Transcript - Remarks: Joe Biden Discusses Air Infrastructure Spending in Portland, Oregon - April 21, 2022 | Factba.se

Joe Biden

00:00:00 - 00:00:14 ()

Please have a seat if you have one. Thank you all very much. It's great to be back in Portland. It's great to -- and, Lauren, thank you very much for that introduction.

Joe Biden

00:00:14 - 00:00:29 ()

And, Mayor Wheeler, thanks for the passport into the city. Being a mayor is the toughest job in American politics. They know where you live -- [laughter] -- and they -- everything that affect them, they look to you for answers.

Joe Biden

00:00:29 - 00:00:34 ()

Governor Brown, thank you for welcoming me back to Oregon.

Joe Biden

00:00:34 - 00:00:45 ()

And, Colonel, I want to thank you and the 142nd Wing of the Redhawks of Oregon, the Air National Guard for hosting us at the base today. We're making a lot of work for you. I understand that.

Joe Biden

00:00:45 - 00:00:48 ()

I also want to thank Oregon's outstanding members of Congress.

Joe Biden

00:00:48 - 00:01:08 ()

Ron Wyden. Ron -- Ron has been a leader in the Senate, fighting for clean energy and jobs for a long time. And now he's chairman of a finance committee, which makes him the king of the Senate. [Laughter] But we're going to make sure that teachers and firefighters don't pay a higher tax than billionaires, which, in many cases, they do.

Joe Biden

00:01:08 - 00:01:12 ()

We're going to get it done, Ron. We're going to get it done.

Joe Biden

00:01:12 - 00:01:23 ()

And Senator Jeff Merkley -- a leader on climate and foreign policy. And, you know, we -- we've been together -- put together this Bipartisan Infrastructure bill. Jeff was key -- a key leader in getting that done.

Joe Biden

00:01:23 - 00:01:52 ()

He made sure it included the money for wild- -- wildfire prevention, to help prevent and respond to fires like the thousands that burned a half a million acres -- a half a million acres across Oregon last year. All those major fires that took place since I've been in office with FEMA -- I've been in a helicopter from -- flying -- Northern California through these -- all across the Northeas- -- the Northwest and into the state of Idaho. And it's just devastating what's happened, what continues to happen.

Joe Biden

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

And Congressman Pete DeFazio, chair of the Transportation Committee. Pete has helped ensure that we're going to rebuild the country and we buy American -- we buy American. [Applause]

Joe Biden

00:02:01 - 00:02:13 ()

And, look, the union workers and U.S. steel, we're going to miss Pete. We're going to miss you, Pete. I don't -- I don't know -- I wish you weren't leaving.

Joe Biden

00:02:13 - 00:02:38 ()

And Congressman Earl -- where's Earl? [Applause] There -- Earl, thank you. Earl had me ride here on a bicycle. [Laughter] But I don't mind. But I got a new one. I got a -- it's really not -- anyway. A critical voice in Congress when it comes to investing in infrastructure, Earl helped bring together labor and business to help us get this done.

Joe Biden

00:02:38 - 00:02:47 ()

And Congressman Kurt Schrader, who -- he's played a key part in the progress we've made as a nation on jobs, economic growth, and clean energy. Thank you very much, pal.

Joe Biden

00:02:47 - 00:02:55 ()

And he's a strong and consistent voice to make sure we modernize our infrastructure and help Oregon and everyone all across America.

Joe Biden

00:02:55 - 00:03:04 ()

You know, the last guy that had this job talked about "Infrastructure Week." Every week, he'd talk about "Infrastructure Week." It didn't come for four years.

Joe Biden

00:03:04 - 00:03:14 ()

Well, I gave you "Infrastructure Decade." This is for 10 years. [Applause] One trillion four hundred billion dollars.

Joe Biden

00:03:14 - 00:03:28 ()

And Suzanne, who works tirelessly to ensure that we have left out -- no one is left out, you know, including women and people of color. We're not -- we're building a better America. [Applause]

Joe Biden

00:03:28 - 00:03:53 ()

When I got elected, I said -- and I meant it -- people weren't sure I really meant it, but I said, "I want my administration to look like America -- to look like America." And it does. [Applause] There are more women in my administration than men. There are more women in positions of consequence. There are more African American judges that have been appointed than every other president combined has appointed. [Applause]

Joe Biden

00:03:53 - 00:03:59 ()

Folks, I want to thank you all for everything you're doing for the people of Oregon.

Joe Biden

00:03:59 - 00:04:07 ()

We're here today to talk about investments we're making to modernize this airport and this economic engine for the entire region.

Joe Biden

00:04:07 - 00:04:20 ()

Though -- through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we're investing $25 billion to upgrade and modernize American airports, out of the money that is -- the over a trillion dollars we're spending on infrastructure.

Joe Biden

00:04:20 - 00:04:40 ()

Airports all across America are second rate. I used to tell the story that if, in fact, I dropped you in the middle of the night in an airport in China and an airport in the United States, took the blindfold off, and said, "Where are you? Where are you?," you'd think the one in China was in America. We are -- we've fallen behind. We haven't invested in ourselves.

Joe Biden

00:04:40 - 00:04:48 ()

And I want to thank Ron and Jeff, Peter, Earl, Kurt, Suzanne for helping prove that America can do big things again. We can do anything we want to do. [Applause]

Joe Biden

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

It bothers the heck out of me that there's this belief that we can't do big things anymore. But we can. We're proving we can. And we must build a better America. And a good place to start is right here in Portland.

Joe Biden

00:05:04 - 00:05:13 ()

Folks, look, Portland International Airport is a perfect example of both the need and the opportunity and the ability to make progress.

Joe Biden

00:05:13 - 00:05:32 ()

I don't have to tell you that it's an essential economic engine for the entire region, not just Portland. A lot of folks may not know it, but this airport employs 10,000 people -- 10,000 people. [Applause] Every day, they show up -- airline workers, technicians, retail workers, maintenance staff, and more.

Joe Biden

00:05:32 - 00:05:56 ()

In addition, 20 million people travel from this airport every year, bringing 330,000 metric tons of cargo in and out of this state through this airport, in the air -- shipping seafood from Oregon to fishermen all across America, all across the world, quite frankly; bringing goods from every corner of the country to Oregon homes and businesses.

Joe Biden

00:05:56 - 00:06:07 ()

But here's the deal. It's been much too big and too long since America has invested in our own airports, our ports, and our rail. We haven't done it.

Joe Biden

00:06:07 - 00:06:20 ()

We used to have best infrastructure -- rated the best infrastructure in the world. This is a fact. We are now ranked by the international community as 13th best infrastructure -- 13. The United States.

Joe Biden

00:06:20 - 00:06:41 ()

We've stopped investing in ourselves. We stopped investing in our people. We stopped investing in America. And I know people are tired of hearing me say it, but this time, we're going to lead the world and invest in ourselves, invest in the nation, and invest in our people. That's the place to start. [Applause]

Joe Biden

00:06:41 - 00:06:49 ()

People kind of forget that America invented modern aviation. But like I said, we've allowed our airports to lag far behind our competitors.

Joe Biden

00:06:49 - 00:07:12 ()

I remember, when I was Vice President, I was flying into New York to make a speech. And I landed in New York on Air Force Two in LaGuardia Airport. As I was walking through the terminal to get out to the vehicles, there was a sign on an escalator going to one of the gates saying that, "Out of order. Fixed in two months." Not a joke.

Joe Biden

00:07:12 - 00:07:25 ()

The United States of America, in one of the leading cities in the world, and it had a sign saying the escalator to the gate would take two months to be fixed.

Joe Biden

00:07:25 - 00:07:38 ()

At the time, I said if I took the average person, dropped them off, as I said, in LaGuardia or anywhere else, they'd wonder where in God's name they were. But look, they'd probably think -- they'd probably think they weren't in America if they didn't know better.

Joe Biden

00:07:38 - 00:07:57 ()

But, folks, by the way, LaGuardia has -- I caused a bit of a stir because I said it publicly, what was happening. And guess what? The governor and legislature decided they had to change things. And they invested $4 billion into one of the great destinations of the world, New York. [Applause]

Joe Biden

00:07:57 - 00:08:05 ()

The whole point of telling this story is -- and I realize I'm preaching to the choir -- is we need to invest in American airports and here in Oregon.

Joe Biden

00:08:05 - 00:08:31 ()

As I said earlier, through the Bipartisan Infrastructure bill -- which I might add, I wrote the original one with my own paw; I wrote it. Sat down and wrote it because I was convinced there was no other answer other than beginning to invest in our country again. And we're investing $25 billion this year to modernize American airports all across this country and across this state, not just here.

Joe Biden

00:08:31 - 00:08:49 ()

And that includes $211 million this year in Oregon, $42 million being delivered this year alone -- not just to modernize PDX but for 50 additional airports across Oregon, because you've got more than one, as you all know.

Joe Biden

00:08:49 - 00:08:55 ()

And that's in addition to the $20 million we invested in PDX last year.

Joe Biden

00:08:55 - 00:08:59 ()

Look, here's just some of the -- what we're -- this investment will do.

Joe Biden

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

First, thanks to Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and Earl Bam- -- and Earl -- excuse me --

Audience Member

00:09:08 - 00:09:08 ()

Joe Biden

00:09:08 - 00:09:13 ()

I know. You can call me "Bid-en." [Laughter] Joe Bid-en.

Joe Biden

00:09:13 - 00:09:17 ()

Helping deliver a more resilient, state-of-the-art runway.

Joe Biden

00:09:17 - 00:09:29 ()

You know, I don't have to tell you or anyone here in Oregon, it sits on a major earthquake zone. And in fact, you had a 4 -- a [DEL: .4 :DEL] [4.0] magnitude earthquake strike not far from here just two days ago.

Joe Biden

00:09:29 - 00:09:41 ()

Imagine what would happen if that earthquake struck closer to the airport. It wouldn't just threaten lives, it would threaten to shut down the local economy for a heck of a lot longer than the two months it takes to fix an escalator.

Joe Biden

00:09:41 - 00:09:53 ()

Folks, but your senators and congressmen are looking out for you. They fought to dedicate $3.75 million in the last month's omnibus bill to build a resilient runway here at PDX.

Joe Biden

00:09:53 - 00:10:13 ()

The project is being modeled on the engineering of an airport that I happened to visit in Japan that remained operational in the face of a devastating earthquake and tsunami in 2011, successfully evacuating families and moving lifesaving supplies because their runway was resilient. It was built resilient in the first place.

Joe Biden

00:10:13 - 00:10:28 ()

Best of all, extensive research shows that every dollar we invest in our resilience of your runway will save $50 down the road by pe- -- keeping this airport operational, safe, and efficient.

Joe Biden

00:10:28 - 00:10:35 ()

But that's not all we're doing. You're in the midst of a $2 billion renovation to build a cutting-edge mai- -- main terminal.

Joe Biden

00:10:35 - 00:10:53 ()

I just saw an incredible component of that terminal being constructed -- 392,000 square feet of roof being built out of what's known as "mass timber" -- advanced engineering wood design that you're pioneering right here in Oregon. And it won't just stay in Oregon.

Joe Biden

00:10:53 - 00:11:05 ()

Almost every single piece of wood being used was substantially harvested from local forests. You can point to any beam, and the folks building it can tell you where it came from.

Joe Biden

00:11:05 - 00:11:17 ()

Best of all, this project will support more than 1,250 good-paying jobs constructing the terminal. Over 95 percent of the construction is being done by union workers. Union. [Applause]

Joe Biden

00:11:17 - 00:11:44 ()

Someone criticizing me two -- I guess it was now two months ago. They said, "You know, you -- you were using the word 'union' more than all presidents combined." Well, there's a good reason for that: They're the best workers in the world. There's a reason why it makes sense to have a union worker. They train like -- it's like going to college to get that apprenticeship. Not a joke.

Joe Biden

00:11:44 - 00:11:51 ()

And in addition to that, they are the -- they get it done on time and with the best possible results you can get.

Joe Biden

00:11:51 - 00:12:02 ()

We already nearly have 280 contracts amounting to $80 million that have gone out to small businesses that are minority-owned and women-owned and veteran-owned, lifting up the economy for everyone.

Joe Biden

00:12:02 - 00:12:10 ()

And this is just the start. Because of the Infrastructure Law, we're going to see modern baggage claim area, improved taxi-ways, and, yes, better escalators. [Laughter]

Joe Biden

00:12:10 - 00:12:26 ()

And, you know, the investment all across Oregon is going to continue, like was mentioned earlier, by Coos Bay. You know, we've delivered nearly $33 million in January to modernize the main jetty, making it safer and more efficient for ships, boaters, and fishermen.

Joe Biden

00:12:26 - 00:12:33 ()

And improving the capacity of that port is something Ron Wyden and Pete DeFazio in particular have been fighting for for a long time.

Joe Biden

00:12:33 - 00:12:44 ()

All across Oregon, we're sending the message: These ports and airports are open for more business. And we're seeing -- and we're sending the same message -- the same message about your roads and your bridges.

Joe Biden

00:12:44 - 00:13:08 ()

Right now, there are nearly 400 bridges and about 1,300 miles of highway in poor condition just here in Oregon. It's estimated that driving on those roads that need repair costs Oregon drivers an extra $256 a year in gas, repairs, and longer commute times. That's a $256 hidden tax on Oregon drivers.

Joe Biden

00:13:08 - 00:13:17 ()

And thanks to the Infrastructure Law, we're making the most significant investment to modernize roads and bridges in the last 70 years since Eisenhower's Interstate Highway System.

Joe Biden

00:13:17 - 00:13:29 ()

This year alone, we're delivering $662 million to fix roads and bridges in Oregon, plus an additional $53 million in dedicated funding for bridges.

Joe Biden

00:13:29 - 00:13:42 ()

We're also going to start replacing 100 percent -- 100 percent of the lead pipes and water serv- -- and water lines that go into homes and schools in this country. [Applause]

Joe Biden

00:13:42 - 00:14:07 ()

You've got an estimated 14,000 lead service lines here in Oregon. Because of the Infrastructure Law, we're getting rid of the poisonous pipes and delivering 92 million to Oregon -- dollars to Oregon this year to provide clean and safe water, because every American, every child -- [applause] -- should be able to turn on a faucet and drink water that's clean. And it'll also create thousands of good-paying jobs for plumbers and pipefitters in the process. [Applause]

Joe Biden

00:14:07 - 00:14:24 ()

Folks, Ron and Jeff and Earl and Kurt and Suzanne, we all share a core belief that high-speed Internet is essential to success in the 21st century. But today, more than 1 in 10 Oregon households don't have high-speed Internet.

Joe Biden

00:14:24 - 00:14:39 ()

And the law delivers -- this law delivers $100 million to Oregon to make high-speed Internet affordable and available everywhere in the state -- urban, suburban, and rural -- [applause] -- creating jobs for union technicians laying down those broadband lines.

Joe Biden

00:14:39 - 00:14:52 ()

Never again should a parent have to sit in their car, drive to a McDonald's parking lot, sit there with their child to get online so they can do their homework, which was happening during the pandemic.

Joe Biden

00:14:52 - 00:15:04 ()

The law also builds up our resilience to extreme weather. Over the last decade, extreme weather has cost the state of Oregon at least $5 billion in damages -- $5 billion.

Joe Biden

00:15:04 - 00:15:15 ()

Our Infrastructure Law upgrades modernizing and the strengthening of transmission lines, helping communities to deal with floods, droughts, wildfires that are only coming with more frequency and ferocity.

Joe Biden

00:15:15 - 00:15:19 ()

Folks, there's so much more in this law.

Joe Biden

00:15:19 - 00:15:24 ()

We've made a lot of progress, and the fact is we have an incredible opportunity ahead of us.

Joe Biden

00:15:24 - 00:15:29 ()

But we also know that families are still struggling with higher prices.

Joe Biden

00:15:29 - 00:15:38 ()

I grew up in a family where, when the price of gasoline went up, it was a conversation at the kitchen table because it made a difference to my dad. We felt it.

Joe Biden

00:15:38 - 00:15:45 ()

Let's be absolutely clear about why prices are high now. Two reasons. First, COVID.

Joe Biden

00:15:45 - 00:16:05 ()

The way the global economy works: If a factory in Vietnam makes a computer chip and shuts down due to COVID in Vietnam, the ripple effect can slow down automobile manufacturing in Detroit. So, because of the pandemic, we've had disruptions in our supply of important materials, so prices went up.

Joe Biden

00:16:05 - 00:16:24 ()

Just look at automobiles. Last year, they accounted for one third of all the inflation in America. One third was because if automobile companies couldn't get computer chips and the price of automobiles skyrocketed because there was fewer -- significant demand because the economy was growing, but no availability.

Joe Biden

00:16:24 - 00:16:32 ()

So I'm calling on Congress to pass the bipartisan Innovation Bill to make more of these chips here at home and speed up the supply chains.

Joe Biden

00:16:32 - 00:16:51 ()

And folks, with regard to supply chains, let me say one thing: There's a little outfit called Intel. The chairman of the board of Intel asked can he come and see me in Washington. And he said he wanted to invest $20 billion in a computer chip factory he was going to build just outside of Cleveland -- $20 billion.

Joe Biden

00:16:51 - 00:17:18 ()

It was going to create thousands of jobs building the facility and thousands of jobs running the facility. Average wage once the facility was built: $132,000. This is -- and now he's -- if you guys pass and get me that other bill on my desk, he's prepared to invest another $100 billion -- $100 billion in that same facility.

Joe Biden

00:17:18 - 00:17:36 ()

And what everybody forgets: We invented the damn thing. We invented the computer chip. Not a joke. And all the progress, all the change has come from American technology. We don't make them any more, basically. But now we're changing that.

Joe Biden

00:17:36 - 00:17:44 ()

The second big reason for inflation is gas prices -- and it's Vladimir Putin's gas price increase.

Joe Biden

00:17:44 - 00:17:54 ()

Putin's invasion in Ukraine has driven up gas prices and food prices all around the world. We saw that in the most recent inflation data.

Joe Biden

00:17:54 - 00:18:04 ()

Last month, 70 percent of the increase in inflation was a consequence of Putin's price hike because of the impact on gas and energy prices.

Joe Biden

00:18:04 - 00:18:19 ()

I'm doing everything I can to bring down the price to address Putin's price hike. That's why I authorized the release of 1 million barrels per day for the next six months from our Strategic Petroleum Reserve, and I worked with oil-producing [countries] to ramp up production.

Joe Biden

00:18:19 - 00:18:48 ()

I coordinated the release with our partners all around the world, because I spent a lot of time with them. And they agreed -- over 30 countries agreed to release 60 million additional barrels over the same period for another 240 million barrels over the next six months -- the largest collective reserve release in history. Nations coming together to help deny ability to Putin to weaponize his energy resources against American families and families in Europe and around the world.

Joe Biden

00:18:48 - 00:18:56 ()

And Americans should be seeing some savings, which you've already seen in the price of gas coming down. But we need to do something else.

Joe Biden

00:18:56 - 00:19:18 ()

We need to get off this rollercoaster of relying on oil. We need to declare America's energy independence. [Applause] We need to accelerate our path to clean, renewable energy that includes adoption of electric -- adaptation of electric vehicles, like cars, trains, school buses, and transit. We found new battery technology that is just amazing.

Joe Biden

00:19:18 - 00:19:29 ()

Beyond the price -- beyond gas prices, I've called on Congress to move immediately to lower the cost of families' utility bills, prescription drug costs while lowering the deficit and reducing inflationary pressure.

Joe Biden

00:19:29 - 00:19:48 ()

Folks, I'll give you one example. There's over 200,000 children in America with Type 1 diabetes. They need that vial of insulin all the time. If they don't get it -- you know what the average cost for that is nationwide? Six hundred and forty-seven dollars. That's how much it costs them a month.

Joe Biden

00:19:48 - 00:20:09 ()

Not only is it a concern if you don't have the insurance, you don't have the income. Imagine being the parent robbed of your dignity, knowing you don't have the ability to help your child at all and seeing what's happening. You know how much it cost them to make that one vial? Ten -- T-E-N -- dollars. Ten dollars.

Joe Biden

00:20:09 - 00:20:27 ()

With a little bit of help -- and I know my colleagues support me -- with a little bit of help and a few Republicans getting out of the way in the United States Congress, because none of them are helping, we can lower that price to $35 a month and they'd still make three and a half times what they paid for it. [Applause]

Joe Biden

00:20:27 - 00:20:53 ()

It would make a big difference in families' lives. We can do it without raising taxes a penny on anyone making under $400,000. No one making under 400 grand would see a penny in their taxes go up. That's the best way Congress can address inflation right now: lower the cost of other things for people -- everyday people working like hell just to keep food on the table.

Joe Biden

00:20:53 - 00:21:16 ()

Let me close with this: When I was running for office -- I'm sure you've heard me say it a thousand times -- I was going to build this economy from the bottom up and the middle out. Because when that happens, everybody does well. The wealthy do very, very well. The poor have a way up. And the middle class can grow, as my dad would say, and just have a little bit of breathing room. Just a little bit of breathing room.

Joe Biden

00:21:16 - 00:21:22 ()

So we're going to deal in the people and the places that have been left out and left behind. We're making progress.

Joe Biden

00:21:22 - 00:21:36 ()

Over the course of my presidency, our recovery has created 7.9 million jobs -- [applause] -- more jobs created over the first 14 months of my presidency than any presidency in American history.

Joe Biden

00:21:36 - 00:21:46 ()

Over 420,000 manufacturing jobs. Who says we can't manufacture our way through all of this? We have the best workers in the world. Not a joke.

Joe Biden

00:21:46 - 00:21:59 ()

Unemployment nationwide is at 3.6 percent, down from 6.4 percent when I took office 19 months ago -- the fastest decline in unemployment at the start of a term of a President ever recorded.

Joe Biden

00:21:59 - 00:22:08 ()

Oregon, you've just added 122,000 jobs, and unemployment has dropped from 6.4 percent to 3.8 percent. [Applause]

Joe Biden

00:22:08 - 00:22:28 ()

Last year and during all this time -- don't listen to my Republican friends in Congress -- last year, we reduced -- my budget reduced the -- the deficit by $350 billion. You hear me? [Applause] We didn't spend -- we didn't increase the deficit a penny. We reduced it by $350 billion.

Joe Biden

00:22:28 - 00:22:50 ()

And the budget that I submitted, [inaudible] getting done -- this year, in 2022, we're on track to reduce the deficit by more than $1.3 trillion -- $1.3 trillion -- [applause] -- the largest one-year reduction in the deficit in American history.

Joe Biden

00:22:50 - 00:22:55 ()

This is particularly important now as we work to reduce pressure on inflation.

Joe Biden

00:22:55 - 00:23:02 ()

Oregon and America have gone from being on the mend to being on the move. We just go to get the hell out of our own way.

Joe Biden

00:23:02 - 00:23:24 ()

So, we're coming -- we're coming forward with challenges -- challenges from strength positions that we're in, not like we've been before. I'm more optimistic about America's potential today than I've been any time in my career -- and I've been doing this job in national politics for a long time -- because I see a future that is without limit.

Joe Biden

00:23:24 - 00:23:43 ()

I mean, this is the United States of America, for God's sake. We're the only nation in the world -- this is a fact; look it up -- the only nation in the world that's come out of every crisis stronger than when we went into the crisis -- stronger every single time.

Joe Biden

00:23:43 - 00:23:58 ()

I was with Xi Jinping, who -- I've traveled with 17,000 miles with him and spent more time with than any other world leader over a total of, I think -- and we're up to ni- -- 90-some hours of talking or meeting together over the last six, seven years.

Joe Biden

00:23:58 - 00:24:22 ()

And we were in the foothills of the Tibet. And he asked me -- he said -- I had a translator and he had a simultaneous translator. And he said, "Can you define America for me?" This is a true story; he repeats it. I said, "Yeah, I can, in one word." And he looked at me and said, "What do you mean 'in one word'?" I said, "Possibilities."

Joe Biden

00:24:22 - 00:24:51 ()

Anything is possible in America. Anything is po- -- and that's what we're -- exactly we're going to do today: Do what we are capable of doing -- stop feeling sorry for ourselves, get the hell up, and take this country back in a way that we lead the world again. Because we can do it, we're on the way to doing it, and with the help of your delegation, we're going to get it done. I mean it. [Applause] There's nothing beyond our capacity.

Joe Biden

00:24:51 - 00:25:02 ()

God bless you all. And may God protect our troops. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Appreciate it. [Applause]