Vice Presidential Pool Reports of May 4, 2023

Pool Report 1, VP in Richmond

Vice-President Kamala Harris arrived at Babylon Micro-Farms in Richmond, VA., at 3:45 p.m.

Pool Reoort #2/VP in Richmond

VP toured Babylon Micro-Forms, accompanied by Rep. Jennifer McClellan, D-4th, who represents the Richmond area, and Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney. She heard presentations from employees on the concept and technology of micro-farming. She inspected produce in a grow tent and asked questions about the process. "It's not only really mind-blowing, but it's actually beautiful," she said, while viewing a multi-level cabinet for growing vegetables, herbs and flowers.

Pool Report #3, VP in Richmond

Additional background from White House:

On Background from a White House Official:

Today, May 4, in honor of Small Business Week, the Vice President will travel to Richmond, Virginia to highlight the Biden-Harris Administration's commitment to uplifting small businesses. In Richmond, the Vice President will deliver remarks and tour Babylon Micro-Farms to hear directly from the owner and employees on how they have benefitted from the Biden-Harris Administration's investments.

Please see the White House Fact Sheet coinciding with the Vice President's visit here.

On Monday, to kick off Small Business Week, the President and Vice President invited small business award winners from all 50 states to celebrate their contributions to the dynamism and strength of the U.S. economy and their communities. You can find her remarks here. The Vice President surprised small business owners from Nevada, California, and Georgia in her office in the West Wing, which you can watch here. During the first two years under Biden-Harris Administration, Virginia saw 255,000 applications to start businesses, more than any two-year period on record. Since then, the Vice President has continued her work supporting those entrepreneurs by expanding access to capital and technical assistance.

The Vice President's Leadership Lifting up Small Businesses

• Throughout her career, Vice President Harris has led efforts support small businesses and entrepreneurs, including by increasing their access to capital.
  • The Vice President has met with and convened nearly 100 small business owners since the start of the Administration.
  • The Vice President has helped ensure that the U.S. economic recovery is the most equitable on record by making sure investments and resources reach communities that have been historically underserved and left behind.
  • After securing more than $12 billion in investments to community lenders and other mission capital providers during her time in the U.S. Senate, she has worked to implement this funding during her Vice Presidency, allowing lenders to expand their efforts to drive inclusive entrepreneurship and create high-opportunity communities.

§ In April, the Vice President announced that Treasury's CDFI Fund has awarded over $1.73 billion in grants to 603 Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) across the country through the CDFI Equitable Recovery Program. These funds will strengthen the ability of CDFIs to help low- and moderate-income communities recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and invest in long-term prosperity.
§ During the summer of 2022, the Vice President announced a first-of-its-kind public-private sector initiative—the Economic Opportunity Coalition (EOC)— a historic public-private partnership of more than 20 private sector organizations that will invest tens of billions of dollars to create opportunity and grow wealth in historically underserved communities.

Additional Background

• The Administration launched a whole-of-government effort to increase by 50% the share of federal contracts for minority-owned small businesses in 5 years, which amounts to a $100 billion investment in minority-owned businesses.
• In the Senate, the Vice President introduced the Paycheck Protection Program Transparency Act, which would have required SBA to publish information about all PPP program loan recipients, in response to reports that big companies were exploiting loopholes in the program to take PPP loans.
• Additionally, in the Senate, the Vice President introduced the Save Our Street Act which would have established a dedicated Microbusiness Assistance Fund to provide grants to microbusinesses, and set-asides specifically for minority-owned businesses.

Pool report #4 VP in Richmond

More from White House:

On Background from a White House Official

Founded in 2017, Babylon Micro-Farms uses vertical farming and hydroponics to help people grow their own fresh, sustainable food indoors.

Stop 1: The Vice President heard about the manufacturing elements of Babylon Micro-Farms.

Stop 2: The Vice President heard about the tech & innovation components of Babylon Micro-Farms.

Stop 3: The Vice President heard about the jobs created at Babylon Micro-Farms.

VP Pool Report #5

After touring the facility, the VP spoke to an audience of dignitaries about the importance of small businesses and the investments that the Biden administration has made in them. She concluded her remarks at 4:44 p.m.