In his first stop after delivering this year’s State of the Union Address, President Joe Biden is heading to Wisconsin to present his economic plan to voters.
Biden’s trip to the key swing state comes as he looks to build support for his $1.9 trillion economic stimulus package which the White House says provided more than $4 billion in investments into Wisconsin’s manufacturing sector.
The legislation also included billions of dollars allocated for pandemic relief, transportation — roads, bridges, and roadway safety — and investments for clean water.
According to a White House statement, the state’s Workforce Innovation Grant program was provided with $128 million, which has provided funding to nearly 30 organizations that help workers with career and skills training, childcare, entrepreneurship, health services, housing, and transportation.
In the State of the Union Address, Biden touted his economic plan, asking, “Where is it written that America can’t lead the world in manufacturing again?”
Though the infrastructure bill was supported by 19 Republicans, it has come under fire from numerous other Republicans who argue that it is too expensive and unnecessary.
“Republicans who voted for the Democrats’ socialist spending bill are the very reason why Americans don’t trust Congress,” Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs wrote on Twitter shortly after the bill passed in 2021.
“I can’t believe Republicans just gave the Democrats their socialism bill,” Matt Gaetz posted to Twitter following the vote.
Wisconsin took a hit during the pandemic as the state’s economy shrank by more than 32 percent between April and June, according to the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis. But, economic numbers have turned around, a fact that the Biden administration takes partial credit for, citing the infrastructure bill.
The White House news release said that Wisconsin’s unemployment rate has dropped from 4.7 percent to 3.2 percent, and that the number of new Wisconsin business filings recently hit new records with “nearly 118,000 jobs created and 130,000 new businesses filed in the state over the past two years.”
Biden is scheduled to arrive at the Trauax Field Air National Guard Base about 11:20 a.m., and at 1 p.m. will deliver remarks at a training center run by the Laborers’ International Union of North America.
