11:32 a.m.

The president and first lady disembarked Marine One at 11:36 a.m.

Dr. Biden is wearing a baby blue lemon dress and yellow heels.

Pool shouted questions about last night's speech, his visit with the Carters and GOP support for his plans. We received waves from the president and then one from FLOTUS as they walked up the stairs.

They entered AF1 at 11:38 a.m.

The gaggle with deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre will be livestreamed, but I'll send along quotes if I hear there were any tech snafus.

We'll be wheels up shortly.

Travel Pool Report No. 3 - Lawson Army Airfield arrival

Air Force One was wheels up at 11:48 a.m.

We landed at Lawson Army Airfield at 1:17 p.m.

The president and first lady disembarked AF1 at 1:27 p.m., holding hands as they walked down the stairs.

Biden saluted and FLOTUS gave a wave and then chatted with the greeters (names below). Everyone is wearing masks.

Biden rubbed the shoulder of one of the officers. He and FLOTUS walked with their companions to Marine One. FLOTUS boarded the chopper at 1:30 p.m., with the president joining her a moment later.

Your pooler understands that the gaggle livestream worked, but if you have any questions, please direct them my way.

We're heading to the ospreys, propellers up soon.

Here are the greeters from the White House:

Upon arrival at Lawson Army Airfield, the President and the First Lady will be greeted by:

• Major General Patrick J. Donahoe, Commanding General, U.S. Army Maneuver Center of Excellence
• Mrs. Theresa Donahoe, Spouse of Major General Donahoe
• Command Sergeant Major Derrick C. Garner, Command Sergeant Major, U.S. Army Maneuver Center of Excellence
• Mrs. Sheri Garner, Spouse of Command Sergeant Major Garner

Travel Pool Report No. 4 - arrival at Jimmy Carter Regional Airport

Your pool lifted off at 1:36 p.m. and wasn't able to catch a glimpse of Marine One's departure.

Marine One landed at Jimmy Carter Regional Airport at 1:55 p.m.

Pool wasn't in shouting distance of POTUS.

The president and FLOTUS walked off Marine One at 2 p.m. and got into the Beast.

We're now motorcading to the Carter residence.

Travel Pool Report No. 5 - arrival at the Carters' residence

The motorcade pulled out of Jimmy Carter Regional Airport at 2:01 p.m.

Clusters of people were out with their phones along the motorcade route, especially outside of South Georgia Technical College.

One woman waved a white Trump-Pence yard sign as the motorcade passed.

A more robust crowd, some with Biden-Harris signs, watched the motorcade go by in downtown Plains.

There's a big sign that says "Plains, Georgia - Home of Jimmy Carter our 39th President" draped over a prominent storefront once you enter town.

At 2:30 p.m. the motorcade pulled into the grounds of the Carters' house. We're holding and did not see the Bidens enter.

Pool has been told the plan is to have us watch the Bidens depart from the get-together.

Travel Pool Report No. 6 - Rosalynn Carter sighting

Pool had a clear view of Rosalynn Carter, using a walker and in a white top, on the front porch. Jimmy Carter doesn't seem to be with her. The Bidens walked out at 3:17 p.m.

They stood talking in front of the Beast for a few minutes as pool rushed back to the van.

I tweeted a photo of the Beast in front of the Carter residence @NikkiSchwab

More TK

Travel Pool Report No. 7 - back to Jimmy Carter Regional

The motorcade pulled out at 3:23 p.m.

We returned to the Jimmy Carter airport at 3:49 p.m.

The president and first lady got out of Beast at 3:50 p.m. and walked onto Marine One a moment later, at 3:52 p.m.

We're loading into the Ospreys.

Travel Pool Report No. 8 - arrival at Gwinnett County Airport

Your pool lifted off at 3:57 p.m. and didn't have eyes on Marine One.

Marine One touched down at Gwinnett County airport at 4:47 p.m.

The White House says:

Upon arrival at Gwinnett County Airport, the President and the First Lady will be greeted by Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms.

Pool was loaded into the van to watch Marine One's landing.

At 4:52 p.m. the Bidens disembarked Marine One, according to co-pooler Eli Stokols, who has better visuals than your pooler on his side of the van.

At 4:55 p.m. we were rolling.

Travel Pool Report No. 9 - Infinite Energy Center arrival

Motorcade ride was uneventful.

There was a cluster of about a dozen people waving outside a Chick-fil-A.

We pulled onto the Infinite Energy Center grounds at 5:11 p.m.

More TK.

Travel Pool Report No. 10 - rally details

The rally is being livestreamed from Joe Biden's YouTube page, as it's a political event not a White House event: >https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnCRVXl2Q-8<

I'll send color, etc.

When we arrived we were about an hour behind schedule. The president was originally slated to speak at 6 p.m.

As pool walked in a group of attendees was dancing to hip-hop. Like during the campaign, people are clustered around their cars. The signs tonight say "100 Days" and "Getting Back on Track." There's a giant – like huge – American flag being held up by two construction vehicles at the back of the parking lot, reminiscent of the set-up at rallies for a certain president of recent past.

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who greeted the Bidens at the airport, gave early remarks.

More TK

Travel Pool Report No. 11 - rally two-minute warning

Two minute warning for the rally remarks.

From the White House:

There are approximately 315 cars at the rally.

Speakers at the car rally so far:

Dr. Michelle Au, State Senator (SD-48)
Lucy McBath, U.S. Congresswoman (GA-06)
Hank Johnson, U.S. Congressman (GA-04)
Sanford Bishop, U.S. Congressman (GA-02)
Jamie Harrison, Chair of the Democratic National Committee
Nikema Williams, U.S. Congresswoman (GA-05)
Carolyn Bourdeaux, U.S. Congresswoman (GA-07)
Stacey Abrams, former Georgia House of Representatives Democratic Leader
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms

Travel Pool Report No. 12 - protesters

The president and first lady appeared onstage at 6:12 p.m. holding hands. Biden had a kick in his step as the first lady clapped.

FLOTUS introduced the president, who began speaking at 6:18 p.m.

Near the beginning of the remarks, the president was interrupted by a group of protesters who were shouting "Abolish ICE" and something about detentions centers. One shouted, "We voted for you too." "Our families are dying," a protester said. They held up an orange fluorescent banner but had it angled away from both the president and the pool, so unclear what it said.

"I agree with you, I'm working on it, man, give me another five days. Folks, you all know what they're talking about. There should be no private prisons period. Private detention centers. They should not exist. And we're working to close all of them," Biden said. "I promise you," he added.

Travel Pool Report No. 13 - rally concludes

Biden concluded his remarks and then pulled Sens. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff onstage. He left stage at 6:43 p.m.

"Looking for my mask, I'm in trouble," Biden said as his departure was briefly delayed. He found it.

Pool is loading into the van.

Travel Pool Report No. 14 - Capito readout

The White House sends this along:

The President and Senator Capito spoke by phone this afternoon. They had a warm, friendly conversation and continued their dialogue about infrastructure and jobs, reiterating their willingness to negotiate. They also discussed having another potential in-person meeting in the near future.

Travel Pool Report No. 15 - departing Gwinnett County Airport

The motorcade left the rally venue at 6:57 p.m.

We arrived at the Gwinnett County Airport at 7:13 p.m.

The Bidens got on Marine One at 7:16 p.m.

Pool is headed to the Ospreys for a quick trip to Dobbins.

Travel Pool Report No. 16 - Dobbins departure

Your pool lifted off at 7:21 p.m. Your pooler caught a brief glimpse of Marine One and the extra one taking off in front of us.

Marine One landed at Dobbins Air Reserve Base at 7:36 p.m.

The Bidens disembarked Marine One at 7:42 p.m. Biden talked to your pool.

He said of the Carter visit:

"It was great.
"It was great to see president Carter.
"And we sat and talked about the old days."
"His health has gotten better."

Said he didn't know about the Ellipse attack.

He said the protesters at the rally were "Emotionally excited" and said he was "teasing" them about shutting down private prisons in five days.

Talked about the Capito call, said she could come to the WH next week or later.

He was asked about Tim Scott would come to the WH. Said he would "Let them negotiate," meaning lawmakers.

He also said Congress needed to step up on guns.

Said the big challenge was deciding "What can I get done when."

Karine Jean-Pierre said the president has been briefed on the Ellipse attack - thought reporters were talking about a development today.

Biden got on board at approximately 7:50.

We'll be wheels up shortly.

Travel Pool Report No. 17 - longer gaggle quotes

Below you'll find longer quotes from a portion of the gaggle. The Air Force One engine noise made it difficult to hear, so as always check against the official White House transcript. Snaps to co-pooler Eli Stokols for help with transcription duty.

PROTESTERS:

"Well when they found out I agreed with them, they finally stopped. Because I have been opposed to funding private prisons and that's what they were talking about. And I think they were just very emotionally excited. That's why I stopped and let them go on a little bit and then, when I found out they wanted me to do it immediately like I could sign a paper and make it happen."

Q: You said you wanted five more days - that's not going to be enough is it?

"No I was teasing them" .. [inaudible]

CAPITO CALL:

"We had a good conversation."

"They're off next week, the Senate. I said if you wanted to come next week that's fine, if you want to wait and have our staff talk some more."

"She seemed very serious and very positive about wanting to do something about it."

"Let's decide on infrastructure what they say is infrastructure ... what they are prepared to consider as far as what constitutes it ... and then we can figure out how to pay for it.

I think she's serious. Like last time they come in with one fourth or one fifth of what I'm asking and say that's our final offer ... and then we have to go ... [trails off]."

GUNS:

"It's time for the Congress to stand up ... I'm going to continue to make the case to the American people .. and by the way a significant portion of gun owners and NRA members support eliminating the assault - who the hell needs 100 rounds? The vast majority of the American people are getting fed up with it and I think eventually that's going to break the back of the opposition."

"But look there's a lot on the plate."

"There's a lot going on and it's only been 101 days."

Travel Pool Report No. 18 - JBA

Air Force One was wheels up at 8 p.m.

Anita Dunn spent about 35 minutes speaking off-the-record to the pool during the flight.

We landed at 9:10 p.m.

The president and first lady walked off AF1 at 9:21 p.m.

They walked carefully down the steps as there's a breeze and Dr. Biden is in heels. The Bidens got on board Marine One at 9:23 p.m.

Marine One lifted off at 9:27 p.m.

White House sends these along:

Following the President's Joint Address yesterday, where he called on Congress to pass the U.S. Citizenship Act and bring relief to Dreamers, he and the First Lady met with Georgia Dreamers Jaime Rangel, Jennifer Zenteno, Raymond Partolan, Israel Arce Perez, and Cris Ramirez in Duluth today. They discussed their hopes for their futures and the urgent need for Congress to pass the Dream and Promise Act.

Upon arrival at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, the President and the First Lady were greeted by:

Major General John P. Healy, Commander, 22nd Air Force, Dobbins Air Reserve Base

Chief Master Sergeant Vicki L. Robertson, Command Chief Master Sergeant of the 94th Airlift Wing, Dobbins Air Reserve Base

Thanks again to Eli Stokols for the help today. Handing it off to in-town pool. Good night!