Remarks by President Biden on American Rescue Plan Investments | Eastern North Carolina Now

    And they're going to need to bring struggling communities along in the process.

    Because of this grant, Manchester is going to revitalize what was once one of the largest cotton textile plants in the world.

    Right now, 100,000-square-foot mill building is empty and idle, but not for long. Because of this grant, a coalition of city leaders and research and community organizations is going to transform that old mill into a modern marvel. It's going to house advanced science labs that are going to conduct groundbreaking clinical trials.

    It's going to be the place where they can test biotechnologies and test - and treatments that are going to save lives. And the governor - the Republican governor is working on it - going to be there as well.

    For workers, small businesses, entrepreneurs in the Man- - in the Manchester area, it means opportunity. It means jobs you can raise your family on in Manchester - not have to move.

    Because of this American Rescue Plan grant, they're going to be able to have access to cutting-edge technology and labs they never could have afforded before. This is going to allow them to compete with anyone anywhere in the world, and make sure the supply-chain for these new medicines advances - the medical advances are built right here in America. It matters.

    As you probably know, I could go on and on and speak about each of your communities here, but time won't permit.

    I applaud every community that received the grant and that applied. You're the reason why I'm so optimistic for the future of our country. I mean it.

    You've heard me say it many times before. America is the only nation in the world that can be defined by a single word: possibilities. There's nothing but possibilities here. That's what this is about.

    I want to thank you. And now I'm - so I'm going to do what I should have done to begin with: Turn it over to the Secretary to begin this. But we've already gone by it.

    So, Madam Secretary, the floor is yours.

    SECRETARY RAIMONDO: Thank you, Mr. President. I think the fact that the President jumped in there right away is a testament to how excited he is about this project. He's fired up, and he's committed to it. And that's because he knows - he knows that we have to be investing in every community in America to help with the transition.

    So, let me fill in a few of the blanks about how this program is going to work, and then we're going to have a discussion with a handful of the 21 awardees.

    First of all, congratulations. If you are one of the 21 here, you are the cream of the crop. Your applications were fantastic. And congratulations to each and every one of you.

    The President and I are so proud of you and just thrilled to be able to work with you.

    I have to thank you, Mr. President, for your leadership. Everybody should know that this was the President's idea.

    I mean, as he said, the American Rescue Plan was passed 17 months ago. Three billion dollars of that came to the Commerce Department to do economic development. And we decided to put $1 billion into this Build Back Better Regional Challenge, and it's because the President directed me to make investments in communities to help communities revitalize themselves and get ready for the transitions in our economy. Because he fundamentally said, "People want to work where they live, and they ought to be able to do that." And so, that's what this is all about.

    We believe every single American, no matter where you live, ought to have an opportunity to have a high-paying, family-supporting job in that community. And that's what this is all about.

    So, let me fill in some of the blanks about the approach. It's a novel approach. This is the first time ever the Department of Commerce has made such sizable investments in individual communities.

    When we started, to be very honest, we weren't sure - we weren't sure if communities would apply and bring together coalitions and have the capacity to invest tens of millions of dollars.

    Well, we got 529 submissions. We went from 529 down to 60 finalists. And then from those 60 finalists, we worked to get to the 21 who are with us today. So, again, the fact that you are among the 21 - hats off to each and every one of you.

    Here's what makes this interesting: Everyone on this screen, of the 21, will be receiving between $25 million and $65 million to address regional economic challenges and to invest in revitalizing the economies of these communities.


    So, that's a lot of cheese, folks, to make big investments and revitalize your communities. This was all bottoms up.

    We went to the community and said, "You tell us how to revitalize your community. And you bring the community together - public sector, private sector, universities, philanthropy. Get your community together and tell us what you need to invest.

    The - so, as a result, this federal funding will be matched by more than $300 million of local investment and will leverage support from over 450 private sector and 27 labor unions or worker organizations. We estimate that, together, this whole initiative will create or save over 100,000 jobs and over $7 billion of additional private investment will be catalyzed through the - each coalition's efforts.

    And as the President said, this is about growing industries that are critical to our future - clean energy, biotechnology, advanced mobility. And it's about saying to the small businesses and workers in these communities: We know the economy is transitioning. We're moving away from fossil fuels to clean energy. We're moving towards robotics, we're moving towards a more digital economy, a more technical economy.

    And the point of it is: No one will be left behind, because we're going to retrain workers, we're going to retrain small businesses, and we're going to light up abandoned buildings that may have once trained coal miners and today will train solar installers. Abandoned manufacturing facilities that may have, you know, once made widgets will be, you know, lighted up for new advanced manufacturing in solar panels.

    And so the important point here, and the President talks to us all the time about this, is that if you're out there, you know, in - in Buffalo, and you drive by, every day, an abandoned industrial building, and you have a pit in your stomach, wondering, "Is there a place for me in a new economy?" Or if you are someone who's worked for 30 years at one of the "Big Three" auto companies and you only know how to work on a traditional auto car and you're worried do you have the skills to transition to an electric vehicle economy, what we're saying to you is: Yes. Yes.

    Because we're going to retrain you. We're going to retrofit small businesses. We're going to do solar installations at industrial scale over abandoned coal mines. And we're going to make sure that as we transition, everyone is included and trained, and these small businesses are able to do this.

    I'll just end with a personal story, which I told to the President. When we were designing this program, I had my father in mind. My fath- - once upon a time, Rhode Island, where I'm from, was the jewelry manufacturing capital of the world.

    Everywhere you looked, jewelry manufacturing - low skill, but it was a good job. My dad had one of those jobs at Bulova Watch until he was 56 years old and his job and all the other jobs went to China. And he would so often say to us, "Gina, we were just left behind. We weren't retrained." He wanted to work. He could work. And he said, "Our leaders left us behind."

    So, what this is about is President Biden is committed to folks who have that anxiety, who've worked in old-line manufacturing, who've worked in the coal industry, who've worked in, you know, traditional combustion engine vehicles, and they're feeling anxious. And we're saying, "We are going to be there for you to make sure you're not left behind or left out, and we're going to make investments in your community so you can work in the community where you and your family live."

    So we're excited and, quite honestly, I'm just very lucky that I get to work for a boss who gets this, because he gets it. And every time we brief him, he says, "Secretary, don't tell me how much money we're spending. Tell me what are we doing for the people of America." And that's why this is so exciting.

    So, with that, we want to hear from you.


    Now, as the President said, if we had the time, we'd like to hear from every single one of you because these - every one of you has put together a phenomenal application. But we don't have the time, so we're just going to hear from a couple of you and hope to have a free-flowing discussion.

    And I want to begin by calling on the Detroit Regional Partnership foundation. Congratulations, you all are receiving $52.2 million, which is incredible. We'd like to hear from you. And I'd like to call on Maureen.

    Just tell us a little bit about how are you going to invest the $52 million. What's - what are the projects you're doing? And what does this mean for the small businesses in the supply chain in Detroit's auto manufacturing industry?

    MS. KRAUSS: Good morning. Thank you, Madam Secretary. And good morning, Mr. President.

    THE PRESIDENT: Good morning.

    MS. KRAUSS: We are thrilled to join you here today from Detroit, the global epicenter of mobility.

    I want to introduce two of our partners who are with me today: Quentin Messer, Jr., who is the CEO of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation; Ned Staebler, who is the CEO of TechTown Detroit.

    In addition, we have a large group of over 140 partners who are joining us virtually and who worked together for the successful application.

    We're honored that the EDA has recognized that Detroit - the Detroit region is leading the transformation from internal combustion engine to electric vehicle. The global epicenter of mobility - or GEM - is Detroit's answer to the Build Back Better Regional Challenge. Through an inclusive and equitable lens, GEM will help the Detroit region redefine every aspect of mobility, from the cutting-edge technology that most people in goods, to creating new quality jobs and readying new sites for business. We are building an inclusive, prosperous 21st century with your help.

    GEM's vision is to accelerate economic growth by building on the region's unrivaled mobility assets. It will create a smart, secure, sustainable, and inclusive advanced mobility industry, starting with the transition to next generation electric, autonomous, and fully-connected vehicles.

    This grant will fund six unique projects that will help the region and country maintain its global automotive leadership.

    GEM will support workers, startup businesses, and small-to-medium-sized companies as they adapt to a new, high-tech advanced mobility industry.

    Led by one of the most diverse regions in the United States, GEM offers the opportunity to create a national model for equitable - equitable economic growth. We are ready to help secure the nation's advanced mobility leadership for generations to come.

    Thank you again. We welcome any questions. And we also want to invite you, Mr. President and Madam Secretary, in two weeks to join us in Detroit at the North American International Auto Show where we can show you in person how we are leading the way.

    THE PRESIDENT: I'll be there.

    MS. KRAUSS: Awesome.


    THE PRESIDENT: I'm a car guy. (Laughs.) As you kind of noticed.

    Hey, look, I drive the Cabinet crazy and my staff crazy by asking them to give concrete examples that, if you walked up to somebody on the corner and said it, they could completely understand it.

    One of the things that I - and this is pure Biden - I believe, and I've been saying for some time, that the next 10 to 15 years, more is going to change, in terms of technology and innovation, than has happened in the last 75 years. I mean that sincerely. Things are going to change so rapidly.