BALTIMORE — President Joe Biden visited and toured the Port of Baltimore touting the trillion-dollar infrastructure bill Wednesday.
The president arrived by motorcade at a port warehouse-like building around 3:25 p.m. Inside he met with longshoreman and saw several huge pieces of machinery, including three tractors and a couple of combines, were on display, along with dozens of huge rolls of fresh fiber paperboard.
According to the White House, the President viewed the machinery that is imported and exported at the Port of Baltimore.
Biden is expected to sign that infrastructure bill soon and said the ports like the one here in Baltimore will see significant improvements and bring jobs.
“Infrastructure Week has finally arrived,” Biden said while addressing the crowd. “The world’s changing so rapidly, so rapidly. We’ve got to keep up. “We’re in a competition to determine whether or not we can still remain the most powerful economic force in the world.”
The president said the bill will invest in passenger rail and public transit and proposals to manufacture solar panels, wind turbines, and batteries for electric vehicles, saying they will boost the country’s economy and lead to new jobs.
“This is a once-in-a-generation investment to create good-paying jobs, modernize infrastructure, turn the climate crisis into an opportunity,” he said.
At one point President Biden said the bill would stimulate job creation.
"Here’s what I’m going to do," he said. " I’m going to create good paying union jobs. Not $12 an hour, not $15 an hour, $45 bucks an hour and up with good benefits."
Investments in infrastructure are also expected to ease the country’s supply chain issues and build resilience to future economic shocks and setbacks. Events that include pandemics, cyberattacks and extreme weather events, Biden said.
“By investing in our roads, our bridges, our ports, and so much else, this bill’s going to make it easier for companies to get good to markets more quickly,” he said.
It’s President Biden’s second trip to Baltimore in three weeks.
The trillion-dollar bill will dedicate $17 billion to the nation’s ports, modernizing the Port of Baltimore and others. Biden also promoted federal funding to expand the Howard Street Tunnel, allowing trains with double-stacked cars to transport goods across the country.
The president also stated that the bill would bring affordable high-speed internet to people all across the nation, including here in Baltimore.
It's expected that over time infrastructure improvements will help lower prices and keep shelves stocked, the president said.
