Pool Reports of November 17, 2021

Travel pool report #1 — MI trip background

Good morning. Pool is en route to Joint Base Andrews ahead of POTUS' trip to Detroit, MI, where he will tour a General Motors electric vehicle factory and deliver remarks on infrastructure.

WH passes along the following background for today's events:

BACKGROUND MEMORANDUM

TO: Out-of-Town Travel Pool

FROM: White House Press Office

DATE: November 16, 2021

RE: Background on BIL for the President's Visit to Michigan

Impact of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) on Michigan

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will make a generational investment in Michigan's infrastructure and resilience.

Roads and Bridges:

• In Michigan there are 1,219 bridges and over 7,300 miles of highway in poor condition.
• Infrastructure is a key priority for Governor Whitmer. As Governor, she launched the "Rebuilding Michigan Program," a 5-year program to rebuild state highways and bridges. The program is estimated to create 22,000 good-paying union construction jobs this year alone.
• Based on formula funding alone, Michigan will receive $7.3 billion for federal-aid highways and $563 million for bridges.

Public Transportation:

• Michiganders who take public transportation spend an extra 68% of their time commuting. 17% of transit vehicles in the state are past useful life.
• Based on formula funding alone, Michigan will receive $1 billion to improve public transportation options.

Electric Vehicles (EVs):

• Governor Whitmer has made it a priority make Michigan a leader in electric vehicles. She recently announced a number of proposals to expand EV charging along key travel routes across the state.
• Michigan will expect to receive $110 million over five years to support the expansion of an EV charging network in the state.

High-Speed Internet:

• 14% of Michigan households do not have an internet subscription.
• Michigan will receive a minimum allocation of $100 million to help provide broadband coverage across the state, including providing access to the 398,000 Michiganders who currently lack it.

Water:

• Delivering clean water is a key priority for Governor Whitmer. Last year she launched MI Clean Water, a $500 million investment to rebuild the state's water infrastructure to provide clean, affordable water to communities.
• Michigan would expect to receive $1.3 billion to improve water infrastructure in the state.

Resilience:

• From 2010 to 2020, Michigan experienced 19 extreme weather events.
• The law includes a $50 billion national investment in resilience to strengthen our infrastructure for the impacts of climate change.

Momentum on the Road to an Electric Vehicle Future

Since the start of this Administration, the U.S. automotive industry has been on an accelerating trajectory to an electric vehicle future. Earlier this year, a few days after the President took office, General Motors announced that the company would go all-electric by 2035. In the months since, the President rallied automakers, representing nearly the entire U.S. market, around the goal of reaching 50 percent electric vehicle sales share in 2030.

• Together, these automakers have collectively committed over $70 billion in private capital for U.S. facilities for electric vehicles, including over a half dozen new electric battery-manufacturing facilities.

In each month of 2021, sales of electric vehicles have remained two or three times higher than the year before. The country surpassed 100,000 electric vehicle chargers and 2 million electric vehicles on the road.

Turbocharging the Effort to Build Back Better

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will turbocharge the shift to an all-electric future by:

• Catalyzing Investment in Charging Infrastructure: The BIL invests $7.5 billion to build out the first-ever national network of EV chargers in the United States which is critical to broader demand for electric vehicles. The BIL will provide funding for deployment of chargers along highway corridors to facilitate long-distance travel and within communities to provide convenient charging where people live, work, and shop. Federal funding will have a particular focus on rural, disadvantaged, and hard-to-reach communities.
• Strengthening American Supply Chains: The BIL invests approximately $7.5 billion in (i) mapping resource potential for the raw materials used in electric vehicle batteries, (ii) jumpstarting mineral recycling, where the U.S. has lagged behind its peers, and (iii) improving material processing, a key segment of the manufacturing supply chain. These public investments will be a spur for private investment and provide automakers the confidence that they can grow American supply chains for electric vehicles and the batteries on which they run.
• Spurring Deployment of Electric Transit: The BIL also invests $6 billion in low- and no-emission transit vehicles and $5 billion in clean school buses as one part of a historic push to electrify transportation at ports, on rail, and across the country.

Travel report #2 — JBA

Marine One touched down at JBA at 1:00pm, where POTUS was greeted by Colonel Matthew Jones, Commander, 89th Airlift Wing.

POTUS, wearing a red tie and dark navy suit, exited M1 at 1:03pm. He paused briefly to speak with Col. Jones before continuing to AF1. He climbed the stairs after a quick salute, turned and waved, and at 1:03pm boarded the plane.

He did not stop to field questions from the pool. We'll be wheels up for Detroit momentarily.

A reminder that deputy press secretary Chris Meagher will gaggle with reporters onboard AF1 around 1:30pm. It's his first gaggle. You can listen here, via the WH:

https://youtu.be/Voo7hnNibds

… and passing along from the WH:

Traveling with the President to Detroit, Michigan on Air Force One
Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh
Senator Debbie Stabenow (MI)
Senator Gary Peters (MI)
Rep. Dan Kildee (MI-05)
Rep. Debbie Dingell (MI-12)
Rep. Brenda Lawrence (MI-14)
Rep. Andy Levin (MI-09)
Rep. Haley Stevens (MI-11)
Bruce Reed, Assistant to the President & Deputy Chief of Staff
Brett McGurk, Deputy Assistant to the President & Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa
Ali Zaidi, Deputy Assistant to the President & Deputy National Climate Advisor
Annie Tomasini, Assistant to the President & Director of Oval Office Operations
Stephen Goepfert, Special Assistant to the President & Personal Aide to the President
Travis Dredd, Special Assistant to the President and Trip Director
Chris Meagher, Special Assistant to the President & Deputy Press Secretary
Meghan Hays, Special Assistant to the President & Director of Message Planning
Dan Cluchey, Senior Presidential Speechwriter
Zephranie Buetow, Special Assistant to the President & Senate Legislative Affairs Liaison

Travel pool report #3 — wheels down, Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport

AF1 touched down in Detroit at 2:21pm following a routine flight that turned fairly bumpy at the end.

Press dined on white bean chicken chili prior to Meagher's gaggle, which lasted just over 20 minutes, and CNN played on the TVs throughout the flight.

AF1 is currently taxiing… more to follow

Travel pool report #4 — motorcade

POTUS exited AF1 at 2:34pm and was greeted on the tarmac by Michigan Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist II. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is not taking part in the day's events.

Gilchrist, Biden, Sec. Marty Walsh and members of the MI Congressional delegation hugged and briefly exchanged pleasantries on the tarmac. After the lawmakers hopped in the car, Biden and Gilchrist shook hands and stayed behind to speak.

Pool is in the vans, and we're rolling as of 2:38pm.

Worth noting that a white Hummer EV, which POTUS will view at one stop of the GM tour, is part of our motorcade.

Travel pool report #5 — arrival at GM Factory Zero

After a brief 25-minute ride, the motorcade arrived at the GM facility at 3:02pm. It's a very grey and wet day, but thankfully the rain has stopped (for now).

There were a dozen or so onlookers/McDonalds patrons filming the motorcade as we departed the airport, and significantly larger number of climate activists protesting the Line 5 pipeline present when the motorcade exited the highway. Pool spotted at least one "Michigan Loves Biden" sign in the crowd.

Pool vans split off from the rest of the motorcade upon arrival. We're heading directly to the first tour stop ahead of POTUS and have not had eyes on him since leaving the airport… more to follow

Travel pool report #6 — Whitmer

Gov. Whitmer's office passed along the following statement to co-pooler Jim Tankersley, confirming that her absence is due to meeting with semiconductor industry leaders in CA:

While the governor would like to be with the president today celebrating passage of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and highlighting the thousands of good-paying blue collar jobs that will result from this historic investment in our state's infrastructure, Governor Whitmer was unable to attend the event today due to previously scheduled meetings, including with leaders in the semiconductor industry. The governor is committed to ensuring that Michigan remains the automobile capital of the world by securing additional investments in the future of mobility.

Governor Whitmer is continuing her leadership in working to boost domestic semiconductor production amid the current automotive chip crisis by meeting with semiconductor industry leaders on Thursday in California. This will include a meeting with the Semiconductor Industry Association Board of Directors to discuss ongoing efforts to increase domestic chip production and innovation, through efforts such as the CHIPS Act, and the state-level impacts of these efforts. The Governor will also attend the Semiconductor Industry Association's annual event, which brings together some of the biggest companies in the industry.

These conversations follow the Governor's action last week to join a bipartisan coalition of governors calling on Congress to pass the CHIPS Act to support Michigan's automotive and manufacturing industry amidst the ongoing chip shortage. And it highlights the state's ongoing commitment to landing historic investments in the automotive sector, like the KLA and SK Siltron investments, which will create more than one thousand good-paying, high-tech jobs and bring hundreds of millions of dollars to our state's economy.

Governor Whitmer will be joined by MEDC CEO Quentin Messer, Jr. in her meetings with semiconductor industry leadership.

Travel pool report #7 — Tour begins… stop 1: Trim Electrical Test

POTUS met back up with pool on the factory floor for the first stop on the 3 part tour, a Trim Electrical test, at 3:22pm.

GM CEO Marry Barr and the plant manager are leading POTUS and Walsh along the tour line. More to follow…

Travel pool report #8 — tour participants

Passing along from the WH:

Accompanying the President on a tour of the factory floor of General Motors Factory ZERO:

Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh
General Motors CEO Mary Barra
United Auto Workers President Ray Curry

Stop 1: Trim Electrical Test

The President is receiving an overview of Factory Zero from:

Jeff Roeschke, General Assembly Area Manager, General Motors Factory ZERO
Jim Quick, Plant Director, General Motors Factory ZERO

Demonstrating the electrical connection tests and quality checks done on each vehicle:

Shauntia Brown, Vehicle Electrical Systems Manager, General Motors
Hayward Miller, Core Launch Team, General Motors Factory ZERO

Stop 2: Battery Load and Vehicle Marriage Process

The President is receiving an overview of the battery load and vehicle marriage process:

Jim Quick, Plant Director, General Motors Factory ZERO
Jeff Alexander, Shift Leader for General Assembly, General Motors
Kyron Martin, General Assembly Business Manager, General Motors
Demonstrating how the battery is loaded into the vehicle:
Meme Edwards, Team Leader, General Motors
Todd Stovall, Team Leader, General Motors

Stop 3: Overview of EV Hummer

Viewing the Hummer EV with the President:

Senator Debbie Stabenow (MI)
Senator Gary Peters (MI)
Rep. Brenda Lawrence (MI-14)
Rep. Debbie Dingell (MI-12)
Rep. Haley Stevens (MI-11)
Rep. Dan Kildee (MI-05)
Rep. Andy Levin (MI-09)
General Motors CEO Mary Barra
United Auto Workers President Ray Curry
Josh Tavel, Chief Engineer, General Motors

Travel pool report #9 — Tour stop 2: Battery Load Vehicle demo

On to the second stop at 3:31pm.

Throughout, Biden has been commenting on how "exciting" he finds "all of this"

POTUS remarked that "China got way ahead of us" and that GM is helping to "change everything"

"It's incredible, it's incredible…"

Travel pool report #10 — Tour stop 3: electric Hummer demo

More, light quotes from POTUS at stop 2…

Biden remarked if he'd "been asleep for the past 50 years," then woke up and saw these new GMs, he'd swap "title for title" with his favorite Corvette

Added that jobs like those at this factory are among the "most coveted" of union positions

At one point in the tour, Marvin Gaye's version of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" began playing in the factory, but pool could not identify the source

Pool left POTUS to jp on a trolley to head to stop 3 at of 3:37pm

Travel pool report #11 — POTUS drives

The Beast dropped off POTUS and Barra at the Hummer test drive locale at 3:49. After waving to the crowd, Biden hopped in the front seat and took a couple laps, complete with one burnout.

We're still holding waiting for he and Barra to return to the group

Travel pool report #12 — more Biden Hummer love

"Anyone want to jump in the back, or on the roof?," POTUS joked with pool and attendees after taking a few more laps and a second burnout. "These suckers are something else!"

Some video of POTUS putting petal to metal:

https://twitter.com/tocradio/status/1461075518124613639?s=21

Biden excitedly complemented the vehicle's steering radius but did not answer when asked by the pool how fast he was going. POTUS and the MI delegation then posed for a photo by the EVH.

Pool again separated from POTUS and is now heading to the speech filing center as of 4:02pm

Travel pool report #13 — speech color

Pool settled into the filing center at 4:12pm. POTUS is currently scheduled to start speaking at 4:30pm, which you can stream here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKtj0JohKpM&feature=youtu.be

The room itself appears to be a cleared section of the factory floor. In addition to the GM signage promoting the opening of their Factory Zero, a number of large WH banners are hanging from the ceiling. One in blue reads "BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE DEAL," while a red one — complete with cartoon-ized Hummer blueprints — reads "THE FUTURE IS MADE IN AMERICA."

A selection of Motown hits is playing while the crowd waits for the program to begin.

Travel pool report #14 — list of program participants

Passing along from the WH:

Performing ahead of remarks:
Cass Tech High School Drum Line

Speaking program:
Jim Quick, Executive Director, General Motors' Factory ZERO
Scott Harwick, Chairman, United Auto Workers Local 22
Terry Dittes, Vice President, United Auto Workers General Motors Department
Senator Debbie Stabenow (MI)
Senator Gary Peters (MI)
Rep. Brenda Lawrence (MI-14)
Rep. Debbie Dingell (MI-12)
Gerald Johnson, Executive Vice President of Global Manufacturing and Sustainability, General Motors
Mary Barra, CEO, General Motors
Ray Curry, President, United Auto Workers
Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh
Yolanda Passement-Thomas, United Auto Workers Local 22 member

Travel report #14b — one more name...

WH cut off "The President" from the full participant list but confirms POTUS will deliver final remarks, after Yolanda Passement-Thomas... full, accurate run of show below:

Performing ahead of remarks:
Cass Tech High School Drum Line

Speaking program:
Jim Quick, Executive Director, General Motors' Factory ZERO
Scott Harwick, Chairman, United Auto Workers Local 22
Terry Dittes, Vice President, United Auto Workers General Motors Department
Senator Debbie Stabenow (MI)
Senator Gary Peters (MI)
Rep. Brenda Lawrence (MI-14)
Rep. Debbie Dingell (MI-12)
Gerald Johnson, Executive Vice President of Global Manufacturing and Sustainability, General Motors
Mary Barra, CEO, General Motors
Ray Curry, President, United Auto Workers
Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh
Yolanda Passement-Thomas, United Auto Workers Local 22 member
The President

Travel pool report #15 — photo line with lawmakers

Passing along from the WH:

The President is participating in a photo line with elected officials and local leaders, including:

Congressman Dan Kildee (MI-05)
Congressman Andy Levin (MI-09)
Congresswoman Haley Stevens (MI-11)
Hamtramck Mayor Karen Majewski
State Senator Adam Hollier (SD-02)
State Senator Marshall Bullock (SD-04)
State Representative Joe Tate (HD-02)
Hamtramck Mayor-elect Amer Ghalib

Travel pool report #16 — POTUS speaks

President Biden entered the room at 5:18pm as "Higher Ground" by Stevie Wonder played. He took the podium and began speaking immediately.

A reminder that you can stream his remarks here: >https://youtu.be/sKtj0JohKpM<

One note from the WH on today's crowd:

"In the audience are 300 General Motors employees, most of which are Factory ZERO UAW members."

Travel pool report #17 — remarks end

... at 5:44pm. POTUS left the podium and briefly visited with the front row of the audience as "I Want You Back" and "ABC" by the Jackson 5 played.

Pool is mobilizing to head back to the motorcade as of 5:45pm. More to follow...

Travel pool report #18 — rolling

Pool got back to the vans at 5:55pm.

We're rolling back to the airport as of 5:57pm.

Travel pool report #19 — DMWC airport

Motorcade drove back onto the tarmac at 6:27pm.

POTUS boarded the plane at 6:29pm, as press was getting out of the vans… no questions.

We'll be wheels up for DC momentarily.

Travel pool report #20 — wheels down, JBA

AF1 touched back down at Andrew's at 7:44pm.

Labor Sec. Marty Walsh came back to the press cabin and spoke with reporters off the record for roughly 20 minutes on the return flight.

POTUS strode down the AF1 stairs at 7:57pm, where he was greeted by Colonel Matthew Jones, Commander, 89th Airlift Wing.

POTUS walked to M1 without stopping for questions and was wheels up for the WH as of 8:02pm.

M1 travelers, per the WH:

Bruce Reed, Assistant to the President & Deputy Chief of Staff

Annie Tomasini, Assistant to the President & Director of Oval Office Operations

A big thanks to co-pooler Jim Tankersley for his help today.

Passing off to in-town pool. Have a great night, y'all.

In Town Pool Report #1: High noon at the White House

Good afternoon from your pooler, who just witnessed a famous person heading into the White House: singer Ciara is here to discuss childhood vaccinations with First Lady Jill Biden. She, her children and others were led into the building by principal deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who previously got to hang out with UCONN legend Sue Bird.

The president will shortly depart Washington for Detroit, Michigan, where he will tour a plant that produces electrical vehicles and make remarks on the infrastructure plan he signed into law in a very chilly South Lawn ceremony on Monday. Those remarks are scheduled for 4:30 pm.

Pool will be on hand for his return to Washington, currently projected for 7:20 pm.

In Town Pool Report #2: Protesters

Protesters in favor of expanded voting rights protections have gathered on Pennsylvania Avenue at the White House gates, and also on Lafayette Park. I won't venture a crowd size estimate, but the group was sizable, if not enormous.

Nearby a group called Care in Action has someone dressed as the Build Back Better bill parading in front of the White House.

https://twitter.com/alexnazaryan/status/1461019199049015297

It is a clement day here in Washington. Meanwhile, the National Weather Service is expecting rain in Detroit, for which the president is imminently departing.

In Town Pool Report #3: Travel Party

The following officials will be traveling on Marine One with the president, en route to Detroit, according to the White Hiuse:

Bruce Reed, Assistant to the President & Deputy Chief of Staff
Annie Tomasini, Assistant to the President & Director of Oval Office Operations
Brett McGurk, Deputy Assistant to the President & Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa
Ali Zaidi, Deputy Assistant to the President & Deputy National Climate Advisor
Stephen Goepfert, Special Assistant to the President & Personal Aide to the President

In Town Pool Report: #4: Departure

Biden walked out of the West Wing at 12:46 pm.

But instead of boarding Marine One, as expected, he swung back towards the White House.

Excitement rippled through the press corps.

Alas, we were not the focus of his attention. Biden walked towards the South Portico, where First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, Ciara, her three children and an unidentified staffer were waiting.

The president ascended a couple of steps up the portico and exchanged a few words with the First Lady and Ciara, though it was impossible to hear what they said. He then walked towards Marine One, which lifted off at 12:52 pm (the aforementioned West Wing travel party had boarded the helicopter while the president exchanged goodbyes with the First Lady and guests).

Ciara's youngest son waved enthusiastically.

In Town Pool #4: AF1 Gaggle

Apologies that this did not come earlier, but the Air Force One gaggle with deputy press secretary Chris Meagher can (belatedly) be found here:

https://youtu.be/Voo7hnNibds

In Town Pool #5: Return

Marine One landed on the South Lawn at 8:13 pm.

The President deplaned (de-helicoptered?) at 8:14 pm.

One of the poolers shouted a question about the censure of Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz.

"I don't know what happened," Biden responded as he walked into the White House.

A visual of the scene:

https://twitter.com/alexnazaryan/status/1461140356645466116?s=21

In Town Pool #6: Lid

That's all for today from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Good night and good luck.