President Biden in Las Vegas to celebrate high-speed rail project

Justin Walker
·2 min read
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President Biden in Las Vegas to celebrate high-speed rail project

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — President Joe Biden was in Las Vegas on Friday to discuss funding for the high-speed rail project that would link California and Las Vegas.

The president was in Las Vegas to discuss Tuesday’s announcement that a long-planned high-speed railway project linking Southern California to Las Vegas, had received $3 billion in funding. The newly acquired funds are part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, a news release said Tuesday.

The president, Nevada Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo and members of the congressional delegation met with union members at the Carpenters International Training Center near Harry Reid International Airport.

Air Force One landed at the Las Vegas airport at 12:52 p.m. 13 minutes later, Biden greeted greeting local union members for a few minutes before boarding the presidential limousine and heading towards the scheduled event.

“Harry Reid, I told you to 35 years ago to get this sucker done,” Biden said shortly after taking the stage. “We’re getting it done.”

The president, a long-time AMTRAK passenger, said the new project would mean thousands of jobs, in its construction, maintenance and operation.

The president discussed Wednesday’s shooting on the campus of UNLV that left three dead and one hospitalized during the scheduled news conference. He expressed gratitude for the law enforcement officers who saved lives during the shooting, before calling on Congress to ban “assault weapons” and high-capacity magazines, among other gun control measures.

“The Second Amendment didn’t say you could own any gun — you could own any weapon,” President Biden said. “You couldn’t own a cannon when the Second Amendment was passed.”

The President also mentioned the deaths of Sgt. Michael Abbate and Trooper Alberto Felix, who were killed in the line of duty when a suspected DUI driver struck them on I-15 on Nov. 30.

President Biden spoke for approximately 27 minutes before ending his speech and heading off the stage.

The plan for a high-speed railway between Las Vegas and Southern California is decades old, and its history is filled with failed attempts to bring the project to fruition. With the announcement of the $3 billion in funding, high-speed rail seems to be another step closer to becoming a reality.

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