Biden touts bipartisan infrastructure agreement in Wisconsin
Visiting La Crosse, Wis., on Tuesday, President Biden touted his agreement with a bipartisan group of senators on an infrastructure bill, calling it a “generational investment to modernize our infrastructure.”
Video Transcript
JOE BIDEN: I'm here in Wisconsin to celebrate a step forward for my country, our country, talk a little bit about what it's going to mean for working families here in Wisconsin and across the nation. When I was sworn in five months ago, I pledged to put my whole soul into bringing America together. I said I was running for three reasons, the last one of which I said is unite America.
I admit it's difficult, and I think some of my friends in the press thought it was impossible. I still don't think it is but-- because I believe that there's nothing we cannot do if we bring-- come together as a nation, Democrats and Republicans. And we're really divided on a whole range of things. But if you look back across our history, from the transcontinental railroad to the creation of the internet, you can see the truth in that idea about coming together. Because America, America has always been propelled into the future by landmark national investments, investments that only the government has the capacity to make, only the government working together can make.
Today happens to mark-- it's coincidental, but today is the 60th anniversary of one of those significant investments that changed the nation. 65 years ago today, President Dwight Eisenhower signed a bill that created the interstate highway system, 65 years ago today. That was the last infrastructure investment of the size and scope of what-- the agreement I'm about to talk about today.
It's time for us to write a new chapter in that story. After months of careful negotiation, of listening, of compromising, together and in good faith moving together, with ups and downs and some blips, a bipartisan group of senators got together and they forged an agreement to move forward on the key priorities of my American Jobs Plan. And one of them is sitting in front of me.
As a result, this is a generational investment, a generational investment to modernize our infrastructure, creating millions of good-paying jobs-- and that's not coming from me, that's coming from Wall Street-- millions of good-paying jobs and positions America to compete with the rest of the world in the 21st century. Because China is way outworking us in terms of infrastructure.
