Biden Bits: “An Act of Hope”…

November 15, 2024 12:00 pm EST Tiff Biden Tweets (Open Thread) Comments Off on Biden Bits: “An Act of Hope”…
Biden Tweets Logo. Image by Lenny Ghoul.

President Biden’s public schedule for 11/15/2024:

4:00 AM
Closed Press
The President receives the President’s Daily Brief
5:30 AM
Out-of-Town Pool Spray
The President participates in the APEC Leaders’ Informal Dialogue with Guests
9:00 AM
Out-of-Town Pool
Out-of-Town Pool Call Time
9:30 AM
Out-of-Town Pool Spray
The President holds a trilateral meeting with Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru of Japan and President Yoon Suk Yeol of the Republic of Korea
10:15 AM
Out-of-Town Pool Spray
The President holds a bilateral meeting with President Dina Boluarte Zegarra of the Republic of Peru

Forgotten Tweet

From Wednesday…

Remarks by President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden at the Classroom to Career Summit; the YouTube 25 minutes and 37 seconds long.

And it’s not just him.  Millions of workers and families have more opportunity today than they did four years ago in an economy — economy that’s growing from the middle out and bottom up. 

[snip]

An economy where everyone has a fair shot, we leave nobody behind, and invest in America and all Americans — that’s what we’ve done together by reminding ourselves who we are. 

Remarks by President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden at the Classroom to Career Summit; the YouTube 25 minutes and 37 seconds long. 11/13/2024.

I’m sorry for forgetting that tweet yesterday.

Small Businesses Tweets

From Thursday…

From the White House…

11/14/2024:

FACT SHEET: A Record 20 Million New Business Applications

The Biden-Harris Administration has powered a small business boom, overseeing record growth and support for small businesses across the country

Since President Biden and Vice President Harris took office, American entrepreneurs have filed over 20 million new business applications, the most in any single Presidential term in history. Under the Biden-Harris Administration, we have had the first, second, and third strongest years of new business applications on record, and are on track for a fourth. This is happening in communities across the country—with the most new business applications in a single Presidential term in every state. Each new business is an act of hope and confidence in the economy, and each of these applications marks the first step in that journey. Over the last four years, entrepreneurs have filed an average of over 440,000 applications every month, a rate over 90% faster than pre-pandemic averages.

The Biden-Harris Administration has powered a small business boom across the country. Business ownership has doubled among Black households and hit a 30-year high for Hispanic households; new business creation rates hit a 30-year high for Asian Americans; and women own a higher share of businesses than before the pandemic. While the Biden-Harris Administration has invested in small businesses that lift communities in every corner of the country—rural, urban, and everywhere in between— Congressional Republicans have repeatedly tried to cut SBA’s funding by nearly a third and want to raise taxes and costs for small businesses.

Today’s announcement builds on significant actions taken by the Biden Administration to support small businesses, including:

FACT SHEET: A Record 20 Million New Business Applications. 11/14/2024.
  • Record levels of capital through the Small Business Administration. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2024, the SBA backed an historic $56 billion in capital to small businesses and disaster impacted communities, providing over 100,000 financings in the forms of loans, investments, and surety bond guarantees to small businesses. Compared to FY20, the SBA tripled its lending to Black-owned business, doubled lending to Latino-owned and women-owned small businesses, and significantly increased lending to businesses owned by Native, Veteran, and rural entrepreneurs. The SBA also prioritized increasing access to small dollar loans, doubling the number of loans under $150,000.
  • Lowering costs for small businesses through the Investing in America agenda. The Inflation Reduction Act included a number of provisions that have saved small business owners money. These laws created a tax credit to cover 30% of the cost of switching to solar power, allowed small businesses to deduct up to $1.00 per square foot of their business for making high energy efficiency upgrades, and lowered health care costs that saddle small business owner’s budgets by capping out-of-pocket prescription drugs costs for seniors at $2,000, capping the cost of insulin for seniors at $35 a month, and preserving the American Rescue Plan’s premium tax credit supports for the Affordable Care Act—saving millions of small business owners and self-employed workers an average of $700 per year on their health insurance premiums.
  • Expanding access to capital across the country through the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI). Through SSBCI, the American Rescue Plan is providing nearly $10 billion to support small business loan and venture capital programs implemented by states, territories, and Tribal governments across the country. Through 2023, SSBCI funds had already catalyzed $3.1 billion in public and private financing for small businesses. Further, SSBCI funds have already supported $1.2 billion in venture capital financing and it is expected that jurisdictions may support as many as 200 investment funds over the course of the SSBCI program. In addition, SSBCI support targets underserved and very small businesses. Through December 2023, 75% of transactions supported underserved businesses and 78% supported business with fewer than 10 employees.
  • Awarding record federal contracts to small businesses. The federal government is the world’s largest purchaser of goods and services, giving it an important role in creating opportunities for entrepreneurs. In FY23, federal agencies awarded a record $178.6 billion in federal contracts to small businesses—representing 28.4% of all eligible federal contracting dollars. These federal contract awards enable small business growth, supporting more than one million jobs in manufacturing, construction, defense, and other core industries. Federal agencies also awarded a record $76.2 billion to small disadvantaged businesses.
  • Supporting entrepreneurs through hands-on assistance and services to help them successfully access capital and grow and scale their businesses. In addition to providing access to capital and contracting opportunities, federal agencies also provided significant hands-on services and assistance to ensure that small businesses had the support they needed to capitalize on federal supports and access the broader market. Building on longstanding SBA assistance programs provided through their Regional Field Offices, Small Business Development Centers, Veteran’s Business Outreach Centers, Women’s Business Centers, and SCORE small business mentoring, the American Rescue Plan included the largest-ever dedicated federal investment in navigator services for small businesses through the Small Business Community Navigators Pilot Program, delivering training to over 350,000 entrepreneurs and 1:1 counseling services to over 33,000 small business owners. It also included the largest-ever direct Federal investment in small business incubators and accelerators through the Minority Business Development Agency’s Capital Readiness Program. And through Treasury’s SSBCI technical assistance grants and Small Business Opportunity Program awards, the Federal government is leveraging local and non-profit partners to ensure entrepreneurs can get the support they need regardless of where they live.
  • Catalyzing small business growth and investments in industries of the future. The-Biden-Harris Administration’s historic investments in clean energy, infrastructure, innovation, and manufacturing have also boosted small businesses. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will continue to provide support for and lower costs for small businesses by reducing shipping delays caused by aging infrastructure, increasing access to customers by expanding high-speed internet coverage, and leveraging small business contractors to complete critical projects for the Federal Highway Administration, Federal Transit Administration, and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The CHIPS and Science Act also provides $54 million in funding to small business to help them explore and participate in the commercial microelectronics marketplace. The Inflation Reduction Act builds on these direct investments, providing tax credits and incentives to support small business involvement in the green energy transition, including by making it cheaper for small businesses to use and supply clean fuels, solar panels, commercial clean vehicles, and other green products.

Statement from President Joe Biden on a Record 20 Million New Business Applications

I’ve always said that every new small business is an act of hope. As of today, Americans have filed more than 20 million new business applications since Vice President Harris and I took office. That’s 20 million acts of hope by the American people.

Under our Administration, we have had the three strongest years of new business applications on record—and we are on track for a fourth. That’s the best single Presidential term for new business applications in history. Black and Hispanic entrepreneurs have been leaders of this small business boom, with Black business ownership doubling and Hispanic business ownership up by 40% since before the pandemic. The share of women business owners is also on the rise.

Small businesses and entrepreneurs are powering our economic recovery and contributing to stronger productivity growth—helping make us the strongest economy in the world.

Statement from President Joe Biden on a Record 20 Million New Business Applications. 11/14/2024.

Statement from Vice President Kamala Harris on a Record 20 Million New Business Applications

Small businesses are the backbone of our communities. They strengthen the middle class by creating jobs and advancing opportunity. That is why President Biden and I have spent every day of our Administration fighting to invest in America’s small businesses, their owners and entrepreneurs, and the workers who power them.

Today, I am proud to celebrate that a record 20 million new small business applications have been filed since we took office. This milestone comes as our Administration is investing billions of dollars in community lenders that provide capital and financial support to small business owners and entrepreneurs in overlooked and underserved communities. Our efforts are working with record small business creation from communities that are traditionally underrepresented in entrepreneurship.

President Biden and I will continue to invest in small business owners and entrepreneurs in communities across our nation, ensuring they have the resources to not only survive but thrive. 

Statement from Vice President Kamala Harris on a Record 20 Million New Business Applications. 11/14/

Oval Office Meeting Tweets

From Thursday…

The video clip is 41 seconds long.

From the White House…

11/12/2024:

Remarks by President Biden and President Isaac Herzog of the State of Israel Before a Meeting; the YouTube is 4 minutes and 30 seconds long.

President Biden:

Well, Mr. President, welcome back to the Oval Office and the White House.  You’ve been a friend for a long time, a personal friend.  And you know my commitment to Israel is ironclad and we share a deep friendship. 

I want to thank you again for being here, and the floor is yours.

Remarks by President Biden and President Isaac Herzog of the State of Israel Before a Meeting; the YouTube is 4 minutes and 30 seconds long. 11/12/2024.

President Herzog:

But most importantly, I’m here on behalf of the people of Israel and the nation of Israel and the State of Israel to say to you, Mr. President, thank you very much.  As we say in Hebrew, toda raba. 

You have been an incredible friend of Israel and the Jewish people for decades, and we will never forget, ever in history, how you stood up with us in our darkest hour, which became our finest hour — how you came to Israel a few days after the barbaric attack of October 7th, how you helped us and supported us with words and deeds.

Remarks by President Biden and President Isaac Herzog of the State of Israel Before a Meeting; the YouTube is 4 minutes and 30 seconds long. 11/12/2024.

Together:

PRESIDENT HERZOG:  Thank you very much.

PRESIDENT BIDEN:  Thanks for being here, pal.

Remarks by President Biden and President Isaac Herzog of the State of Israel Before a Meeting; the YouTube is 4 minutes and 30 seconds long. 11/12/2024.

The video clip is 49 seconds long.

From the White House…

11/12/2024:

Remarks by President Biden and President Prabowo Subianto of Indonesia Before Bilateral Meeting

Well, Mr. President, welcome to the White House.

We’re marking an important anniversary: 75 years of diplomatic relationship with Indonesia and the United States — 75 years.  I’m proud that the partnership between our countries is stronger than it’s ever been. 

And today, we’re going to discuss how we continue to strengthen that partnership, first, in my view, by advancing free and open Indo-Pacific with ASEAN at its center.  As two of the largest democracies in the world, it seems to me that our nations have a special responsibility in this vision. 

Second, fighting the climate crisis.  Indonesia is a critical player in the clean energy transition.

And third, by building a secure and resilient supply chain.

And finally, by deepening our comprehensive strategic partnership that includes deepening our security cooperation. 

Remarks by President Biden and President Prabowo Subianto of Indonesia Before Bilateral Meeting. 11/12/2024.

Legacy Tweet

From Friday…

The video clip is 1 minute and 12 seconds long. It’s a FaceTime conversation between President Biden and Camille about commuting via train.

From the White House…

11/14/2024:

FACT SHEET: Biden-⁠Harris Administration Transforms Nation’s Infrastructure, Celebrates Historic Progress in Rebuilding America for the Three-Year Anniversary of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

Over $695 billion in funding and over 74,000 projects announced thanks to President Biden’s Investing in America agenda

For far too long, this country’s infrastructure was under resourced and neglected, leading to crumbling roads and bridges, aging water systems, an unreliable electric grid, and inadequate high-speed internet access. Three years ago today, President Biden signed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law – a once-in-a-generation investment in America’s infrastructure to reverse this trend, strengthen communities, and transform the U.S. economy. Since then, the Biden-Harris Administration has been breaking ground and cutting ribbons on projects in every state to rebuild roads and bridges, strengthening our supply chains, ensuring safe routes to schools, providing clean drinking water for communities, expanding high-speed internet access for all, and much more.

To date, the Administration has announced over $568 billion in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding, including over 66,000 projects and awards in all 50 states, D.C., the territories, and Tribal Nations. That’s part of the 74,000 total clean energy and infrastructure projects funded so far under the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda, which also includes historic investments in clean air water, climate action, and semiconductor manufacturing.

President Biden and Vice President Harris are delivering an Infrastructure Decade, unlocking access to economic opportunity, creating good-paying jobs, boosting domestic manufacturing, and growing America’s economy from the middle up and bottom out in every community across the country. His Investing in America agenda has improved the lives of millions of Americans and is planting the seeds for a better and more prosperous future for decades to come, including connecting everyone in America to reliable, affordable high-speed Internet service, replacing every lead pipe in the country and much more by the end of the decade.

FACT SHEET: Biden-⁠Harris Administration Transforms Nation’s Infrastructure, Celebrates Historic Progress in Rebuilding America for the Three-Year Anniversary of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. 11/14/2024.

HISTORIC PROGRESS BY THE NUMBERS

Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Administration has already:

  • Announced $568 billion for over 66,000 projects across the country;
  • Started improvements on over 196,000 miles of roads and launched over 11,400 bridge repair projects, increasing safety and reconnecting communities across the country;
  • Replaced 367,000 lead pipes, benefitting nearly 1 million people, with funding continuing to be deployed for more replacements;
  • Provided funding to deploy over 4,600 American-made transit buses, more than doubling their number on America’s roadways, and funded approximately over 8,900 clean school buses;
  • Delivered funding for over 580 port and waterway projects to strengthen supply chains, speed up the movement of goods, lower costs, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions;
  • Deployed investments in over 400 airport terminal projects to modernize and expand terminals—over 200 of which are under construction or complete;
  • Financed over 2,400 drinking water and wastewater projects across the country, including projects through the Indian Health Service that will deliver clean water to 100,000 Tribal households;
  • Launched over 6,000 projects to help communities build resilience to threats such as the impacts of climate change and cyber-attacks;
  • Provided funding to over 400 states, tribes, and territories and launched over 100 projects to improve the resilience and reliability of America’s electric grid and deliver cheaper and cleaner electricity—representing the largest single investment in electric transmission and distribution infrastructure in the history of the United States;
  • Funded nearly 2,400 projects for water recycling, storage, conservation, desalination, and other purposes to improve drought resilience across the West;
  • Removed hazardous fuel material from 18 million acres of land through the Infrastructure Law and other sources to protect communities from wildfires;
  • Plugged over 9,600 orphaned oil and gas wells to address legacy pollution;
  • Awarded funding to 95 previously unfunded Superfund projects, clearing a longstanding backlog of projects to clean up contaminated sites and advance environmental justice;
  • Provided funding to 180 programs that advance President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which set a goal that 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal clean energy, climate, and other investments flow to disadvantaged communities;
  • Created 940,000 construction jobs and construction employment is at a record high—higher than the previous peak before the Great Recession.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS ACROSS KEY SECTORS

The Biden-Harris Administration has made notable progress implementing the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law across key sectors:

  • Roads and Bridges: Safe, modern transportation systems connect people to opportunity and critical destinations, bringing goods to market, bringing communities together, and enabling economic growth. That’s why President Biden secured the largest investment in transportation infrastructure, including roads, bridges, and major projects, since President Eisenhower’s investment in the Interstate Highway System. Since President Biden took office, improvements have started on over 196,000 miles of roads and over 11,400 bridge repair projects are underway – making our roadways safer and reconnecting communities across the country. This includes some of the most economically significant bridges in the country, like the Blatnik Bridge between Wisconsin and Minnesota or the I-55 America’s River Crossing between Tennessee and Arkansas. The Infrastructure Law is also funding thousands of smaller bridge projects, many of which are already complete, like the Second Avenue Bridge in Detroit and the Montgomery Avenue Bridge in Philadelphia.
  • Rail: When President Biden took office, he laid out his vision to bring world-class passenger rail to the United States. That’s why the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law invests $66 billion in rail, the largest investment in passenger rail since the inception of Amtrak and an unprecedented investment in rail safety. Projects are underway across the country to modernize the Northeast Corridor – the most heavily trafficked rail corridor in the United States – to build new high-speed rail service, improve the efficiency of freight rail service, and eliminate dangerous rail crossings. An additional $1.5 billion will be announced today from the Department of Transportation for rail investments to provide faster, safer, and more reliable service for travelers and commuters. For example, the Brightline West High Speed Rail project broke ground earlier this year, using $3 billion from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to connect Las Vegas and Southern California with 200-mile-per-hour zero emission train service and creating more than 35,000 jobs.
  • Airports: The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law invests $25 billion to modernize and upgrade airports and air traffic facilities nationwide, improving passenger experience through expanding capacity, increasing accessibility, and reducing delays. The Biden-Harris Administration has delivered funding for over 400 airport terminal projects to modernize and expand terminals – over 200 of which are under construction or complete­. This includes projects like the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport Terminal Modernization project, where a new concourse was built with five new gates and upgraded waiting area was completed this year, and the San Diego International Airport Project, where construction is underway to build a new terminal with the addition of 30 gates, a five-story parking plaza, and roadway improvements. The Administration has also completed over 1,600 projects to upgrade and replace air traffic control towers to ensure the safe operation of the Nation’s airspace.
  • Ports and Waterways: The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law invests $17 billion to upgrade our nation’s ports and waterways. The Department of Transportation and Army Corps of Engineers have together funded over 580 port and waterway projects to strengthen supply chain reliability, speed up the movement of goods, reduce costs, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Major projects are already under construction, including at Montgomery Locks and Dam in Pennsylvania and Soo Locks in Michigan, which received a combined $1.65 billion to modernize and expand aging locks on key rivers that are lynchpins of national supply chains, keeping critical goods flowing and lowering costs for families. The Army Corps of Engineers has also invested $142 million to make the Port of Norfolk, Virginia, the deepest port on the East Coast, allowing enhanced navigation for larger commercial vessels. And today, the Department of Transportation is announcing nearly $580 million to increase capacity and efficiency at coastal seaports, Great Lakes ports, and inland river ports.
  • Transit and School Buses: The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law makes the largest investment in public transit ever, at nearly $90 billion – including billions to electrify or upgrade our bus, transit rail, and ferry fleets. Funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has deployed over 4,600 American-made transit buses and over 8,900 clean school buses in over 1,300 communities across the country, prioritizing disadvantaged communities. Through the Capital Investment Grant program, the Administration is funding long-awaited capital projects – like the Mill Plains BRT in Vancouver, Washington, that provides fast, reliable transit service, and which opened earlier this year; and the Phoenix Northwest Light Rail Extension, which is now complete and is expected to transport nearly 2 million Phoenix residents to new stations and employ transit-oriented development to develop new housing and retail along this route.
  • Clean Water: President Biden believes that every American should be able to turn on the tap and drink safe, clean water. To date, the Biden-Harris Administration has announced over $40.3 billion to provide clean water across the country and improve water infrastructure, as part of the largest investment in clean water in U.S. history. This includes $9 billion announced so far toward President Biden’s commitment to replace every lead pipe within a decade. Under this Administration, 367,000 lead pipes have already been replaced, benefiting nearly 1 million people and protecting communities across the country from the irreversible health effects of lead exposure. To further accelerate lead pipe replacement, last month President Biden announced a new rule requiring water systems nationwide to replace lead service lines within 10 years. Altogether, funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has financed 2,400 drinking water and wastewater projects across the country. For example, the Lewis and Clark Rural Water System has now completed the construction of 300 miles of water pipeline to deliver reliable clean water to 350,000 people in rural Minnesota, Iowa, and South Dakota. In addition, the Biden-Harris Administration through the Department of Interior has funded 575 projects for water recycling, storage, conservation, desalination, and other purposes to improve drought resilience across the West. One project under construction is the B.F. Sisk Dam in California’s Central Valley, which has received over $210 million to fortify and expand the dam’s reservoir by 130,000 acre-feet, making it the largest addition of surface water storage currently underway in the country.
  • High-Speed Internet: Since President Biden took office, 2.4 million American homes and small businesses have been connected to high-speed internet for the first time, and construction has begun in 21 states on high-speed internet projects that will improve network resilience and connect rural and Tribal communities. For example, homes and small businesses in Eureka, Montana, are now being connected to fiber-based high-speed internet through a $12 million USDA project. The Biden-Administration has also provided funding to more than 281 Tribal governments to connect over 65,000 Tribal households with high-speed internet. In addition, Infrastructure Law funding has helped launch construction on middle mile networks that are building or upgrading over 3,200 miles of middle mile high-speed internet infrastructure across 15 states and territories. One example is the HERO Project in North Carolina, an $11 million project to construct over 200 miles of fiber through central and southeastern North Carolina, including around Fort Liberty, Pope Air Force Base, and Camp Lejeune, benefitting both civilian and military populations. The Administration also implemented new rules to expose internet junk fees, enabling 300 million Americans to shop for home and mobile internet plans that best meet their needs and budget.
  • Modernizing the Grid and Deploying Clean Energy: The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law includes more than $62 billion in funding at the Department of Energy to advance our clean energy future by investing in clean energy demonstration and deployment projects, manufacturing technologies domestically, increasing U.S. competitiveness, making our power grid stronger and more resilient to extreme weather, and all while creating high-quality, good-paying union jobs and lowering costs for Americans across the nation. Since President Biden took office, the federal government has provided funding to over 400 states, Tribes, and territories and launched over 100 projects to improve the resilience and reliability of America’s electric grid and deliver cheaper and cleaner electricity—representing the largest single investment in electric transmission and distribution infrastructure in the history of the United States. For example, the Joint Targeted Interconnection Queue Transmission Study Process and Portfolio (JTIQ) project is coordinating the comprehensive planning, design, and construction of five transmission projects across seven Midwest states. Projects are also strengthening the grid locally and helping communities like Estes Park, CO to power through future severe weather events by installing an innovative battery storage project.
  • Resilience: Across the country, Americans are experiencing the devastating impacts of climate change. The Biden-Harris Administration has deployed $27.4 billion in funding towards an “all hazards” approach to protecting our infrastructure and communities from physical, climate, and cybersecurity-related threats. To date, the Biden-Harris Administration has launched over 6,000 projects to help communities proactively build resilience to these threats before disasters strike. That includes protecting communities from wildfires by removing hazardous fuels from nearly 18 million acres of land through the Infrastructure Law and other sources, as well as funding projects to elevate or relocate over 3,500 homes and buildings outside of the reach of floodwaters, and creating a record wildland firefighting workforce of 16,700 with boosted pay.
  • Legacy Pollution: The Biden-Harris Administration is cleaning up the air, land, and water in communities that have been burdened by legacy pollution for far too long. Funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has helped plug over 9,600 orphaned oil and gas wells that pollute communities with methane leaks. To date, the Administration has allocated funding to 95 previously unfunded Superfund site projects, including the longstanding backlog of projects, to clean up contaminated sites and advance environmental justice, leading to completed cleanups at 10 Superfund sites and 24 brownfield sites. For example, after decades of community advocacy, the Environmental Protection Agency has completed the cleanup of the Clearview Landfill Superfund project in Philadelphia’s Eastwick neighborhood, which will prevent toxins from leaching into the nearby Darby Creek.

DELIVERING PROJECTS QUICKLY AND EFFECTIVELY

To deliver on the promise of this historic legislation and deliver impact to communities and workers as soon as possible, the Biden-Harris Administration has:

  • Accelerated Federal Permitting: President Biden has been clear that the government can and must deliver more projects, more quickly. Through his Investing in America Agenda, he is delivering on that promise by accelerating project reviews while protecting communities and our environment. The Biden-Harris Administration has taken historic steps to accelerate and improve the federal permitting process so that Americans across the country can benefit from the promise of the Investing in America agenda – including lowering energy costs for families and creating hundreds of thousands of good-paying and union jobs. The Administration has taken a three-prong approach. First, investing $1 billion through the Inflation Reduction Act funds to hire experts and invest in new technologies to expedite reviews. Second, passing the first reforms to modernize the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for the first time in 50 years and finalizing the Bipartisan Permitting Reform Implementation Rule to accelerate the federal environmental review process. And third, using executive authorities, wherever possible, to improve permitting and environmental review processes. Thanks to these actions, the Biden-Harris administration has cut six months off the median time it takes for agencies to complete the most extensive form of environment review, cut the average time it takes to complete a Department of Transportation environmental assessment by more than one-third, and expanded use of the fastest form of environmental review – categorical exclusions. Since the start of the Administration, over 15 federal agencies have developed, expanded, or adopted 125 categorical exclusions for projects with insignificant environmental impact in key sectors such as electric vehicle charging, broadband, semiconductor manufacturing, clean energy, and transmission.
  • Expanded Technical Assistance: In the past, too many communities have lacked the resources to access and deploy transformative Federal funding opportunities. The Biden-Harris Administration has made it a priority to help state, local, Tribal and territorial governments and other nongovernmental partners effectively navigate the historic funding provided through the Investing in America agenda. New technical assistance and capacity building programs like the Department of Transportation’s Thriving Communities, Environmental Protection Administration’s Get the Lead Out Initiative, and U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Partners Network provide training, hands-on support, and expert assistance to communities across the country. The Administration has identified over 100 technical assistance programs to help would-be applicants with their planning and delivery needs—and has worked with philanthropy and civil society stakeholders to ensure that historically-underserved communities have the tools they need to take advantage of this historic opportunity.

Invested in Workforce: The Investing in America agenda is projected to create hundreds of thousands of good-paying and union jobs for years to come that provide critical benefits and supportive services – many of which do not require a four-year college degree. The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to ensuring that all workers—including women, people of color, veterans, and those that have been historically left behind–have equitable access to those job opportunities and the training and skills needed to fill them. The Administration has launched nine Investing in America Workforce Hubs in Augusta, Baltimore, Columbus, Michigan, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, and Upstate New York to build partnerships that train and connect Americans to these jobs in key sectors such as transportation, clean energy and manufacturing. In addition, the Administration has made unprecedented federal investments in these sectors. Since the President took office over $80 billion from President Biden’s American Rescue Plan have been committed to strengthen and expand the American workforce. These investments have bolstered Registered Apprenticeships resulting in the hiring of more than 1 million apprentices and deployed hundreds of millions of dollars to support for community college workforce training programs.

FACT SHEET: Biden-⁠Harris Administration Transforms Nation’s Infrastructure, Celebrates Historic Progress in Rebuilding America for the Three-Year Anniversary of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. 11/14/2024.

Statement from President Joe Biden on Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Anniversary

To have the best economy in the world, you have to have the best infrastructure in the world. That’s why three years ago, I was proud to sign the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law – the largest investment in our nation’s infrastructure in a generation. And when the bill passed, we showed that we can get big things done when we work together.

In just the three years since I signed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, my Administration has launched over 66,000 projects across the country, repairing 196,000 miles of roads and 11,400 bridges, replacing 367,000 lead pipes, and expanding and modernizing ports and airports. And today, we’re investing an additional $1.5 billion in funding for rail investments along the Northeast Corridor – the most heavily trafficked rail corridor in the United States, supporting 800,000 trips per day – five times more passengers than all flights between Washington and New York.

We’re doing all this with American workers and products that are made in America. These investments are creating jobs, benefitting our communities, and ushering in an infrastructure decade that is planting the seeds for a better and more prosperous future.

Statement from President Joe Biden on Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Anniversary. 11/14/2024.

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Member of the Free Press who is politically homeless and a political junkie.