Transcript - Weekly Address: Joe Biden on 'A Weekly Conversation: On the Line' with Louis - April 24, 2021 | Factba.se

Joe Biden

00:00:00 - 00:00:03 ()

I'm a union president and I made no bones about that.

Louis Roche

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

This is where we're going. This is the future of America.

Joe Biden

00:00:06 - 00:00:10 ()

Well, it sounds like you read, uh, my infrastructure plan.

Louis Roche

00:00:10 - 00:00:36 ()

[Laughs] My dad used to come home filthy from the foundry. I told myself, I'll never work in the plant. After 38 years of service and no clean air protection, my dad died from black lung. I decided to turn my grief into a positive by fighting for worker's rights in my dad's memory. I started on the assembly line and now I'm president of our UAW Local.

Louis Roche

00:00:36 - 00:00:47 ()

The industry is changing, and I want to make sure we're protected, respected, and ready, and so does President Biden. I know, because he told me.

Joe Biden

00:00:47 - 00:00:58 ()

You guys have been the backbone of the country. It's not hyperbole.

Louis Roche

00:00:58 - 00:01:04 ()

Thank you so much. As we're going through right now with the automotive industry, a lot of our components are being held up at the border.

Joe Biden

00:01:04 - 00:01:05 ()

Louis Roche

00:01:05 - 00:01:17 ()

We are having a hard time to be able to produce daily work. How nice would it be to be able to go to the state next door, and toget components instead of having to go overseas.

Joe Biden

00:01:17 - 00:01:36 ()

The money that I spend as your president, to do everything from build aircraft carriers, to to buy fleets of vehicles -- the components have to be made in America. You could have a Buy American proposal with federal funds that are being spent, and we spent over $600 billion in federal funds on the yearly basis.

Louis Roche

00:01:36 - 00:01:40 ()

We would love to have more product -- more manufacturing here in the United States.

Joe Biden

00:01:40 - 00:01:52 ()

You got it. You will -- I promise you. It's estimated if we pass this Jobs Plan Louis, we're gonna have over a 6 percent growth rate within a year. It's about building up manufacturing capacity in America too.

Louis Roche

00:01:52 - 00:01:56 ()

And with that of course we need help and support on pushing the PRO Act.

Joe Biden

00:01:56 - 00:01:57 ()

Louis Roche

00:01:57 - 00:02:00 ()

[Crosstalk] Yes, making sure we have them out there to organize.

Joe Biden

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

I am pushing it hard. We're going to get that PRO Act passed. The way to grow the economy is from the bottom up and the middle out, not from the top down. When a union employee makes more money, everybody does better.

Louis Roche

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

Joe Biden

00:02:12 - 00:02:13 ()

That's what we're all about here.

Louis Roche

00:02:13 - 00:02:24 ()

We appreciate everything that you're doing -- everything to help us out here. It's a big change and we welcome it. We're here to support you and make sure we keep moving forward as a country.

Joe Biden

00:02:24 - 00:02:29 ()

Well, if I didn't do this, all my buddies from Scranton and Claymont would come looking for me. [Laughs]

Louis Roche

00:02:29 - 00:02:31 ()

Thank you, Mr. President. I appreciate everything you do.

Joe Biden

00:02:31 - 00:02:32 ()

Louis Roche

00:02:32 - 00:02:34 ()

Yes sir, you as well.

Joe Biden

00:02:34 - 00:02:37 ()

Okay, thanks. Bye-bye.

Louis Roche

00:02:37 - 00:02:42 ()