Vice Presidential Pool Reports of April 30, 2021

VP pool report #1: JBA

Good morning and happy Friday from a sunny and very windy JBA.

I'll be your print pooler today for the vice president's trip to Cincinnati, Ohio. Guidance from the White House is below.

Your pool is tested, gathered, and just watched the VP arrive at JBA at 9:54am and quickly board AF2 at 9:57am. She did not take questions.

Greeter at JBA was Lt. Col. Neil Senkowski, Director of the 89th Airlift Wing Flightline Protocol.

Wheels up to Cincinnati shortly. Symone Sanders said she will hopefully come back to take questions during the flight.

Reach out with any questions!

At 10:00AM EDT, the Vice President will travel to Cincinnati, Ohio. The departure from Joint Base Andrews and arrival at Greater Cincinnati International Airport will be covered by the travel pool.

At 12:20PM EDT, the Vice President will participate in a roundtable discussion on how the Administration's investments in public transit will create jobs, spur economic development, and foster healthier communities. This roundtable will be covered by the travel pool and livestreamed on WhiteHouse.gov/Live.

At 3:50PM EDT, the Vice President will depart Ohio en route Washington, DC. The departure from Greater Cincinnati International Airport and arrival at Joint Base Andrews will be covered by the travel pool.

VP pool report #2: Arrival in Cincinnati

AF2 touched down at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport at 11:31am after a somewhat bumpy flight, thanks to the wind.

VP Harris deplaned at 11:49am and was greeted by Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear (D). The motorcade then rolled to a nearby building so VP Harris could meet the Beshear family and other KY officials, as pool holds in press vans (list from WH):
- Britainy Beshear, First Lady of Kentucky
- Will Beshear, son of Governor Beshear
- Lila Beshear, daughter of Governor Beshear
- Michael Brown, Secretary of the Executive Cabinet of Kentucky
- La Tasha Buckner, Chief of Staff to the Governor of Kentucky

We'll soon be en route to the 1819 Innovation Hub at the University of Cincinnati, where VP Harris will participate in a roundtable discussion about public transit and the economy that will be moderated by Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio). It will be streamed live on the White House website and is scheduled to begin around 12:25pm. (We have a 20-min drive there)

During the flight, Symone Sanders came back and spoke/took some questions:

- This Cincinnati stop is part of the "getting America back on track tour" as administration officials travel to a dozen states. Roundtable will focus on the "impact and value of public transit."
- American Rescue Plan allocated $110 billion for public transit and the American Jobs Plan would allocate $85 billion for it.
- VP will also discuss efforts to expand broadband access, which she's helping lead. Accessibility and affordability are two focuses for that. $100 billion in American Jobs Plan for broadband. "This is extremely important to the administration."
- On approach to Northern Triangle: "We are really trying to figure out the best way to engage." VP hasn't engaged yet with leaders in Honduras and El Salvador, not to say she won't. Senior admin officials are working with government leaders and community leaders there.
- Today's roundtable will show "how the federal government can partner and work with local leaders to help build more vibrant communities."
- Kentucky/Ohio's Brent Spence Bridge "could potentially be one of those projects" that receives funding from the American Jobs Plan if it gets passed (10 bridges in America will be chosen)

VP pool report #3: Arrival at roundtable

VP Harris' motorcade arrived at the 1819 Innovation Hub in Cincinnati at 12:31pm after an uneventful 28-minute drive from Kentucky along an empty Interstate 275.

A few onlookers watched the motorcade roll by and shot pictures/video on their phones while standing outside their workplace or in parking lots. Along a stretch of Interstate 471, several people got out of their cars and took photos while standing in the median.

As we arrived at the hub, several dozen observers were gathered outside, including some Trump supporters complete with flags and signs.

You can watch the roundtable here (so detailed notes will not be sent along): https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jYVZoWZY_wM&feature=youtu.be

Participants, per WH:
- Chairman Sherrod Brown (D-OH) (moderator)
- Darryl Haley, SORTA CEO
- Eddie Koen, President and CEO, Urban League
- Vikas Mehta, Professor, Fruth/Gemini Chair, Ohio Eminent Scholar and Urban Design Certificate Coordinator at the University of Cincinnati
- Jill Meyer, President and CEO of Cincinnati Regional Chamber of Commerce
- Troy Miller, President/Business Agent, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 627

Also, I'm tweeting various photos throughout the trip @TaylorPopielarz. Feel free to use!

VP pool report #4: Roundtable over/Harris took Qs

The roundtable kicked off at 12:47pm and ended at 1:33pm. VP Harris took five questions from the pool before exiting the room at 1:38pm. Topics included COVID in India, pushing the expanded definition of infrastructure, her approach to broadband, and whether the Brent Spence Bridge will get funding from the American Jobs Plan. I'll send out her answers shortly — nothing groundbreaking.

Some color from the roundtable:

It began with Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) saying VP Harris "has made such a difference as vice president, already." Harris said of Brown, "Whether the cameras are on or off, he is the same person."

The event featured Sen. Brown moderating a discussion between VP Harris and five participants. Everyone sat, masked, around a table inside the 1819 Innovation Hub at the University of Cincinnati.

VP Harris said she views public transit in the context of, "Let's just start with making it doable. Can they raise their families? Get to work? Get to the grocery store?" She said the American Jobs Plan would allocate $110 billion for transit agencies to build on "what you're doing here in Cincinnati." VP Harris also said investing in public transit will help fight climate change.

Some quotes/notes from the roundtable participants:
• Darryl Haley, SORTA CEO, said, "Public transit is about connection…it's also about connecting to higher paying jobs."
• Jill Meyer, Cincinnati Regional Chamber of Commerce: "When people can make choices, we know that they can access better jobs." She said $1 spent on transit = $3 in economic impact. "Where transit is accessible is where development happens."
• Eddie Koen, Urban League, encouraged the Biden/Harris Administration to "really think about transit from a racial equity lens" and build on what they're already doing.
• Troy Miller, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 627, said a lot of his members contracted COVID while working, but they've recently been using city busses to get members vaccinated.
• Vikas Mehta, University of Cincinnati, said transit "is social, it is psychological." He talked about the importance of accessibility to bus stops for families and improving infrastructure like sidewalks so people can get around safely.
VP Harris said the American Jobs Plan has "substantial money set aside for training" workers to adapt to clean energy transit jobs. She added that organized labor will be key in facilitating the training.

Asked by Sen. Brown why people who don't rely on public transportation should care about investing in it, SORTA CEO Darryl Haley said, "Even if you yourself don't use public transportation, the people you count on count on public transportation."

VP Harris closed by saying it was an "insightful conversation" about infrastructure, which she called a "fancy word for how do you get to where you need to go?"

VP pool report #5: Transcript of Harris Q&A

Here's a rough transcript, per Otter, of the five questions VP Harris took at the end of the roundtable event. As of 2:17pm, pool is waiting in the press vans outside the Innovation Hub in Cincinnati. I'll tweet out a few more pictures from the roundtable @TaylorPopielarz.

Q: Madam Vice President, could you speak to the crisis in India right now concerning COVID and what lessons you take from that?

VP: There is no question that it is a great tragedy, in terms of the loss of life, and as I have said before, and I will say again, we as a country have made a commitment to the people of India to support them. And we've made already a commitment in terms of a dollar amount that will go to PPE and a number of other things. But it is tragic. And, you know, my prayers go to the people on the suffering, the blatant suffering that is happening.

Q: Does it give you any concern about how their experience could affect what's happening in the United States concerning COVID?

VP: Well, I mean, we are all part of a world community. And to the extent that any of us as human beings who have any level of compassion see suffering anywhere around the world, it impacts all of us.

[Sen. Brown jumps in to build off that answer]

Aide: We'll take one more question.

Q: Madam Vice President, regarding infrastructure, as you're continuing to push the American jobs plan, what's your message and how are you going to approach Republican voters or voters in general who may be skeptical of this expanded definition of infrastructure,? Because the conversation here right now was focused on infrastructure and, you know, hitting all corners of life, but a lot of voters feel that it should just be roads and bridges.

VP: I am willing to bet you that when the people of Cincinnati get on those buses being driven by Troy Miller's members, they do not ask are you a republican or democrat? I'm willing to bet you. When we are talking about those moms who need to walk on the sidewalk to get to the bus pushing a stroller walking a toddler, they are not identifying their problem through the lens of who they voted for in the last election. When we are looking at the capacity to grow the economic vitality of communities, including small businesses, and increase the productivity of the workforce, much less expand the workforce, what we know is that the reality is that people regardless of who they vote for him with which party they registered with, that's what they want. And that's what they want to see their government focus on.

Q: Can you speak to your priority for broadband, Madam Vice President?

VP: [inaudible] priority — is something I've worked on for quite some time. It is it is an extension of this conversation, frankly. I gave a speech yesterday talking about this. I was in, you will appreciate this Chairman, I was with our former colleagues, Maggie Hasson and Jeanne Shaheen in New Hampshire, visiting the New Hampshire Electric Coop. and met with some workers there who were part of a legacy of folks at that coop will help build electrification for rural New Hampshire. And it was on the basis of the work, literally the physical basis of the work they did as a result of the 1936 Rural Electrification Act, which was about saying, let's get electricity, everybody to say, now, let's get broadband to everybody. It's the same point. kids can't do their homework. Without the access to the internet. You know, some of us had Encyclopedia Britannica, well, let me tell you that is a day gone by. Our seniors, we now know the capacity of access and affordable access to broadband to bring health care through telemedicine. Again, our small businesses, it has become very clear for a small business to actually survive much less thrive, they need access to high speed internet to be able to move their product, to advertise their product and to engage with their customers. So it crosses all levels, all communities. And, you know, in the past with electrification, I think it was one of the great examples of the role of responsibility of the federal government to meet the needs of the people where they are and to invest in America in a way that we will be competitive going forward. Broadband is the next example of that.

Q: And do you see any bridges in this area qualifying for that top 10 list?

VP: Well, I can tell you that I know about the Brent Spence Bridge, and it is a very important bridge in America. And I'm sure that there will be a lot of conversation about its qualifications for some support out of the American Jobs Plan.

VP pool report #6: Coffee shop stop

VP Harris and motorcade left the Innovation Hub at 2:37pm and made a 7-minute drive to "blaCk Coffee Lounge" on Elm Street in Cincinnati for a stop that was not on the original schedule.

We arrived at the coffee shop at 2:43pm and VP Harris walked in with Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley and his wife, Dena.

VP Harris ordered a small "Wakanda" coffee with whole milk. The Cranley's each ordered a small Wakanda, black.

VP Harris spoke with the business owner about when they opened and how they faired throughout the pandemic. "We see the light at the end of the tunnel," VP Harris said.

VP Harris ended by saying "Wakanda forever!" and walked out of the coffee shop at 2:51pm.

Once outside, VP Harris received cheers from a group of girls standing at the front door of Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy Armleder Campus. VP Harris briefly spoke with them from across the street, ending with, "I'm counting on you to be the leaders!"

Motorcade is moving again at 2:54pm for a 30-min drive to the airport.

VP pool report #7: Back at airport/India statement

VP Harris delivered a brief about India and the US travel ban before boarding AF2 here in Kentucky.

It was incredibly windy, so please check the pool feed for clearer audio.

Rough transcript via Otter:

"We have announced that Starting Tuesday on the advice of the CDC [inaudible] our COVID, 19, experts medical experts are national security advisors. It is important to note, as I said earlier, that we have a responsibility as the United States in particular as it relates to step up, if you've learned a time of need. And as it relates to the people of India, we have long standing decades build relationships with these people around public health issue. Tonight, provide some level of relief, very troubling, very scary to them what's your own sense of that family love."

VP Harris said she hadn't spoken with her family in India since this news of the ban was made public.

VP Harris boarded AF2 at 3:24pm. Wheels up shortly for JBA.

VP pool report #8: Back at JBA

The AF2 pilots deserve credit for landing the plane at JBA in quite the windstorm at 4:38pm. Turbulence throughout the flight was intense and when we made contact with the runway, the plane veered from side to side enough that we all applauded the pilots for the safe landing.

After we landed, VP Harris came back to the press cabin for a brief OTR — lasted maybe 3 mins.

VP deplaned at 4:49pm and hopped in her motorcade at 4:51pm. A WH official says she is motorcading to the Vice President's Residence, rather than lifting because of wind.

That's it for your travel pool. Thanks to co-poolers Kelly O'Donnell and Tim Perry for helping transcribe throughout the day.

This first-time pooler appreciated the opportunity. Enjoy the weekend, all!