Feb. 8 (UPI) — One day after his second State of the Union address, President Joe Biden is in Wisconsin to promote his economic plan that the White House said has created hundreds of thousands of new jobs and brought $4 billion in new investments to the battleground he narrowly won in 2020.
Biden plans to visit a union training facility in Deforest near Madison, where he’ll take credit for policies and funding that have spurred jobs, business expansion and rapid manufacturing growth in the state, the White House announced.
During a speech scheduled for 2 p.m., Biden will echo the same themes from his Tuesday night speech, touting multiple federal initiatives that have benefited Wisconsin during his term. One of the biggest gains is a $128 million government investment in Wisconsin’s Workforce Innovation Grant program that provides housing, transportation, childcare, career training, and health services to help prospective employees avoid snags that typically get in the way of job opportunities.
To date, the president’s sweeping policy achievements — including the American Rescue Plan, Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, CHIPS and Science Act, and Inflation Reduction Act — have invested billions in taxpayer dollars to boost manufacturing, lower prescription drug prices, and advance clean energy technologies across the country.
Since Biden took office more than 24 months ago, the government has used $2.9 billion for infrastructure projects across Wisconsin, with most of the money going toward improving driver safety and repairing crumbling roads and bridges.
The administration has also put up $150 million to create better access to clean water, while similar funding has gone toward efforts to replace diesel-fueled buses and the redevelopment of former fossil fuel plants. Infrastructure money has also paved the way for more affordable high-speed internet service throughout the state, the White House said.
The Environmental Protection Agency has also announced $1 billion to clean up and restore the Great Lakes region, which stretches across Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin.
Wisconsin’s unemployment rate was currently sitting around 3.2%, which was 1.5% lower than two years ago when nearly 30% of small businesses in the state were shutting down permanently, the White House said. Since 2021, nearly 118,000 jobs have been created in the state, along with 130,000 new businesses.
The president will also showcase Democratic provisions that have lowered the cost of health care premiums and prescription drugs in the state — including a $2,000 yearly cap on out-of-pocket prescription drug costs, a $35 monthly cap per insulin prescription, and free vaccines.
After leaving Wisconsin, Biden plans to travel to Tampa, Fla., on Thursday to showcase his plan to strengthen Social Security and Medicare, while underscoring his continued commitment to lowering healthcare costs.
Last week, Biden hit the trail to promote his economic strategy in Maryland, New York and Pennsylvania, where the president announced $500 million in federal infrastructure funds to help fix Philadelphia’s broken water system amid a nationwide effort to dismantle lead pipes.
