It’s Friday…
President Biden’s public schedule for 03/29/2024:
| 8:45 AM | Out-of-Town Pool Call Time Out-of-Town Pool |
| 9:30 AM Presidential Daily Brief | The President receives the President’s Daily Brief Restricted Pool |
| 12:10 PM Leaves Wall Street Landing Zone | The President and The First Lady depart Wall Street Landing Zone en route to John F. Kennedy International Airport Out-of-Town Pool |
| 12:35 PM Leaves New York | The President and The First Lady depart New York, New York en route to Joint Base Andrews John F. Kennedy International Airport Out-of-Town Pool |
| 1:40 PM Leaves Joint Base Andrews | The President and The First Lady depart Joint Base Andrews en route to Hagerstown, Maryland Joint Base Andrews Out-of-Town Pool |
| 2:30 PM Leaves Haderstown | The President and The First Lady depart Hagerstown, Maryland Hagerstown Regional Airport Out-of-Town Pool |
| 3:05 PM Arrives at Camp David | The President and The First Lady arrive at Camp David Camp David Closed Press |
Investing in America Tweet
From Thursday…
Since I took office, my Investing in America agenda has attracted more than $675 billion in private sector investments.
— President Biden (@POTUS) March 28, 2024
These investments are igniting a manufacturing boom, a clean energy boom, and a jobs boom – all here in America.
From the White House…
03/20/2024:
Remarks by President Biden on Agreement with Intel for CHIPS and Science Act Award | Chandler, AZ; the YouTube is 27 minutes and 55 seconds long.
It’s all a part of my Investing in America agenda, which has attracted $675 billion — $675 billion in private-sector investments and ignited a manufacturing boom in America, a clean-energy boom, a jobs boom — all here in America, finally. (Applause.)
Remarks by President Biden on Agreement with Intel for CHIPS and Science Act Award | Chandler, AZ. 03/2024.
Snip:
President Biden’s Investing in America agenda – including the CHIPS and Science Act – is spurring a manufacturing and clean energy boom. Since President Biden took office, companies have announced over $675 billion in private sector investments in manufacturing and clean energy, and over 50,000 infrastructure and clean energy projects are underway. This announcement is part of the President’s broader commitment to build an economy from the middle out and bottom up, not the top down, and invest in all of America.
FACT SHEET: President Biden Announces Up To $8.5 Billion Preliminary Agreement with Intel under the CHIPS & Science Act. 03/20/2024.
From White House.gov/Invest
Note about the dollar amounts: The figures are provided by what companies will invest over a 10-year or more period, this money is not already spent–it’s future spending by companies such as Intel.
Affordable Care Act Tweets
From Thursday…
I'll never forget at 14 years old, my mother telling me that my dad's company was no longer going to pay his health insurance.
— President Biden (@POTUS) March 28, 2024
The Affordable Care Act is for families that know that feeling – the fear and uncertainty.
I'll always fight like hell to protect it.
Twenty-one million Americans now have health care because of the ACA, a 75% increase since Kamala and I came to office.
— President Biden (@POTUS) March 28, 2024
The Affordable Care Act aka Obamacare turned 14 years old on 03/23/2024…
Q&A Tweet
From Thursday…
I recently asked folks to send in some questions for @VP and me.
— President Biden (@POTUS) March 28, 2024
Here are a few of our answers – from what’s for lunch to why we’re so optimistic about America. pic.twitter.com/RLWuaAe2vW
The video clip is 1 minute and 25 seconds long.
I will not be transcribing the video as I’ve run out of time…
Real life adulting this morning…
Re-tweet tweet
From Thursday…
We have approved the first $60 million in federal funds to support Maryland’s costs for emergency work. This is just the beginning of our financial support.
— Secretary Pete Buttigieg (@SecretaryPete) March 28, 2024
⁰As President Biden said, Baltimore can count on this administration to be there every step of the way as they rebuild.
From the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration…
03/28/2024:
Within hours of receiving the request, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) today announced the immediate availability of $60 million in “quick release” Emergency Relief (ER) funds for the Maryland Department of Transportation to rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge after a cargo container ship struck the bridge on March 26. These funds serve as a down payment toward initial costs, and additional Emergency Relief program funding will be made available as work continues.
“No one will ever forget the shocking images of a container vessel striking the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing its collapse and the tragic loss of six people,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “The federal emergency funds we’re releasing today will help Maryland begin urgent work, to be followed by further resources as recovery and rebuilding efforts progress. President Biden has been clear: the federal government will do everything it takes to help rebuild the bridge and get the Port of Baltimore back open.”
“We are supporting President Biden’s whole-of-government response to this tragic incident and the federal government is committed to providing all necessary resources to rebuild the bridge,” said Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt. “The Emergency Relief funding announced today provides an initial down payment of funds to help Maryland manage ongoing disruptions to traffic, supply chains, and daily life, and is the first step in our joint efforts to reconstruct the Francis Scott Key Bridge.”
FHWA’s Emergency Relief program provides funding to States, Territories, Tribes, and Federal Land Management Agencies for highways and bridges damaged by natural disasters or catastrophic events. These “quick release” Emergency Relief funds are an initial installment to help restore essential transportation. Additional funds needed for the rebuilding of the bridge will be supported by the Emergency Relief program through nationwide funding allocations. FHWA is also providing technical assistance, conducting site assessments, and administering emergency contracts for the new bridge.
The structure is located in the Baltimore Harbor and Port of Baltimore. Following the incident, the channel has been closed, and all shipping traffic to Seagirt Marine Terminal at the Port of Baltimore has been stopped and diverted elsewhere. The Port of Baltimore is essential to the regional economy and national supply chains, and the I-695 corridor, of which the bridge was a part, provides a vital connection for people and goods traveling along the East Coast. FHWA is actively coordinating with federal, state, and local officials in the region, including the Maryland Department of Transportation, the Maryland Transportation Authority, the City of Baltimore, U.S. Coast Guard, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), and others to mitigate supply chain impacts, manage traffic, reopen the port, and ultimately rebuild the bridge. The NTSB, an independent agency, is the leading the investigation into the vessel allision and subsequent bridge collapse.
The Governor of Maryland has declared a State of Emergency and FHWA has approved MDOT’s application, making the event eligible for Emergency Relief funding. The funds will be used for eligible costs associated with debris removal, demolition, detours, emergency repairs, and design and reconstruction on I-695 and the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The Maryland Department of Transportation is continuing to conduct necessary emergency operations, such as implementing detours, to maintain traffic as the disaster area is not passable, and to repair applicable sections sufficiently to protect facilities from further damage and clearing the navigable waters to safely reopen operations at the Port of Baltimore.
The FHWA Emergency Relief program complements the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law by encouraging agencies to identify and implement measures to incorporate resilience in the design, restoration and repair of damaged infrastructure, in order to better withstand future damage from climate change and future weather events.
More information about FHWA’s Emergency Relief program can be found online at https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/programadmin/erelief.cfm
Biden-Harris Administration Announces $60 Million for Emergency Work in Wake of the Collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. 03/28/2024.
Core Inflation Tweet
From Friday…
This morning, we learned that core inflation in America is at the lowest level in nearly 3 years.
— President Biden (@POTUS) March 29, 2024
The job's not done – that's why I’m taking on health care and housing costs, junk fees, and corporate greed.
But this is real progress.
BEA.gov said this morning:
Personal income increased $66.5 billion (0.3 percent at a monthly rate) in February, according to estimates released today by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (tables 2 and 3). Disposable personal income (DPI), personal income less personal current taxes, increased $50.3 billion (0.2 percent) and personal consumption expenditures (PCE) increased $145.5 billion (0.8 percent).
The PCE price index increased 0.3 percent. Excluding food and energy, the PCE price index increased 0.3 percent (table 5). Real DPI decreased 0.1 percent in February and real PCE increased 0.4 percent; goods increased 0.1 percent and services increased 0.6 percent (tables 3 and 4).
[snip]
Prices
From the preceding month, the PCE price index for February increased 0.3 percent (table 5). Prices for goods increased 0.5 percent and prices for services increased 0.3 percent. Food prices increased 0.1 percent and energy prices increased 2.3 percent. Excluding food and energy, the PCE price index increased 0.3 percent. Detailed monthly PCE price indexes can be found on Table 2.4.4U.
From the same month one year ago, the PCE price index for February increased 2.5 percent (table 7). Prices for services increased 3.8 percent and prices for goods decreased 0.2 percent. Food prices increased 1.3 percent and energy prices decreased 2.3 percent. Excluding food and energy, the PCE price index increased 2.8 percent from one year ago.
Real PCE
The 0.4 percent increase in real PCE in February reflected an increase of 0.6 percent in spending on services and an increase of 0.1 percent in spending on goods (table 4). Within services, the largest contributors to the increase were other services (led by international travel), transportation services (led by air transportation), and financial services and insurance (led by financial service charges, fees, and commissions). Within goods, the largest contributor to the increase was motor vehicles and parts (led by new light trucks). Detailed information on monthly real PCE spending can be found on Table 2.4.6U.
BEA.gov. 03/29/2024.
“New” from the White House…
03/28/2024:
- Press Gaggle by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre En Route Queens, NY; the YouTube is 5 minutes and 49 seconds long.
03/29/2024:
Powerful @WSJ front page today — a reminder that American reporter @evangershkovich has been unjustly detained by Putin's Russia for a full year and the world has been denied his incisive and in-depth reporting. #FreeEvan pic.twitter.com/UMeSqcwPUk
— Byron Tau (@ByronTau) March 29, 2024
This is an Open Thread.
