Press Release
☷Remarks by President Biden at the National League of Cities Congressional City Conference
White House ( By Press Release office)
Mar 13,2024
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Hey there , everyone! Thanks for having me . It ' s great to see you all here . Local government is tough , that ' s why I ended up running for Senate instead . But seriously , you guys do important work in your communities . People rely on you for safety , transportation , jobs , and more . It ' s about dignity and security for families . That ' s why I have so many former local officials in my administration . We understand the importance of your work and the impact you have on people ' s lives . Thanks for all you do . Hey , we all got into this to fix problems , right? Whether it ' s being responsive , delivering for families and communities , or investing in all Americans , that ' s what we ' re here for . I promised to be a President for everyone , and we ' re making progress in both red and blue communities . It ' s not about politics for me , it ' s about investing in all of America . When I came into office , things were tough , but we turned things around with the American Rescue Plan and investments in infrastructure . We ' ve trusted you to make the best decisions for your communities , and you ' ve done a great job . Together , we ' re creating jobs , rebuilding infrastructure , and ensuring clean water for every child in America . Back in January , I was hanging out in Raleigh , North Carolina , where we ' re putting $3 billion into getting the whole state hooked up with affordable high - speed Internet by the end of the decade . We ' re doing the same thing in all 50 states . It ' s super important for kids to be able to do their homework , businesses to sell their stuff , and for people to access telemedicine without having to trek to see a doctor , especially if they live out in the boonies . We ' ve already saved 23 million families $75 a month on their Internet bills . Congress needs to reauthorize that program , by the way . I could really use your help with that . And we ' re also making big moves to fight climate change . I ' ve visited a bunch of your towns as we work together to bounce back and be more resilient . We can ' t just go back to the way things were; we ' ve gotta make things better . The climate is already changing stuff . We ' re focusing on being better prepared for extreme weather and cleaning up communities affected by pollution . We ' re also all about promoting clean energy and industries that represent the future , all made in America . We ' re investing a ton of money in research and development , including in semiconductor chips , which caused a shortage during the pandemic . Instead of importing chips , companies are now building new chip factories here in the U . S . , creating jobs and bringing back manufacturing to our communities . In total , my policies have attracted $650 billion in private sector investments , bringing jobs back to America where they belong . For a while now , both parties have been sending jobs overseas and importing products because it was cheaper . But now , we ' re starting to bring jobs back and seeing a comeback in many cities and towns . We ' ve created nearly 15 million new jobs , which is a record , and the economy is strong with rising wages and lower inflation . We ' ve also seen a rise in new businesses being started since I took office . We ' ve managed to reduce the federal deficit and my goal is to cut it by $3 trillion by making the wealthy and big corporations pay their fair share . I believe in capitalism , but those who earn a billion bucks should pay more than 8 . 2 percent in taxes . By getting them to pay 25 percent , we could generate more revenue to cut the deficit and provide essential services . I ' m also addressing the housing crisis by proposing a tax cut for first - time homebuyers and renters . We ' re cracking down on landlords who fix prices and making it easier for builders to get financing for affordable housing . My budget plan includes funding for 2 million more affordable homes and resources to address homelessness in communities . The key is to keep building and providing housing options for everyone . That ' s how we bring down housing costs for good . Look , Americans deserve to feel safe from crime , and I ' m proud to say that America is safer now than when I took office . The American Rescue Plan was a huge investment in public safety , and you all have done an amazing job using those resources in your communities . You ' ve hired more officers for community policing and expanded violence intervention programs to prevent crime . You might not always hear about it , but violent crime rates are down nationwide , reaching some of the lowest levels in over 50 years . But there ' s still work to be done . Now let ' s talk about the border . We ' ve been negotiating with a bipartisan group of senators to come up with a compromise bill that includes tough border security reforms . This bill would hire more border security agents , immigration judges , and asylum officers to address the backlog of cases and increase our ability to stop drug smuggling . It ' s a bill that would save lives and bring order to the border . It has the support of the Border Patrol union and the national Chamber of Commerce . We just need the House and Senate to bring it to the floor and vote on it . It ' s time to put an end to the political games and do what ' s best for America , your cities , and towns . So , I urge you to tell your members of Congress to pass the bipartisan border security bill . It ' s important to you and your community . Thank you for your time , and let me wrap up by saying . . . Last week , I gave my State of the Union Address and I gotta say , people seemed pretty excited about it . I basically said that our country is doing really well and it ' s only getting better . That ' s what I see when I travel around . People often tell me how things were tough in 2020 , but thanks to the laws we passed and the work we ' ve done together , they ' re back on their feet , creating new jobs and businesses . And you know what? Public confidence in the economy is coming back too . So when you see people working and construction happening , I hope you feel the same sense of pride that we do . Pride in our hometowns , pride in our comeback , pride in America . We can accomplish great things when we work together . Seriously , I ' ve been around for a while , but I ' ve never been more optimistic about our future . We just need to remember who we are as a country . We ' re the United States of America , for goodness sake . There ' s nothing we can ' t handle when we work together . So let ' s do it . God bless you all and our troops . Thank you , thank you , thank you . Seriously , thank you . You guys are awesome . It ' s 11:13 AM , by the way .
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