Bidenomics is Working in Arizona and Across the Country; It is Time to Pass the Bipartisan Infrastructure and Democratic Budget Reconciliation Plans

 850,000 new jobs were created in June.

Sectors that grew the most were hospitality and leisure, education, and state government workers.

It is the highest monthly jobs growth this year.

However, there are still 6.8 million jobs less than when the COVID 19 Pandemic surged across the nation.

In comments to the nation, President Joe Biden said:

"This is historic progress pulling our economy out of the worst crisis in 100 years, driven in part by our dramatic progress in vaccinating our nation and beating back the pandemic, as well as other elements of the American Rescue Plan. Today, the U.S. is the only major advanced economy where the OECD projections of future output are higher today than they were in January 2020, before the pandemic hit. And America was ranked first in Bloomberg’s “COVID Resilience Ranking.” None of this happened by accident. Again, it’s a direct result of the American Rescue Plan. And at the time, people questioned whether or not we should do that, even though we didn’t have bipartisan support. Well, it worked. In February, the Congressional Budget Office projected 2021 economic growth would be 3.7 percent. Yesterday, they doubled that number to 7.4 percent, in large part thanks to the American Rescue Plan and our work to defeat the virus. The last time the economy grew at this rate was in 1984, and Ronald Reagan was telling us it’s “Morning in America.” Well, it’s getting close to afternoon here. The sun is coming out. At the time, the CBO revised their long-run deficit projections down as a share of GDP they — just as they have done. So, the American Rescue Plan is strengthening our financial position, and it grows our economy. It’s continuing to grow our economy. And the strength of our recovery is helping us flip the script."

Later in his comments, the President extolled the benefits of the American Rescue Plan in helping to reduce Child Poverty in half and noted support for the bipartisan infrastructure plan and the Democratic budget reconciliation plan (which incorporates much of the Biden/Harris American Jobs and Families Plans,) that is being negotiated in Congress.

Mr. Biden said:

"And I’ve said it for a long time: It’s time to give ordinary folks, ordinary Americans, middle-class and working-class Americans a tax break. This is the type of tax cut that can help our economy because it will go to families who are going to spend it. It will also help lead a historic reduction in child poverty — excuse me — historic reduction in child poverty, which would have long-term benefits for our economy. And we’re delivering $39 billion to help childcare providers serve more families, to help parents, particularly women, get back to work. Last month, our economy added nearly 25,000 childcare jobs. Again, none of this happened by accident. We’re providing — proving to the naysayers and the doubters that they were wrong.

None of this is guaranteed to continue, though, unless we finish our work.  Now is the time to accelerate the progress we’ve been making.  Now is the time to build in a long-term foundation that we’ve laid, and build it in for a long term.  Economists of all stripes agree that my plan will create good jobs and drastically strengthen our economy in the long run. So we have to continue to make the investments that will allow our economy to build back better and deal everyone in. We took a significant step in that direction last week when the bipartisan group of senators forged an agreement with me to move forward on key portions of my American Jobs Plan.

It was — I just in Wisconsin, where I highlighted how this agreement is going to pave the way for a generational investment to modernize our infrastructure; create millions of jobs, according to the experts; and what that will mean an ever- — and it won’t just be in the center cities. It will be every corner of the state and our nation.

We’re going to create jobs repairing roads and bridges, replacing 100 percent of our nation’s lead water pipes, making our power grid more reliable, delivering high-speed Internet to every American home, rural and urban. 

We’re going to put people to work building a nationwide electric vehicle charging network, transitioning from diesel school buses and transit buses to electric buses, and bringing in world-class rail service to more Americans by reducing — and, in the process, reduce our carbon footprint.

For example, when I was up in Wisconsin, I said — I pointed out — the governor was there. I said, “Gov, I know it takes…” — or I don’t know how many people — a couple hundred people, I guess, in the audience. I said, “It takes, they tell me, four and half hours to drive from here to Chicago. With the money we have in — for mass transit here, we — you’re going to be able to do that in two and half hours.” And all the data shows that when it’s easier to get someplace by rail than by automobile, it’s cheaper and it generates a whole lot less carbon footprint.

We’re going to create good-paying union jobs capping hundreds of thousands of abandoned oil and gas wells to stop methane leaks, which are devastating, and to protect the health of our communities. These are good jobs.

You know, as we bring home key parts of my American Jobs Plan, I’m going to make the case for equally critical investments that we still need, including those in which I introduced at the same time: my American Families Plan.

When I was running for President, I put together a bold, aggressive plan to deliver childcare, paid leave, universal pre-K for three- and four-year-olds, free community college. Maybe the most important among them was extending the expanded Child Care Tax Credit I just mentioned for another five years, which will significantly benefit middle-class and working-class families.

That human infrastructure is as essential as our physical infrastructure. It’s going to help us create more good jobs, ease the burden on working families, and strengthen our economy — strengthen it in the long run..."

Taking Questions on Afghanistan and the Coronavirus. 

The President concluded his presentation by taking questions on Afghanistan which was a sore spot for Mr. Biden to respond to (he actually stumbled a little when he said he wanted to talk about "happy topics") because the ground situation in that country quickly shaping up to go through what happened in South Vietnam after the American troops left.

Mr. Biden also took a question on COVID surges in areas of the country where vaccination rates are below the national average and whether that increase in Coronavirus levels will grow bigger after the July 4 weekend.

The President said:

"I am concerned that people who have not gotten vaccinated have the capacity to catch the variant and spread the variant to other people who have not been vaccinated. I am not concerned there is going to be a major outbreak — in other words, that we’re going to have another epidemic nationwide, but I am concerned lives will be lost.  And I was even reading today there’s some speculation and some judgment that’s coming out that you may be able to even communicate the vaccine — the — the new variant to your pets.  So I say, not — not totally facetiously, for those of you who haven’t been vaccinated because you don’t — you don’t — you don’t think it’s — you want to go through it: It doesn’t hurt, it’s accessible, it’s free, it’s available.  And not only — don’t think about yourself; think about your family.  Think about those around you.  That’s what we should be thinking about today. The Fourth of July this year is different than the Fourth of July last year.  And it’s going to be better next year."

Moving forward in Arizona. 

Bidenomics is working in Arizona and across the country. It is time for Congress to build on the American Rescue Plan and pass the Bipartisan Infrastructure and Democrat Budget Reconciliation bills which incorporate much of the funding priorities of the American Jobs and Families Plans.

Already, you see mayors across Arizona getting a head start (with American Rescue Plan dollars in some cases) on modernizing local infrastructures and revitalizing communities.

In Tempe, there is a local streetcar line that is being constructed in the Arizona State University area.

Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego and the City Council have announced the creation of additional electric vehicle charging stations and consumer-friendly adjustments on the construction of solar panels.

Tucson Mayor Regina Romero and the City Council have just approved the installation of "electric vehicle (EV) outlet in new one and two-family residential construction and have given city staff direction to begin the process of developing similar code amendments for EV charging outlets in new multi-family residential and commercial construction."

On this development, Mayor Romero said:

“With this action, we are taking an important step to usher in and increase access to EV technology, improve air quality, and avoid costly home retrofits. We are preparing the City of Tucson to be at the forefront in the adoption of a clean, renewable transportation system.”

On the bipartisan infrastructure plan, Flagstaff Mayor Paul Deasy commented:

"It is great to see infrastructure being embraced once again in our country, while also realizing that “infrastructure” is not only bridges and roads but also includes broadband, which is what we need to move our country into the future."

The Arizona Democratic Party Executive Director Charles Fisher issued a statement on the June jobs report that read:

"America is back. Today’s strong jobs report provides yet another indication that President Biden’s recovery plan is working as our economy continues to build back stronger. On his first day in office, President Biden put forth his American Rescue Plan, promising to get shots in arms, checks in pockets, and people back to work. Now, as we come back together to celebrate this Fourth of July, Arizonans can see that the Biden-Harris administration not only kept that promise, but has delivered unprecedented economic growth centered on working families and small businesses.”

Later, Hannah Goss of the Arizona Democratic Party released an additional statement noting the impact of the Biden/Harris economic policies in the Grand Canyon State like in education, mortgage, and rent relief, airport infrastructure, small business assistance, aid to the vulnerable, and the child tax credit.

Former Arizona Democratic Party spokesperson and current Vice President and Director of Public Affairs of Matters of State Strategies Matt Grodsky sounded a more cautious note on the infrastructure and reconciliation plans going through Congress, warning what may happen if Democrats do not deliver to the full satisfaction of their base. He stated:

"From a strategic communications perspective, if this bill passes then members of both parties will have some bragging rights that they can take home to their districts ahead of 2022. Infrastructure has high support among voters across the political spectrum, so it's beneficial to have your name attached to this bill if you're serving in Congress. 

It is always good to find common ground when it comes to solving America's problems, however, it defeats the purpose of bipartisanship when a substantially lesser deal prevails at the expense of Americans' best interests and when too much is given away for too little. Granted the opportunity to give Americans everything they needed in sweeping legislation, we opted for a watered-down version despite broad support for the original legislation. This was apparently done to appease a party that is determined to block this administration's agenda. 

 

The workaround here is to promptly pass a second bill so that the key human infrastructure and climate items that were in the original infrastructure plan are addressed. Yes, that means Manchin and Sinema would need to be on board. Additionally, this plan still doesn't meet some of the key milestones that experts have said needed to be met.

 

If an additional bill doesn't happen then this whole episode would be considered demoralizing for Democratic supporters, organizers, volunteers, and donors who have worked tirelessly since 2010 to regain control of both chambers of Congress and the Presidency in order to advance much-needed legislation. 

 

Yes, bipartisanship is critical for Democracy and should be utilized when all parties are operating in good faith. But Republicans have taken hostages and forced Democrats into a corner. By caving now, when Democrats had the opportunity to circumvent this obstruction, lawmakers have thwarted the will of the American people. We'll just have to wait and see what happens with this bill."

 

Mr. Grodsky is correct.

 

While the news about Bidenonmics has been impressive so far, it is necessary to keep up the momentum and pass the programs the country needs to move further into the Twenty-First Century and lift all Americans up with good-paying jobs in a safe and clean environment.