Biden Bits: “We Must Learn from History So We Don’t Surrender Our Future to Horrors of the Past”…

May 8, 2024 12:00 pm EDT Tiff Biden Tweets (Open Thread) Comments Off on Biden Bits: “We Must Learn from History So We Don’t Surrender Our Future to Horrors of the Past”…
Biden Tweets Logo. Image by Lenny Ghoul.

Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre Gaggle Aboard Air Force One @10:15 a.m. D.C., time (replay):


Keynote Address Tweets

From Wednesday…

Remarks by President Biden at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Annual Days of Remembrance Ceremony; the YouTube is 28 minutes 27 seconds long.

In my view, a major lesson of the Holocaust is, as mentioned earlier, it’s not — was not inevitable.  We know hate never goes away; it only hides.  And given a little oxygen, it comes out from under the rocks.

[snip]

 We have to remember our basic principles as a nation.  We have an obligation — we have an obligation to learn the lessons of history so we don’t surrender our future to the horrors of the past.  We must give hate no safe harbor against anyone — anyone.  

Remarks by President Biden at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Annual Days of Remembrance Ceremony. 05/07/2024.

During these sacred Days of Remembrance, we grieve.  We give voice to the 6 million Jews who were systematically targeted and murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators during World War Two.  We honor the memory of victims, the pain of survivors, the bravery of heroes who stood up to Hitler’s unspeakable evil.  And we recommit to heading and heeding the lessons that [of] one of the darkest chapters in human history, to revitalize and realize the responsibility of “never again.”

Remarks by President Biden at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Annual Days of Remembrance Ceremony. 05/07/2024.

Teachers Rock Tweet

From Tuesday…

A Proclamation on National Teacher Appreciation Day and National Teacher Appreciation Week, 2024

     Teachers are the heart and soul of our Nation.  They care for our Nation’s students, pass on knowledge to rising generations, and inspire our children to dream up new possibilities for their futures.  The power of a great teacher is profound, and — on National Teacher Appreciation Day and during National Teacher Appreciation Week — we thank them for their tireless efforts and recommit to taking care of our teachers, just as they have taken care of all of us.

     Our Nation asks so much of our teachers, and that is why my Administration supports them in all that we do.  Our American Rescue Plan provided historic funding for schools to reopen safely after the pandemic so that teachers could return to their classrooms.  It also delivered critical support for schools — from supporting early childhood programs and funding after-school and summer programs to hiring more teachers, counselors, and school psychologists. 

     We also passed the most significant bipartisan gun safety law in nearly 30 years because teaching should not be a life-threatening profession and teachers should never be on the frontlines of the gun violence epidemic.  The law enhanced background checks for people under the age of 21 and gave States funding to enact red flag laws.  At the same time, the law provided $1 billion to help schools hire and train mental health counselors.  But we need to do more — I continue to call on the Congress to implement commonsense gun safety laws that protect our kids and teachers.

     Teachers deserve so much more breathing room:  As I said in my State of the Union Address, let us give public school teachers a raise.  Let us help relieve them of the student debt they took on to become teachers.  My Administration has already worked to take the crushing weight of student debt off teachers’ shoulders by fixing the Public Student Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program.  To date, we have canceled over $62.8 billion in student debt for nearly 900,000 public service workers, including teachers.  That is up from the only 7,000 workers who had received PSLF when I took office.

     There is still much more to do to make sure our teachers are fully supported.  My Budget proposes investing nearly $3 billion in teachers and other educators, including $650 million to support pathways into the profession, help keep great teachers in the profession, and increase the diversity of the profession.  My Budget also proposes eliminating the origination fees charged to borrowers on every new Federal student loan, which would save the typical teacher $1,000 or more throughout the repayment process.  Further, my Administration proposed a rule that would boost Head Start teacher wages by $10,000 on average, ensuring that they are getting the wages they deserve.

     The First Lady has reminded me over the years that for teachers, teaching is more than what they do — it is who they are.  That sense of purpose powers our Nation’s teachers every day — even through the long hours they spend setting up classrooms, preparing lesson plans, and educating our future leaders.  I have had the honor of meeting so many of our Nation’s great teachers, who have poured their hearts into caring for their students — not only by educating them but motivating and inspiring them.  Teachers hold the kite strings that keep our national ambitions aloft.  The future of our Nation is in their hands.  Today and this week, may we all show them the gratitude they deserve.  We will always have their backs.

     NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 7, 2024, as National Teacher Appreciation Day and May 6 through May 10, 2024, as National Teacher Appreciation Week.  I call upon all Americans to recognize the hard work and dedication of our Nation’s teachers and to observe this day and this week by supporting teachers through appropriate activities, events, and programs.

     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this third day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-eighth.

A Proclamation on National Teacher Appreciation Day and National Teacher Appreciation Week, 2024. 05/03/2024.

Clean Drinking Water Tweet

From Tuesday…

The video clip is 1 minute and 18 seconds long.

The clip was filmed during President Biden’s remarks announcing a $3 billion investment to replace toxic lead pipes on May the 2nd.

From Wednesday…

Met with CEOs Tweet

From Tuesday…

Readout of President Joe Biden’s Meeting with CEOs

This afternoon, the President met with CEOs from a range of industries, including manufacturing, banking, clean energy, and construction. The CEOs discussed how the President’s historic investment agenda at home, coupled with renewed alliances abroad, is creating strong and stable conditions for businesses and workers. The President and business leaders agreed on the importance of continuing government-enabled, private sector-led investments for strong economic growth and U.S. leadership in the global economy.
 
Industry Participants
 
Revathi Advaithi, Chief Executive Officer, Flex
Roger Altman, Founder and Senior Chairman, Evercore
Brendan Bechtel, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Bechtel Group
Ursula Burns, Retired Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Xerox
Anthony Capuano, President and Chief Executive Officer, Marriott International
Jane Fraser, Chief Executive Officer, Citi
Scott Kirby, Chief Executive Officer, United Airlines
Wendell P. Weeks, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Corning
 
Administration Participants
 
Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen
Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo
Chief of Staff Jeff Zients
Counselor to the President Steve Ricchetti
National Economic Advisor Lael Brainard
Senior Advisor to the President and Director of Public Engagement Steve Benjamin
Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo

Readout of President Joe Biden’s Meeting with CEOs. 05/07/2024.

President Biden today, will travel to Racine County, Wisconsin. There he will announce a $3.3 billion investment by Microsoft; this part of the Investing in America tour requires a tiny bit of background…

In 2017 then-President Trump (before the first impeachment) announced that the Taiwan based Foxconn, would build a massive tech hub employing about 13,000 people…

In summer of 2018 gold shovel in hand then-President Trump tweeted…

I wrote an article for the Blender the next day explaining:

Foxconn has promised to invest $10 billion in a facility that boosts it’s ability to employee anywhere from 3,000 people, phase one, or 13,000 by it’s expected completion date of sometime in 2020.

What did Foxconn get in return for this promised invested?

Market Watch calls it the “biggest incentives ever for a foreign country” the article also explains that Foxconn along with its tax credits, will also benefit from sales-tax exemptions.

CNN Tech explains the tax incentives, which are as follows

State: $3 Billion in tax credit and breaks. Wisconsin estimates it will take until at least 2043 for the state to recoup that lost tax revenue.

The Village of Mount Pleasant and Racine County: have agreed to provide $764 million in tax incentives, which also includes buying the land which the plant will be built and giving it to Foxconn for free.

State and Local Governments: Plan to spend $400 million on road improvements which include adding two lanes to interstate 94. The local electric utility is upgrading its lines to supply the plant it’s power at a cost of $140 million, the cost of which is to be paid by 5 million customers in the area.

The Federal Government: has committed to spend $160 million to help pay for the expansion of interstate 94.

The employees of this new factor are expected to come from nearby Chicago, as Wisconsin currently sits at 2.8% unemployment rate.

the News Blender. 06/29/2018.

It was while doing research on the short blog piece that I found this…

In March of 2017, The Washington Post reported that Foxconn in 2013 had promised to invest $30 million into building a factory in Harrisburg, PA, and create 500 new jobs. That factory never happened.

the News Blender. 06/29/2018.

In January of 2019, I wrote how the Special Assistant to the CEO of Foxconn told Reuters the company planned to scale back the facility…

According to Woo the company is still evaluating options for Wisconsin, but he explained that based on the steep cost of making advanced TV screens in the U.S., that the company has no place here and can not compete.

In terms of TV, we have no place in the U.S. We can’t compete.

Louis Woo Reuters interview January 30th, 2019.

He went on to explain that FoxConn is not building a factory in Wisconsin instead the company will focus on creating a “technology hub” which would be a larger research facility with some packing and assembly operations.

In Wisconsin we’re not building a factory. You can’t use a factory to view our Wisconsin investment.

Louis Woo Reuters interview January 30th, 2019.

According to the article FoxConn had reiterated early promises of creating 13,000 jobs in Wisconsin, but the article explains by 2020 they expect to employee about 5,000, Reuters adds that a company unnamed source told them that figure was closer to 1,000 people.

A few days later Foxconn CEO Terry Gou tried to walk back the scaling back…

According to the linked CNBC News article, the tech company released a statement Friday that says, “it’s moving forward with the construction of its Wisconsin facility after talks with White House,” but CNBC notes the statement that was released on Friday did not clarify “what kind of jobs will be housed at the $10 billion plant.”

According to FoxConn’s statement posted at CNBC News the campus will “serve both as an advanced manufacturing facility as well as a hub of high technology innovation for the region.

The article also notes that last week in a statement to CNBC News FoxConn seemed to signal it was changing the Wisconsin facilities focus writing that, “the global market environment that existed when the project was first announced has changed.”

the News Blender. 02/01/2019.

In April of 2021, according to CBS.58.com Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers and Foxconn reached a new deal where the company would be offered fewer tax credits then originally agreed upon.

In November of 2023, WPR.org reported that; Six years after Foxconn announced plans to invest $9 billion for a massive development in Mount Pleasant, village officials approved a new deal Monday to allow Microsoft to purchase more than 1,000 acres originally intended for the company.

WPR.org went on to say; Microsoft, which will pay $100 million for the land, must build at least four data centers on the site under the agreement with the village. The project comes with no public financial incentives for the company and no new infrastructure from the village or Racine County. The deal will also help the village close a tax incremental district created for Foxconn earlier than anticipated.

Thus ends the long backstory of how we have arrived in May of 2024 with President Biden traveling to land that Twice Impeached 45 once said would be home to Foxconn’s “8th wonder of the World“…

From the White House…

05/08/2024:

Fact Sheet: President Biden to Highlight $3.3 Billion Investment in Racine, Wisconsin, and How His Investing in America Agenda is Driving Economic Comebacks in Communities Across the Country

Six years ago, the prior administration touted a $10 billion investment by Foxconn that never materialized – now Microsoft will build a new AI datacenter on the same land, powering industries of the future in Wisconsin

Today, President Biden will travel to Racine, Wisconsin – the same location as the failed Foxconn investment that the prior administration visited six years ago – to showcase a community at the heart of his commitment to invest in places that have been historically overlooked or failed by the last administration’s policies. President Biden will announce a $3.3 billion investment by Microsoft to build a new artificial intelligence (AI) datacenter in Racine, creating 2,300 union construction jobs and 2,000 permanent jobs over time. Microsoft will also provide skilling opportunities for thousands more Wisconsinites in the digital economy. The datacenter will be built on the same land as a failed $10 billion investment from Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Foxconn six years ago, which left behind Wisconsin residents and workers.   

President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is growing the economy from the middle-out and bottom-up, giving Americans more breathing room, and unleashing hundreds of billions of dollars of private sector investment in industries of the future, including AI, clean energy, semiconductors, and more. Breaking from failed trickle-down policies of past administrations, President Biden’s agenda is bringing innovation hubs to every corner of the country. President Biden is delivering on his promise to create good jobs that will have a lasting impact on communities and families.

Delivering on promises for Racine workers and families

From after the Civil War through the 1960s, manufacturing powered growth in Racine, Wisconsin. At its peak, manufacturing employed roughly half of Racine’s workforce, but over the years, trickle-down economics wore that away. Manufacturers shut down and shipped jobs overseas.

Six years ago, the prior administration touted a $10 billion investment by Foxconn that would purportedly create 13,000 manufacturing jobs in Racine. But after 100 homes and farms were bulldozed to make way for the manufacturing plant and over $500 million in taxpayer dollars were invested to prepare the site, no such investment materialized. Foxconn abandoned plans to manufacture LCD screens in the state and created only a fraction of the promised jobs. In fact, in the four years prior to President Biden taking office, 1,000 manufacturing jobs left Racine, and 6,000 manufacturing jobs left Wisconsin.

President Biden promised that unlike his predecessor, he wouldn’t leave communities like Racine behind. Since President Biden took office, nearly 4,000 jobs have been added in Racine – a third of them in manufacturing — and 177,000 jobs have been added in Wisconsin. With new business applications up 68% from pre-pandemic levels, Racine has experienced some of the strongest new business growth in the state under President Biden’s leadership. And, President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is attracting industries of the future, investing in workforce pipelines that leave no community behind, and helping Racine power the AI and innovation economy.

Building an AI ecosystem in Wisconsin

On the land left vacant by Foxconn’s failed investment in Racine County, Microsoft will invest $3.3 billion in a new datacenter. Microsoft is committed to creating good-paying jobs with growth pathways and comprehensive benefits such as paid family leave. Microsoft will pair its datacenter investment with a commitment to investing in innovation and workforce in Racine and statewide. Microsoft will partner with Gateway Technical College to develop a Datacenter Academy that trains 1,000 Wisconsinites for datacenter and STEM roles by 2030, and will employ up to 2,000 people in permanent roles at its Racine facility.  And, Microsoft will build a Co-Innovation Lab in southeast Wisconsin, as well as team up with the startup accelerator Gener8tor to train 1,000 business leaders to adopt AI in their operations, so that Wisconsin manufacturers can seize AI’s promise. Together, these investments will position the industrial heartland to lead the way in industries of the future.

President Biden has acted boldly to ensure America leads in AI innovation, driven by communities like Racine. The President signed a landmark Executive Order on AI last year that directed actions to provide AI entrepreneurs access to technical assistance and resources, help small businesses commercialize AI breakthroughs, and expand grants for AI research in vital areas like healthcare and climate change. In January, through the new Regional Innovation Engines (NSF Engines) program, the Biden Administration announced 10 awards for place-based research and development partnerships, including ones with a focus on advancing AI. And, President Biden has taken bold steps to ensure workers and organized labor are front and center in the growth and development of AI. The President’s landmark Executive Order on AI directed new protections for workers, including the release of guidance to assist federal contractors and employers with complying with worker protection laws as they deploy AI in the workplace. As part of Microsoft’s efforts to build an AI ecosystem in Wisconsin, their training programs will help introduce workers to AI skills and technologies, helping them access and benefit from the AI economy.

Investing in Wisconsin and Investing in America

Today’s announcement is part of President Biden’s broader effort to invest in industries of the future and American workers in communities across the country. Already, his Investing in America agenda has unleashed $866 billion in private sector investments in clean energy and manufacturing, and the Administration has announced 51,000 infrastructure projects across the country. These investments are creating an environment where companies are building lasting relationships in communities like Racine. Under the President’s agenda:

Fact Sheet: President Biden to Highlight $3.3 Billion Investment in Racine, Wisconsin, and How His Investing in America Agenda is Driving Economic Comebacks in Communities Across the Country. 05/08/2024.
  1. The Department of Commerce designated the Wisconsin Biohealth Tech Hub as a Tech Hub under the CHIPS and Science Act. The Wisconsin Biohealth Tech Hub, serving the Madison and Milwaukee-Waukesha regions, aims to position Wisconsin as a global leader in personalized medicine, an emerging healthcare approach that tailors tests, treatments, and therapies informed by a patient’s unique genetic code, medical record, and environment.
  2. Milwaukee has been named an Investing in America Workforce Hub—an initiative to bring together state and local elected officials, community leaders, and federal staff to drive evidence-based partnerships for place-based workforce development programs.
  3. Wisconsin has received $6.9 billion from the President’s Investing in America agenda for infrastructure and clean energy. That includes $1.06 billion to replace the Blatnik Bridge — a 1.5-mile-long bridge that connects Duluth, MN and Superior, WI that cannot currently carry large or heavy trucks, causing lengthy detours for regional freight — $1.6 billion to deliver internet to everyone in Wisconsin, and $811 million to provide clean water across Wisconsin.
  4. The Grow Milwaukee Coalition was selected as one of 22 finalists for the Department of Commerce Recompete Distressed Area Pilot Program to invest in revitalizing Milwaukee’s historic 30th Street Industrial Corridor and connecting the historically segregated Black community to economic opportunity across the city. Grow Milwaukee will compete for $190 million in total funding for locally-led economic development plans.
  5. Wisconsin has seen an influx of investments from industries of the future, including clean energy and advanced manufacturing.
    1. Last summer, thanks to President Biden’s Made in America policies and commitment to ensure internet access for all Americans by 2030, Nokia announced a new partnership with Sanmina Corporation to create 200 jobs and manufacture fiber-optic broadband electronics in the United States for the first time in the company’s history. The investment was in part spurred by the Biden-Harris Administration’s investment of $1.1 billion to connect every home and business in Wisconsin to high-speed internet through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
    2. Ingeteam, a clean energy manufacturing company with a plant in Milwaukee, will begin manufacturing electric vehicle fast chargers this year, driven by the Made in America requirements for U.S.-made EV charging infrastructure funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Giving Racine families breathing room

In addition to keeping his promise to leave no community behind, President Biden’s agenda is lowering costs for working families in Racine and across Wisconsin, including by:

  1. Saving 426,000 Wisconsin families $30–75 per month on their internet bills thanks to the Affordable Connectivity Program, which Republicans in Congress need to extend this month so these families’ internet bills do not increase.
  2. Saving customers of a Milwaukee-based utility company around $2 billion on utility bills thanks to an investment in clean energy.
  3. Saving 1.3 million Wisconsin Medicare beneficiaries money on prescription drugs, insulin, and vaccines.
  4. Saving 266,000 people in Wisconsin hundreds of dollars per year on health insurance.
  5. Canceling student debt for 44,000 borrowers in Wisconsin, and announcing in Madison new plans to provide debt relief to over 30 million Americans.
  6. President Biden would lower housing costs by building more than 2 million homes.

Congressional Republicans have no plan to lower costs. In fact, their plan raises cost for working families in Wisconsin by:

  1. Increasing costs for health care, prescription drugs, and insulin by repealing the Inflation Reduction Act and Affordable Care Act and slash Medicare.
  2. Increasing utility bills and energy costs by repealing the Inflation Reduction Act.
  3. Cutting Social Security by $1.5 trillion and raising Medicare costs for seniors.
  4. Raising taxes for middle-class families by repealing the Inflation Reduction Act and Affordable Care Act.
  5. Raising housing costs by cutting rental assistance and programs to build new homes.
  6. Repealing the Biden-Harris Administration’s SAVE Plan, which is helping millions of Americans save money on their monthly student loan payments.

President Biden Delivers Remarks on his Investing in America Agenda @12:45 p.m. D.C., time:


“New” from the White House…

05/07/2024:

05/08/2024:

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About Tiff 2581 Articles
Member of the Free Press who is politically homeless and a political junkie.