What They Are Reading in the States: Biden-Harris Administration Delivers for the American People

"I promise you, you're going to heal, we're going to recover, we're going to rebuild," [President] Biden told Kentucky.

This week, President Biden, Vice President Harris, and senior Administration officials continued to travel across the country and flood the local airwaves to speak directly to the American people about how the administration is Building a Better America.

President Biden traveled to Mayfield and Dawson Springs, Kentucky to survey damage from the recent tornadoes and pledge the Administration's commitment to the people affected by the storms. He also traveled to Columbia, South Carolina to deliver the winter commencement speech at the state's largest HBCU – South Carolina State University -- and sat down for two local interviews with Dayton, Ohio and Columbia, South Carolina TV stations to discuss the Administration's efforts to lower costs for families.

Throughout the week, Biden-Harris Cabinet members fanned out – from Nevada to New Hampshire – to highlight the nationwide impact of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and amplify key implementation and funding announcements for states, Tribes, and Territories.

Here's a sample of what Americans are reading:

President Biden Highlights Actions to Lower Costs for Consumers

WLTX CBS Columbia, SC

WLTX (CBS Columbia, SC): President Joe Biden on supply chain crisis, gas prices, and unity: his interview with News19
"There are problems with the supply chain, as it relates to food, as it relates to used cars, as it relates to oil. For example, I was able to release, as my authority as President, 50 million barrels of oil from the oil reserve -- we call it the SPR. We have convinced some other countries I've dealt with to release some of their oil, as well, to drive down the price of gasoline. For example, now it's below $3.00 a gallon in Columbia for the first time in a while. We're driving it down all over the country."

WHIO CBS Dayton, OH
WHIO (CBS Dayton): FULL INTERVIEW: News Center 7 talks one-on-one exclusively with President Joe Biden
Biden said for working and middle-class people, the impacts from inflation are "a big hit." "The inflation, at least for the time being, is real. I've done a couple things. One, inflation is way up in terms of energy prices. Particularly at the gas pump. And what I did was, I was able to under my authority, release 50 million barrels of oil from the petroleum reserve which means putting more oil on the market reducing the price of gasoline," Biden said.

Gas Prices Decline in the States

• Athens Daily Review: Gas prices trending downward
• Culpeper Star Exponent: After big spikes, Fredericksburg-area gas prices continue to tumble
• FOX 5 San Diego: Average gas price falls for 10th time in 13 days
• FOX 29 Philadelphia: Gas prices dip in NJ, drop across nation at large
• Kileen Daily Herald: Killeen area gas prices decrease when compared to last week
• Spectrum News: Gas prices fall again in northern New England
• WAFB 9: Gas prices continue to decline in Arkansas and Louisiana
• WMTJ Wisconsin: Gas prices begin falling
• WOOD TV8: Grand Rapids sees biggest gas price drop in country
• Seehafer News: Eastern Wisconsin Gas Prices Continue Five Week Decline

President Biden Visits Kentucky

WDRB (FOX Louisville): President Biden visiting tornado-ravaged Kentucky today to offer aid, support
President Joe Biden toured two Kentucky towns Wednesday that were devastated by recent tornadoes, pledging federal aid for the recovery ahead and committing more U.S. government funds for short-term cleanup costs. Standing in front of shattered homes in Dawson Springs in western Kentucky, Biden said he had authorized the federal government to cover 100% of the state's emergency response spending for the first 30 days. "Every single cost the federal government's going to take care of," the president said, including debris removal, temporary housing and overtime for law enforcement… "I promise you, you're going to heal, we're going to recover, we're going to rebuild," Biden told Kentucky residents. "You're going to be stronger than you were before[.]"

President Biden Visits South Carolina

The Greenville News: President Joe Biden emphasizes investment in HBCUs during SC State commencement address
President Joe Biden emphasizes investment in HBCUs during SC State commencement address
Biden said during his speech that HCBUs are responsible for producing over 50% of the Black workforce in judicial, governmental, engineering, and medical fields. Some of the senior most officials in his administration, like Vice President Kamala Harris, who graduated from Howard University, come from HCBUs…Already the Biden administration has passed an executive order and allocated $3.7 billion in relief funding to HBCUs through the American Rescue Plan Act, forgiven $1.6 billion of debt from loans provided to HBCUs for capital improvements and awarded over $500 million in grant funding, as per a White House press release.

Vice President Harris Unveils Lead Pipe Paint Action Plan

Spectrum News: Biden administration announces plan to replace all of nation's lead pipes
Saying no American should drink water contaminated with lead, the Biden administration on Thursday announced a plan to replace all of the nation's lead service lines. As part of the initiative, the Environmental Protection Agency will send $2.9 billion next year from the newly passed bipartisan infrastructure law to states, territories and tribes to replace lead pipes … "The bottom line is that there is no reason in the 21st century for why people are still exposed to this substance that was poisoning people back in the 18th century[.]" Harris said low-income communities and communities of colors are disproportionately exposed to lead.

WWTV (Traverse City, MI): White House Funding Effort To Identify & Replace Lead Pipes
Vice President Kamala Harris announced a new push to eliminate lead pipes and paint, and other fixtures containing lead, from homes and other buildings. It's part of the Biden administration's "Build Back Better" plan. The White House says up to 10 million homes and 400,000 schools and child care centers are at risk of lead exposure through service lines and fixtures. Harris says the focus of this plan is on serving the communities of color and rural areas that have been mostly overlooked. The White House plans to release $2.9 billion in infrastructure bill funds for lead pipe removal.

Cabinet Highlights Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in the States

• Agriculture Secretary Vilsack in Wisconsin

Wisconsin Public Radio: Wisconsin communities receive funding from Biden administration's new focus on lead drinking water systems
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack visited Wisconsin Thursday to tout new federal investments to help communities replace lead pipes in drinking water systems. Vilsack visited a water treatment plant in the City of Bloomer, which will receive $27.6 million in loans and grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Department of Rural Development. The funding will allow the community to replace 4.6 miles of lead water main pipe and other aging sewer infrastructure…

• Energy Secretary Granholm and HUD Secretary Fudge in Maryland

WYPR (NPR Baltimore): U.S. Cabinet secretaries visit weatherized property in Baltimore
They toured a Baltimore Civic Works weatherization job training facility and a weatherized housing unit. "The great thing about weatherization is that it puts people to work," Granholm said. "It saves people money, and it helps the planet." Sealed off from winter drafts and summer heat, weatherized housing units use up less heating and cooling. Because these units are more energy efficient, residents who live in them can save as much as 30% on monthly energy bills, Granholm said.

• Transportation Secretary Buttigieg and Energy Secretary Granholm in Maryland

Maryland Matters: Biden Administration Officials Fan Out in Md. to Promote Electric Vehicles
U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg visited RS Automotive Inc., a former gas station and auto repair shop in Takoma Park that has become a charging station for electric vehicles, to announce that their agencies are collaborating to establish a network of 500,000 electric vehicle chargers across the U.S. The two cabinet secretaries have signed a memorandum of understanding to create a Joint Office of Energy and Transportation, which would help to distribute $7.5 billion from the bipartisan infrastructure law that President Biden signed earlier this fall.…The two officials said the new law would allow for the construction of half a million electric vehicle charging stations across the country, with an emphasis on rural areas. And they said it would provide a $12,500 federal tax credit for people who purchase electric cars — big enough to make the vehicles affordable for many families.

• Labor Secretary Walsh in Massachusetts

WWLP (CW+ Springfield, Massachusetts): Lawmakers discuss infrastructure law improvements at Union Station in Springfield
Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh was joined by Congressman Richard Neal and six area mayors at Union Station to highlight how the infrastructure and Build Back Better bill will improve communities across the Commonwealth. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Massachusetts is slated to get more than $9 billion from the infrastructure bill over the next five year. Officials said the state could start to see money from the federal government by the middle of 2022. Walsh told 22News, "Our families saw at the beginning of the pandemic in March of 2020. Kids working from home and people working from home and we had to get them hot spots. As mayors and town managers, we had to get them hot spots. This eliminates this problem moving forward and allows families to connect." Secretary Walsh said this historic plan will create millions of jobs, and only strengthen America's economy.

• Transportation Secretary Buttigieg in New Hampshire

WMUR (ABC Manchester, New Hampshire): U.S. transportation secretary says infrastructure law will provide funds for NH rail project
The U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg visited New Hampshire on Monday for a discussion about the new federal infrastructure law and what it could mean for expanding commuter rail in the Granite State … "We haven't been investing enough as a country in infrastructure," Buttigieg said. "This law changes that. It's a bipartisan law led by the president to properly fund everything from roads and bridges to trains and transit, and New Hampshire's a great place to discuss the impact that's going to have."

• Interior Secretary Haaland in Nevada

KSNV (NBC Las Vegas, Nevada): Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland wraps 'Building a Better America' tour in Las Vegas
As part of the Biden-Harris administration's "Building a Better America" tour, Secretary Haaland visited Palm Springs, California over the weekend before arriving in Las Vegas on Sunday … [She] highlighted the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law's historic $8.3 billion investment in water infrastructure and drought resilience that will fund water efficiency and recycling programs, rural water projects, and WaterSMART grants to ensure that irrigators, Tribes, and adjoining communities receive adequate assistance and support. "Water is a sacred resource essential to Tribes and communities, growing crops, sustaining wildlife and the environment, and supporting agricultural businesses. … There is an urgent need to minimize the impacts of drought and develop a long-term plan to facilitate conservation and economic growth because drought doesn't impact just one community — it affects all of us, from farmers and ranchers to city dwellers and Tribes."

• EPA Administrator Regan in Pennsylvania

Philadelphia Inquirer: In Philly, EPA announces $1B to speed up U.S. Superfund cleanups, including a city site
On Friday, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan stood at Clearview to announce that $1 billion from the bipartisan infrastructure bill will speed up cleaning dozens of superfund sites nationally, such as Clearview, and start new cleanups at 49 more sites. Regan made the announcement along with Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, and both men hailed the moves as an important step toward environmental justice, given that many Americans of color and those in poverty live near a contaminated site. Newly funded sites include two in Pennsylvania: The North Penn Area 6 Site in Montgomery County, and Crossley Farm in Berks County. And it includes seven previously unfunded sites in New Jersey. Three of those are in South Jersey, including one in Vineland, as well as sites in Jobstown and Roebling, both in Burlington County.