Vice Presidential Pool Reports of October 4, 2021

VP pool report 1: Rolling

Greetings! At 1:04 pm the VP’s motorcade started rolling to an undisclosed location for an unannounced stop. More to come soon.
We did briefly see the VP exit the WH and get into her vehicle.

VP pool report 2: Arrival/location reveal

At 1:10 pm we arrived at our destination, Colada Shop at The Wharf. See below for background.

It was an uneventful motorcade here, past the sobering and expansive display of white flags on The National Mall for the country’s lives lost to COVID.

Background from a White House Official:

Today Vice President Harris is stopping by Colada Shop, a D.C.-based Cuban café chain founded by Daniella Senior – who met the Vice President last week at a meeting with Latina small business leaders at the White House to discuss the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal and the Build Back Better Agenda. During that meeting, Daniella told the Vice Presidentabout her experience immigrating to the U.S., the challenges of raising capital as a woman of color, and how she launched and successfully grew Colada Shop. Mayor Muriel Bowser is also joining the stop today.

After hearing Daniella’s story, the Vice President wanted to follow up with Daniella to see Colada Shop in person, and learn more about the business.

When it comes to entrepreneurs like Daniella Senior, the Vice President has fought to ensure the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal creates the conditions for small businesses to thrive, through better roads and bridges, better transit, and affordable, high-speed internet. And the Vice President has advocated for the Build Back Better Agenda which will lower the cost of childcare for working parents – a game changer for small business owners, especially those run by women.

Since taking office, the Vice President has followed up with several people she has previously met. Her first event after taking office was a meeting with small business owners she had previously met on the campaign trail, to follow up and see how they were doing during a difficult period. In March, after visiting Fibre Space, a small business in Arlington, Virginia owned by Danielle Romanetti – the Vice President followed up with Danielle to update her on the American Rescue Plan and see how her business was faring. In May, after meeting Eldraen, a USPS letter carrier and National Guardsmen in Connecticut, the Vice President followed up to discuss making childcare affordable and paid family leave accessible.

VP pool report 3: Cafe

As a excited onlookers gawked (and one shouted "I voted for you), CP Harris greeted the owner and the mayor and chit chatted with them. She ordered empanadas (beef, chicken and asked about the seasonal) and I believe a cafe con leche on advice of the owner (size medium). It was hard to hear over the Latin music playing and camera shutters, so check against the tape.

She also greeted the customers saying something like, let's hear it for small business and women-owned businesses. They cheered.

The three women are still inside talking and waiting for her order but pool is now outside. Will tweet some photos and video.

VP pool report 4: departing

(Apologies for the typos in my last report. You all know how it goes)

On her way out, the VP gave some remarks about her visit and the importance of the infrastructure deal on businesses like these, for issues like the transportation and supply chain, and childcare for workers.

She did not answer any questions including about how she's breaking the logjam in Congress. Quotes to come.

After picking up her order, VP Harris mingled with customers in the back of the cafe for several minutes , way out of earshot of the pool. On her way out, she paused at the kitchen window to greet the staff in the back, then stopped again at the door to talk with the owner and mayor some more. A crowd formed up the sidewalk to try to glimpse her on the way out. They shouted "we love you" as she called back "support our small businesses."

Your pool is happy to report a few empanadas were also ordered for us. Thanks, advance team!

We're rolling back.

VP pool report 5: Back at WH

We were back at the WH at 1:36 pm, uneventful ride back and no VP sighting upon return.
Quotes and her official lunch order (if I get it) to come.
Empanada review: Delicious.

VP pool report 6: Remarks and order

Here are Harris' remarks on the infrastructure bills and her visit. As always, please check against transcript/tape/etc.

"It ranges, part of the ability of any of our businesses, our small businesses, our medium-sized businesses, to thrive, is they need to have a transit system that allows their customers to get here. That allows them to move their product. This is part of the real nuts and bolts of why the infrastructure deal is important. … These leaders who not only are business leaders, they're community leaders and civic leaders."

"One of the extensive parts of our conversations was around access to capital, particularly for minority- and women-owned businesses. That is part of the Build Back Better agenda, is to make sure that we are identifying those businesses and making it easy for them to do what they would normally do which is qualify for assistance so they can not only open a business but grow a business. Another point that is critically important to the work of our small businesses is to allow their workers … to have affordable child care. There are so many women who have left the workforce for a number of reasons including a lack of available and affordable child care. Both pieces are important, both pieces are being addressed by the Build Back Better agenda."

"Daniella's work here at Colada and her other businesses is a prime example of why these two pieces of legislation are critical and are about everyday folks trying to contribute to their community, contributing and growing our workforce and in that way essential to all of us if we want a productive and an economically healthy community."

Per the White House, the vice president ordered:
1 seasonal empanada (creamy leak and carrot)

1 Picadillo empanada

1 chicken empanada

1 picadillo pastelito

1 iced café con leche

That's all from me – have a good day!