Transcript - Remarks: Joe Biden Holds a Cabinet Meeting at The White House - January 5, 2023 | Factba.se

Joe Biden

00:00:00 - 00:00:08 ()

Happy New Year, everybody. And look out for your own safety with one another back there. [Laughter]

Joe Biden

00:00:08 - 00:00:31 ()

Today, we're meeting to make sure that we deliver -- continue to deliver lower inflation, more jobs, and an economy that works for everybody and -- and that works from the bottom up and the middle out, not trickle-down economies -- economics, which is one of the reasons I ran for office in the first place. I've never seen trickle-down work very much for working-class families.

Joe Biden

00:00:31 - 00:00:45 ()

After a rough few years, we're seeing really bright spots, I believe, and -- and across our entire nation. And I think we've made some real progress in the last going on two years now. Almost two.

Joe Biden

00:00:45 - 00:00:55 ()

And -- but now we need to focus on implementing some of the big laws that we actually passed, and -- so the American people can feel the benefits of what we've done.

Joe Biden

00:00:55 - 00:01:03 ()

The big laws we've passed are consequential, but they were basically promises to most people. They passed them, they're now the law, they're going to happen -- but they didn't take effect.

Joe Biden

00:01:03 - 00:01:19 ()

For example, the whole idea of paying, you know, $35 for insulin -- well, that's a nice promise after it was made six months ago. And it's in the law, but it didn't take place until January 1. People are only now going to begin to see it.

Joe Biden

00:01:19 - 00:01:27 ()

And details matter. And being responsive to the American public obviously matters a great deal. And that's what we're going to discuss today.

Joe Biden

00:01:27 - 00:01:36 ()

For example, as of this week, I told you that seniors are -- insulin is going to be 35 bucks instead of 400 bucks for a month.

Joe Biden

00:01:36 - 00:01:42 ()

Millions on Medicare are going to be allowed to pay zero for most of the vaccines they're going to have -- they're going to need.

Joe Biden

00:01:42 - 00:01:52 ()

Drugmakers are going to face penalties if they hike prices faster than the rate of inflation, unless they can demonstrate they've made significant new investments to make the product better.

Joe Biden

00:01:52 - 00:02:12 ()

Families can get up to $3,200 tax credits to make their homes more energy efficient -- reducing their prices, it's estimated, at 500 bucks a year. It's going to make a difference in their lives -- and by putting on new windows, new doors, lowering energy bills. A whole range of things they're going to be able to do.

Joe Biden

00:02:12 - 00:02:26 ()

And folks need to know how to take advantage of these benefits that we passed -- we've gotten passed. And about half of these benefits are the consequence of bipartisan legislation that we actually were able to get done.

Joe Biden

00:02:26 - 00:02:37 ()

And so -- but that's on us. That's on all of us around the table here to make sure we get that message out clearly and in a way that these laws were designed to work.

Joe Biden

00:02:37 - 00:02:50 ()

But -- but I know we can do it. I'm confident we're going to be able to do that. And that's why I'm so optimistic about this new year. There's just a lot to implement, if you look around at all the major pieces of legislation we passed.

Joe Biden

00:02:50 - 00:03:08 ()

And I might add, parenthetically, we reduced the deficit $1.7 trillion in two years. Okay? Nobody has ever done that before. And so it's -- this idea that we're big spenders and we've just blown the deficit. Wrong. Wrong. We actually brought it down.

Joe Biden

00:03:08 - 00:03:30 ()

And so -- but as I said, it's up to us to get the word out. And the -- we've already had -- major companies have invested three- -- committed to invest $300 billion in the near term, largely thanks to the CHIPS and [DEL: Research :DEL] [Science] Act that we passed. It's going to make a gigantic difference. It's going to employ a lot of people.

Joe Biden

00:03:30 - 00:03:56 ()

For example, I was talking to some of the folks yesterday from Ohio and that "field of dreams" that I talked about. You know, I went -- there are going to be 7,000 construction jobs, but 3,000 of those jobs are going to be full-time jobs, and the average salary is going to be -- I think it's $132,000 a year, or $126,000 a year. You don't need a college degree for all those jobs. That's what I call, in the neighborhood I come from, real progress.

Joe Biden

00:03:56 - 00:04:21 ()

And -- and so, you know -- and I don't know where it's written -- you've heard me say this before -- that we can't lead the world in manufacturing again. Because that $300 billion in manufacturing, largely thanks to the CHIPS Act, we expect -- between public and private investment, we expect another $3.5 trillion to be invested in the next decade.

Joe Biden

00:04:21 - 00:04:32 ()

And that means jobs. That means growth. It means security. It means economic prosperity. It means that our -- everything from our national defenses to our economic strength is going to be sustained.

Joe Biden

00:04:32 - 00:04:48 ()

And so, we're -- as I said just yesterday, as you know, because some of you traipsed down to the Brent Spence Bridge with me between Ohio and Kentucky, folks have been talking about repairing that bridge for decades. And we're finally getting it done.

Joe Biden

00:04:48 - 00:05:05 ()

We're getting it done by working together, Democrats and Republicans -- which was my message yesterday when I was joined by Mitch McConnell and a Republican governor and others -- a bipartisan group of leaders in -- in both our parties to -- and I realize that's redundant, but it's important to note that.

Joe Biden

00:05:05 - 00:05:20 ()

And, you know -- and today, consistent with the executive order I issued, the Federal Trade Commission is going to take a huge step forward in banning non-compete agreements that are designed simply to lower people's wages.

Joe Biden

00:05:20 - 00:05:44 ()

It's one thing to say you have -- you can't work at a -- inside, in a technology company on a special project that has scientific consequences and move to another company without a non-compete agreement. It's another thing to say you're working for Subway and you can't walk across the street and go to Jimmy John's and get a 20-cent raise. What the hell is that all about other than keeping wages down?

Joe Biden

00:05:44 - 00:05:54 ()

And, so these agreements block millions of retail workers, construction workers, and other working folks from taking better jobs, getting better pay and benefits in the same field.

Joe Biden

00:05:54 - 00:06:03 ()

And so, the bottom line is: I believe our economic vision is working. And we're in the process of implementing the first piece that we've gotten done, and we're going to move on.

Joe Biden

00:06:03 - 00:06:07 ()

And we're exporting projects instead of exporting jobs, I might add.

Joe Biden

00:06:07 - 00:06:16 ()

You know, when we -- the first Cabinet meeting, I told you all -- and you kind of looked at me like, "Do you mean it?" -- was that we're going to be in a position where --

Joe Biden

00:06:16 - 00:06:41 ()

In the United States of America, there was a law that the passed in the late '30s that says that when the President is given money to spend to purchase anything from a deck of an aircraft carrier to railings on -- on public buildings, he can decide and he should -- he -- if he wishes to or she wishes to -- can decide that they are going to spend that on an Amer- -- that money on American-made products -- American steel, American companies, et cetera.

Joe Biden

00:06:41 - 00:06:46 ()

Well, it was never done very much. I think there -- it was at 50 percent and -- anyway --

Joe Biden

00:06:46 - 00:07:04 ()

Well, guess what? We did it. And you did it, all of you around this table. And the end result of that is that we're exporting product instead of jobs. We're exporting product instead of jobs. And that's a big deal. It's a gigantic deal.

Joe Biden

00:07:04 - 00:07:31 ()

And so, we're in a situation now where, you know, the idea that we're seeing solid growth, a resilient labor market, and signs of inflation is li- -- is easing -- it doesn't mean it's all over. It means that, well, we're off to a pretty darn good start. And I just don't want to get us suckered into thinking that we can sort of let up on the gas pedal of what we've already passed and make sure we implement it properly.

Joe Biden

00:07:31 - 00:07:56 ()

And the -- so it means implementing and delivering real benefits for everyday lives of the American people. And we're also going to implement these key domestic initiatives here in the U.S., but we also need to have, as one of our top priorities -- our priorities overseas, which this guy -- [indicates Secretary Blinken] -- and the Intelligence Committee are handling -- in addition, the Intelligence Committee -- are handling extremely well.

Joe Biden

00:07:56 - 00:08:15 ()

Right now, the war in Ukraine is at a critical point. We have -- we have to do everything we can to help the Ukrainians resist Russian aggression, and Russia is not attempting to slow up. The actions they're taking are as barbaric as they were a year ago, and they're not letting up at all -- at all.

Joe Biden

00:08:15 - 00:08:36 ()

Earlier this afternoon, I had a long discussion with Olaf Scholz and -- about Ukraine and -- and our alliances in Europe and the EU. And we have a large -- much larger contingent of countries that share our view, including Japan and others. But we talked about what we're going to do.

Joe Biden

00:08:36 - 00:08:59 ()

And today we jointly announced -- you've already gotten copies of it -- a statement saying that we're going to increase the support for Ukraine. We're going to provide the Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles -- the United States -- to the Ukrainians, and the Germans are going to provide the Marder Infantry Fighting Vehicles that they have to the Ukrainians.

Joe Biden

00:08:59 - 00:09:28 ()

In addition, we're going to help defend Ukraine against Russian air attacks. Germany has also announced that -- today that it's going to provide the Ukrainians a -- the -- to deal with air attacks, a Patriot air defense system. We're going to -- we're going to pr- -- we're going to provide an additional Patriot air deci- -- air defense battery. They work, and the Russians are beginning to realize that. They function well, and they're helping a lot.

Joe Biden

00:09:28 - 00:09:43 ()

And so I guess what I'm saying is that there's a lot -- a lot to get done, a lot we've started on. And I think we're on the right path. We're on the right path to bring America back and keep it back, not just bring it back.

Joe Biden

00:09:43 - 00:09:59 ()

I was talking with the Vice President earlier today. She and I were in the office just talking, and -- and we talked about: This is not about getting back to a level spot; this is about going to a whole new plateau. That's been the history of the country. It's not just that we've gradually increased.

Joe Biden

00:09:59 - 00:10:31 ()

We have -- and I know even my Cabinet members are probably getting tired of hearing me saying it. We're -- we're the only country in the world who's come out of every crisis stronger than we went in. Stronger than we went in. Stronger than we went in. And that means a whole new platform, a whole new plateau we're at -- we've reached. And we're going to continue to do that. This is not just about staying, you know, level. It's about significantly increasing our capacity and opportunities for the American people.

Joe Biden

00:10:31 - 00:10:54 ()

And lastly -- I say this with some humility sitting next to the Secretary of State -- but I think the rest of the world knows, Tony, that what we do, they'll benefit from. We -- unlike other nations that had power, we're not trying to hoard the power. We know we're better off when every other nation is doing better. For real. For real.

Joe Biden

00:10:54 - 00:11:00 ()

And so that's why I'm excited about the next two years. I think we're going to -- you've heard me say it a hundred times, but I am more optimistic about America's prospects than I've ever been in my career.

Joe Biden

00:11:00 - 00:11:02 ()

So, thank you all for coming in. I know you have 6,000 questions. The answer is yes, no, yes, yes, no. [Laughter]

Joe Biden

00:11:02 - 00:11:02 ()

Question

00:11:02 - 00:11:04 ()

Sir, can you talk about the January 6th event tomorrow -- the significance of the January 6th event tomorrow?

Joe Biden

00:11:04 - 00:11:05 ()

Do I think what? [Turns to Secretary Blinken] What did he say?

Antony Blinken

00:11:05 - 00:11:06 ()

January 6th. He's asking about the anniversary.

Joe Biden

00:11:06 - 00:11:06 ()

Joe Biden

00:11:06 - 00:11:06 ()

Pray to God it never happens again.

Question

00:11:06 - 00:11:08 ()

And the group that's invited to commemorate the anniversary -- the thinking behind who you invited, who you're giving awards to tomorrow?

Joe Biden

00:11:08 - 00:11:10 ()

A lot of thinking, but we'll tell you about it tomorrow.

Question

00:11:10 - 00:11:12 ()

What do events in the Capitol tell you about your future cooperation with -- with Congress?

Joe Biden

00:11:12 - 00:11:13 ()

I always cooperate with Congress.