It’s Thursday…
President Biden’s public schedule for 01/18/2024:
| 10:00 AM Presidential Daily Brief | The President receives the Presidential Daily Briefing The White House Closed Press |
| 10:45 AM | Out-of-Town Pool Call Time Joint Base Andrews Overhang Out-of-Town Pool |
| 11:40 AM Left the White House | The President departs the White House en route to Joint Base Andrews South Lawn Open Press |
| 12:00 PM Leaves Joint Base Andrews | The President departs Joint Base Andrews en route to Raleigh, North Carolina Joint Base Andrews Out-of-Town Pool |
| 12:30 PM Press Gaggle | Principal Deputy Press Secretary Olivia Dalton and NSC Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby will gaggle aboard Air Force One en route to the Raleigh, North Carolina Joint Base Andrews Out-of-Town Pool |
| 1:00 PM Arrives in Raleigh, North Carolina | The President arrives in Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh-Durham International Airport Open Press |
| 2:15 PM Remarks | The President delivers remarks on how his Bidenomics and Investing in America Agenda are repairing and rebuilding our infrastructure, lowering costs, supporting a small business boom, and creating good-paying jobs. Abbot’s Creek Community Center, Raleigh, NC Open Press |
| 5:25 PM Leaves Raleigh, North Carolina | The President departs Raleigh, North Carolina en route to Joint Base Andrews Raleigh-Durham International Airport Out-of-Town Pool |
| 6:25 PM Leaves Joint Base Andrews | The President departs Joint Base Andrews en route to the White House Joint Base Andrews Out-of-Town Pool |
| 6:35 PM Arrives at the White House | The President arrives at the White House South Lawn Open Press |
Principal Deputy Press Secretary Olivia Dalton and John Kirby Gaggle Aboard Air Force One @12:30 p.m. D.C., time:
Today, President Biden will travel to the Raleigh-Durham area to announce $82 million in new investments from the American Rescue Plan’s (ARP) Capital Projects Fund to connect an additional 16,000 North Carolina homes and businesses to high-speed internet as part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda. Overall, the Biden-Harris Administration is investing over $3 billion in North Carolina to lower costs for families and connect everyone in the state to affordable, reliable high-speed internet through the American Rescue Plan and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. These investments are creating thousands of good-paying manufacturing and construction jobs in places like North Carolina to produce Made-in-America fiber-optic cable that will build out internet infrastructure across the country. And, because of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Affordable Connectivity Program, 885,000 households in North Carolina are saving money on their internet bills every month.
High-speed internet is no longer a luxury—it is necessary for Americans to participate equally in school, access health care, do their jobs, and stay connected with family and friends. Yet more than 7 million households and small businesses across the country are in areas where there is no high-speed internet infrastructure, and millions more struggle with limited, unreliable, or unaffordable internet options. With $90 billion from President Biden’s American Rescue Plan and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, President Biden and Vice President Harris are closing that digital divide. Through the Affordable Connectivity Program, the Biden-Harris Administration has helped over 22 million Americans save $30-$75 per month on their internet bills. The Administration has called on Congress to extend funding for this bipartisan program, so that millions of families can continue to access affordable high-speed internet.
In North Carolina, President Biden will highlight how the over $3 billion in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and American Rescue Plan funding is helping North Carolina:
White House.gov. 01/18/2024.
- Connect well over 300,000 more homes and businesses to high-speed internet by the end of 2026 through $1 billion in American Rescue Plan funding. Construction on these American Rescue Plan funded projects is beginning or has begun in 90% of North Carolina counties. This includes over $700 million that North Carolina invested in high-speed internet and connectivity through the American Rescue Plan’s State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund.
- Finish the job by connecting all remaining homes, small businesses, schools, healthcare facilities, and libraries to high-speed internet by the end of 2029 using $1.5 billion in funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s BEAD Program.
- Help 885,000 North Carolina households—about 1 in 5 households in the state—save up to $30/month on their monthly internet bills through the Affordable Connectivity Program. Already, North Carolina families have saved a total of $442 million on their internet bills.
- Spur private sector investment in fiber manufacturing: Thanks to the Biden-Harris Administration’s historic high-speed internet investments and Made-in-America policies that require fiber-optic cable to be manufactured in the United States, CommScope and Corning are investing nearly $550 million combined to build American-made fiber-optic cable, adding hundreds of new jobs in Catawba County. North Carolina is home to two of the largest fiber plants in the world, and is known as the Fiber Capital of America. As a result of these and other investments, Hickory, North Carolina is now producing 40% of the country’s fiber-optic cable.
President Biden will also discuss key progress his Administration has made to meet his goal of connecting every American to high-speed internet by 2030, including:
White House.gov. 01/18/2024.
- Thanks to the Administration’s historic high-speed internet investments and Made-in-America policies, network equipment manufacturers have invested nearly $1 billion across 11 states to expand manufacturing facilities capacity so that fiber optic cable and network electronics get made here in the United States by American workers.
- By the end of December 2023, every state and territory had developed a roadmap for how they will use their share of the $42 billion Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to connect every home and business in their state or territory to affordable, reliable high-speed internet access.
- Through the Affordable Connectivity Program, enacted under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, over 22 million households are saving over $600 million each month on their internet bills.
President Biden Delivers Remarks on High-Speed Internet Investments @2:15 p.m. D.C., time:
Small Businesses Tweet
From Wednesday…
From the South Mountain Bike Shop and an Emmaus running store to a warm cafe in the heart of Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania – small businesses across America are thriving on our watch.
— President Biden (@POTUS) January 17, 2024
And what's more? This isn't just happening here. It's happening everywhere. pic.twitter.com/pgsjujwxkJ
The video clip is 1 minute and 36 seconds long. I will not be transcribing the video.
President Biden traveled to Pennsylvania on 1/12/2024 (last Friday) and visited Nowhere Coffee Co., South Mountain Cycle, and Emmaus Run Inn shoe store.
Lehigh Valley News Room, posted on Instagram…
Nowhere Coffee Co. Instagram:
Emmaus Run Inn Instagram:
From the White House; Small Businesses…
01/11/2024:
From the White House; Allentown visit…
01/12/2024:
- FACT SHEET: President Biden Highlights Allentown, Lehigh Valley, and Pennsylvania’s Economic Comeback
- Remarks by President Biden During Tour of Nowhere Coffee Co. | Emmaus, PA
- Remarks by President Biden After Tour of Allentown Fire Training Academy | Allentown, PA
Met the “Big 4” Tweet
From Wednesday…
Today, I brought together Congressional leaders to make clear the importance of getting Ukraine what it needs to defend itself from Putin’s aggression.
— President Biden (@POTUS) January 18, 2024
Failure to act endangers the security of the U.S. and the free world.
Congress, don't delay. Pass my national security… pic.twitter.com/GcHg5oAVu0
Today, President Biden convened Congressional Leadership and the Chairs and Ranking Members of the House and Senate Intelligence, Armed Services, and Appropriations Committees, and the Senate Foreign Relations and House Foreign Affairs Committees to discuss the urgent need for Congress to continue supporting Ukraine as part of the global coalition we have built. In the meeting, President Biden underscored the importance of Congress ensuring Ukraine has the resources it needs—including air defense and artillery capabilities—to defend itself against Russia’s brutal invasion. The President discussed the strategic consequences of inaction for Ukraine, the United States, and the world. He was clear: Congress’s continued failure to act endangers the United States’ national security, the NATO Alliance, and the rest of the free world. The President called on Congress to quickly provide additional funding to support Ukraine and send a strong signal of U.S. resolve. The President also made clear that we must act now to address the challenges at the border. He said he is encouraged by the progress being made in the bipartisan negotiations happening in the Senate. He expressed his commitment to reaching a bipartisan agreement on border policy and the need for additional resources at the border. The President called on Congress to swiftly pass his full national security supplemental.
White House.gov. 01/17/2024.
Partial government shutdown happens Friday, that’s tomorrow at midnight if no deal is reached.
Speaker Johnson has been told by his cult leader; Twice Impeached 45 and Loud Mouth Marge that if he takes the Senate deal, he will be dead to them. Loud Mouth Marge has said she’d file a motion to Vacate the Speaker herself, if Johnson funds Ukraine…
Just to clarify: Greene was saying she would introduce a motion to vacate against Johnson
— Andrew Solender (@AndrewSolender) January 17, 2024
Good times…
Roe v Wade Tweet
From Thursday…
Roe v. Wade safeguarded the fundamental right to choose – the freedom of each of us to decide how to live our lives.
— President Biden (@POTUS) January 18, 2024
It's time for Congress to codify it, once and for all. pic.twitter.com/mp2Rf0ixPC
01/20/2023:
To learn about what the Biden-Harris Administration has done following the overturning of Roe v Wade and Dobbs @ the White House.gov.
“New” from the White House…
01/17/2024:
01/18/2024:
This is an Open Thread.
