Pool Reports of May 27, 2021

Pool report #1 for Thursday

Good morning:

I’m your in-town pool reporter for the day. POTUS is scheduled to travel to Ohio this morning, and Jen is scheduled to brief on the plane. It’s a bright, sunny morning at the White House, and your pool can confirm that there’s a rare (for these parts) black-bellied whistling duck sunning itself down by the pond at Constitution Gardens. Any more serious news, will let you know.

Pool report #2 — Departure no news

POTUS departed in Marine 1 at 11:35 a.m.

He did not take questions.

Your pool noted Bruce Reed accompanying him, toting a very large backpack. Will send a more complete passenger list shortly.

In keeping with the day’s theme, your pool noted a red-tailed hawk — appeared to be a juvenile— which flew into an evergreen on the South Lawn and perched for a while, seemingly unbothered by the helicopters on the Ellipse.

Poll report #3 -- passengers

Traveling with the President to Joint Base Andrews, per press office:

Bruce Reed, Deputy Chief of Staff
Ashley Williams, Deputy Director of Oval Office Operations
Stephen Goepfert, Personal Aide to the President
Brian Deese, Director of the NEC
Jeff Nussbaum, Senior Presidential Speechwriter

That’s all for now. Handing off to the out-of-town pool for the trip to Ohio.

In-town pool report #4 — arrival and lid

POTUS disembarked from Marine 1 at 5:20 pm, walked the short distance to the waiting motorcade and returned to the White House. No remarks. With that, we have a lid. No additional avifauna sightings of note.

Travel pool report #1 — JBA touchdown

Good morning from Joint Base Andrews, where Marine One just touched down (11:45am) with POTUS and traveling staff (names to follow).

We’re heading to Cleveland shortly, where the president will tour Cuyahoga Community College and deliver remarks on his proposals to juice the post-pandemic economic recovery. Follow along here:

https://youtu.be/g6NrWIDgpyw

Press Secretary Jen Psaki will also gaggle with reporters onboard AF1 at noon, and you can stream the audio via the WH:

https://youtu.be/kcV5un9YRR4

Feel free to reach out to me directly with any questions. I’ll pass along background and color throughout the day, and apologies in advance for the inevitable autocorrect/typos along the way.

SCHEDULE:

12:45 PM THE PRESIDENT arrives in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland Hopkins International Airport
Out-of-Town Travel Pool Coverage

1:50 PM THE PRESIDENT tours Cuyahoga Community College
Cleveland, Ohio
Out-of-Town Travel Pool Coverage

2:20 PM THE PRESIDENT delivers remarks on the economy
Cleveland, Ohio
Out-of-Town Travel Pool Coverage

3:50 PM THE PRESIDENT departs Cleveland, Ohio en route Joint Base Andrews
Cleveland Hopkins International Airport
Out-of-Town Travel Pool Coverage

4:55 PM THE PRESIDENT arrives at Joint Base Andrews

... and passing along from WH:

Policy Background for Tri-C Visit

The American Rescue Plan (ARP) provided nearly $40 billion to colleges and universities to help them through the public health crisis, including providing emergency aid to students, so schools could safely operate and students could stay enrolled.

The American Families Plan (AFP) calls for more than $300 billion to provide the following:

· Free Community College: Two years of free tuition at a community college for students seeking a certificate or degree.

· Pell Grant Increase:Over $1,400 increase to the maximum Pell Grant award. The discretionary budget also calls for a $400 increase in the maximum grant, which together would be about a 28% increase, putting the program on a path to doubling the maximum grant within four years per the President’s campaign commitment.

· Wraparound Supports for Completion: $62 billion for a new fund for evidence-based practices to increase college completion for schools serving high numbers of low-income students, including community colleges. This could include academic tutoring, child care, and transportation funding. And, the AFP would provide affordable child care to low-and middle-income families and access to free, high-quality preschool for all three- and four-year-old children. Not only does this help parents attend and complete education and training programs, investments in child care and preschool help build the workforce for tomorrow – research shows preschool increases children’s college attendance and completion.

· Institutional Support for Schools Serving Students of Color: $39 billion to reduce tuition at four year Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), and minority-serving institutions (MSIs), plus $7 billion for institutional grants.

The American Jobs Plan (AJP) calls for:

· Infrastructure Investments: $12 billion for infrastructure investments for community colleges, including upgrading existing physical and technological infrastructure and new construction.

· Workforce Development:$100 billion to bolster and transform the workforce development system in support of the transformational investments in AJP designed to create millions of good jobs. This includes:

o $9 billion for community college training partnerships that build capacity to deliver job training programs based on in-demand skills (similar to the Obama-Biden program).

o $40 billion to build sector partnerships between community colleges (and other training providers), employers, and unions to train millions of workers for the high-growth jobs of the future while providing comprehensive supportive services like child care and income support to dislocated workers to enable their participation in these programs. Sector-based training funding would support the job creation programs in the AJP (clean energy, infrastructure, caregiving, manufacturing).

o $10 billion for Registered Apprenticeships. The plan includes creating one to two million new Registered Apprenticeship slots and strengthening the pipeline to these opportunities by increasing access to successful pre-apprenticeship programs such as those funded by the Department of Labor’s Women in Apprenticeships in Non-Traditional Occupations grants.

o $10 billion for the career and technical education programs in middle and high schools, prioritizing increased access to computer science and career pathway programs that connect underrepresented students to STEM and in-demand sectors through partnerships with community colleges, union-sponsored training (pre-apprenticeships), and employers.

o $1 billion for adult education. The plan would connect job-seeking adults to employment opportunities by focusing on foundational skills and embedding career services in the adult education system.

The Need for the American Jobs Plan

Ohio’s infrastructure received a C- grade on its Infrastructure Report Card. The AJP will make historic investments in our nation’s infrastructure:

· Roads and Bridges: In Ohio, there are 1,377 bridges and over 4,925 miles of highway in poor condition. The AJP will devote more than $600 billion to transform our nation’s transportation infrastructure, including $115 billion repairing roads and bridges.

· Public Transportation: Ohioans who take public transportation spend an extra 75.9% of their time commuting, and non-White households are 6.2 times more likely to commute via public transportation. 16% of trains and other transit in the state are past useful life. The AJP will make an $85 billion investment in public transit.

· Resilient Infrastructure: From 2010 to 2020, Ohio has experienced 29 extreme weather events, costing the state up to $10 billion in damages. The administration is calling for $50 billion to improve the resiliency of our infrastructure and support communities’ recovery.

· Drinking Water: Over the next 20 years, Ohio’s drinking water infrastructure will require $13.4 billion in additional funding. The AJP includes a $111 billion investment to ensure clean, safe drinking water is a right in all communities.

· Housing: 681,000 renters in Ohio are rent burdened, meaning they spend more than 30% of their income on rent. The administration is proposing investing over $200 billion to increase housing supply.

· Broadband: Almost 6.2% of Ohioans live in areas where, by one definition, there is only one internet provider with broadband infrastructure that provides minimally acceptable speeds and nearly 14% do not have an internet subscription. The AJP will invest $100 billion to bring universal, reliable, and affordable coverage to every family.

· Caregiving: Across the country, hundreds of thousands of older adults and people with disabilities need home- and community-based services. This plan will invest $400 billion to help more people access care and improve the quality of caregiving jobs.

• School and Child Care Infrastructure: There is an estimated $683 million gap in what schools need to do maintenance and 39% of Ohioans live in a childcare desert. The AJP will modernize our nation’s schools and early learning facilities and build new ones in neighborhoods across Ohio and the country.
• Manufacturing: Manufacturers account for more than 16% of total output in Ohio, employing 703,000 workers, or 12.6% of the state’s workforce. The AJP will invest $300 billion to retool and revitalize American manufacturers.
• Home Energy: In Ohio, an average low-income family spends 8-10% of their income on home energy costs. The AJP will upgrade low-income homes to make them more energy efficient through a historic investment in the Weatherization Assistance Program, a new Clean Energy and Sustainability Accelerator to finance building improvements, and expanded tax credits to support home energy upgrades.
• Clean Energy Jobs: As of 2019, there were 114,388 Ohioans working in clean energy. The AJP invests in creating good paying union jobs advancing clean energy production by extending and expanding tax credits for clean energy generation, carbon capture and sequestration, and clean energy manufacturing.
• Veterans’ Health: Ohio is home to over 700,000 veterans, 7.9% of whom are women and 49% of whom are over the age of 65. The administration is calling for $18 billion to improve the infrastructure of VA health care facilities to ensure the delivery of world-class care to veterans.

The Need for the American Families Plan

• Higher Education: The average cost of a 2-year degree in Ohio is $4,903 per year. The AFP will provide at least two years of free community college to all students, including Dreamers. It will also increase the maximum Pell Grant awards by over $1,400 to support the 202,731 students in Ohio who rely on Pell for their education. In addition, the AFP will provide support to 11 minority-serving institutions (MSIs) in Ohio.
• Universal Pre-School: Only 61,400, or 21% of the 288,000 3- and 4-year-olds in Ohio, are enrolled in publicly-funded pre-school. The AFP will provide access to free, high-quality pre-school to all 3- and 4-year-olds in Ohio, boosting their educational outcomes and allowing more parents to go back to work.
• Investing in Teachers: Ohio has seen a 30% decline in new teacher supply. Less than 7.5% of teachers in Ohio are teachers of color, while students of color make up 30% of the student population. The AFP will invest $9 billion in our teachers.
• Child Care: The average annual cost of a child care center for a toddler in Ohio is $8,698, meaning that a two-parent household would on average need to spend 9% of their income on care for one child every year. 39% of Ohio residents are living in areas without enough child care options. The AFP will enable low- and middle-income families to pay no more than 7% of their income on high-quality child care, generating lifetime benefits for 178,000 children under 5 in Ohio.
• Paid Leave: In Ohio and across the nation, more than 110 million workers lack access to paid family leave and nearly 84 million lack access to paid medical leave. For the country’s lowest-wage workers, many of whom are women and workers of color, 95% are without paid family leave and 91% without paid medical leave. The AFP will create a national paid family and medical leave program.
• Child Nutrition: 17% of children in Ohio live in food insecure households and 34% are obese. The AFP will ensure that the nutritional needs of Ohio’s children are met by expanding access to free school meals to an additional 172,000 students and providing 845,000 students with resources to purchase food over the summer.
• Health Care: The ARP provided two years of lower health insurance premiums for those who buy coverage on their own; the AFP will make those premium reductions permanent. In Ohio, that means 190,000 uninsured people will gain coverage and 116,100 will on average save hundreds of dollars per year on their premiums. The average American family will save $50 per person per month on health coverage.
• Tax Cuts for Ohio Families and Workers: There are 289,000 children, or 11% of children, in Ohio who are considered poor.
  
  • The AFP will extend through 2025 the ARP’s Child Tax Credit (CTC) increases of $3,000 per child above 6 and $3,600 per child under 6. This extension will benefit 604,000 children in Ohio, including 693,000 children of color. This proposal is estimated to reduce child poverty in the state by 45%.
  • The AFP will provide a permanent increase to the temporary Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit expansion enacted in the ARP.
  • The AFP will also make the Earned Income Tax Credit Expansion (EITC) for childless workers permanent to support low-wage workers. This will benefit 651,900 workers in Ohio, many essential workers, and 27% of whom are people of color.

American Rescue Plan Impact in Ohio

· Over $5 billion in Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Funds to Ohio that can be used to respond to acute pandemic-response needs, fill revenue shortfalls, and support the communities hardest-hit by the COVID-19 crisis.

· More than $5 billion in Local Fiscal Recovery Funds to Ohio governments at the local and county levels.

· Nearly $2 billion in Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds to support their efforts to reopen K-12 schools safely and equitably expand opportunity for students who need it most.

· More than $1 billion in Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds provided by the ARP to support community colleges and low-income students.

· Approximately $1 billion in funds to provide a lifeline to Ohio childcare providers and early childhood educators, help families with the greatest need access to affordable care, and help parents get back to work.

· ARP allocated roughly $700 million to support Emergency Rental Assistance programs that will aid renters, prevent evictions and help Ohioans transition to secure housing.

· Roughly $280 million in Homeowner Assistance Funds to prevent mortgage delinquencies and defaults, foreclosures, and displacement.

Travel pool report #2 — questions

POTUS hopped off M1 at 11:47am and walked toward AF1. He shook hands and spoke with one of the greeters for 2 minutes before walking over to the press.

Took questions for roughly 3 minutes.

"I haven't had the chance to go over the details of the" GOP counter infrastructure proposal ... will have more to share soon

He briefly talked to Sen. Capito and said he would meet with negotiators next week before stressing the need to get this "done" soon.

He pledged to release the results of the 90-day lab leak review upon completion unless there's something he's "not aware of."

The budget will be released tomorrow

POTUS boarded at 11:51am

More to follow... check with tv footage please

Travel pool report #3 — liftoff

Taxiing as of 11:55am... Cleveland bound. --

Travel pool report #4 — POTUS audio, traveling staff/greeters, & Psaki statement

A big thanks to VOA's Patsy Widakuswara for capturing audio of POTUS' quick q&a:

https://otter.ai/u/rlhBpfpGV5svznMhT2ZchT8iLlM

Tech difficulties prevented your pooler from transcribing en route, apologies, but sending full quotes at some point today

Press Sec Jen Psaki released the following statement on Republicans' infrastructure counterproposal shortly before takeoff

"We are grateful for the work of Senator Capito and her colleagues on this proposal. It is encouraging to see her group come forward with a substantially increased the funding level—nearing $1 trillion. We appreciate the hard work that went in to making this proposal and continuing these negotiations. Senator Capito told the President that her team would provide us with more details later today, and we look forward to getting that information. At first review, we note several constructive additions to the group's previous proposals, including on roads, bridges and rail. At the same time, we remain concerned that their plan still provides no substantial new funds for critical job-creating needs, such as fixing our veterans' hospitals, building modern rail systems, repairing our transit systems, removing dangerous lead pipes, and powering America's leadership in a job-creating clean energy economy, among other things. Lastly, we are concerned that the proposal on how to pay for the plan remains unclear: we are worried that major cuts in COVID relief funds could imperil pending aid to small businesses, restaurants and rural hospitals using this money to get back on their feet after the crush of the pandemic.

As for the path forward, the President called Senator Capito thank her for the proposal, and to tell her that he would follow-up after getting additional detail. We are also continuing to explore other proposals that we hope will emerge. Though there are no votes in Congress next week, we will work actively with members of the House and Senate next week, so that there is a clear direction on how to advance much needed jobs legislation when Congress resumes legislative business during the week of June 7."

AND passing along some background the WH..

Traveling with the President to Cleveland, Ohio:
Bruce Reed, Deputy Chief of Staff
Jen Psaki, Press Secretary
Brian Deese, Director of the NEC
Daleep Singh, Deputy National Security Advisor/Deputy NEC Director
Ashley Williams, Deputy Director of Oval Office Operations
Stephen Goepfert, Personal Aide
Travis Dredd, Trip Director
Meghan Hays, Director of Message Planning
Jeff Nussbaum, Senior Presidential Speechwriter

Upon arrival to Joint Base Andrews, the President was greeted by Colonel Matthew Jones, 89th Airlift Wing Commander

Travel pool report #5 — wheels down

AF1 touched down at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport at 12:54pm.

1 note... Press Sec’s gaggle started at 12:39pm and lasted for roughly 13 min. She talked briefly about Republicans’ counterproposal, the G7, the 90-day COVID review, and tomorrow’s budget release although gave no details.

Travel pool report #6 — statement on COVID relief funds

Passing along from the WH

As of the end of March about 95 % of the $3 trillion in pre-Rescue COVID relief funding has either been obligated or is for PPP, unemployment insurance or nutrition assistance. Of the remaining 5% the largest categories of unobligated balances are in the Heath Care Provider Relief Fund—funding for rural hospitals, health care providers and disaster loans for small businesses.

Travel pool report #7 — Oscar Mike

POTUS deplaned at 1:04pm and spoke with Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur for five minutes before jumping in the Beast.

Pool is loading in the vans and preparing to roll to Cuyahoga Community College.

From the WH:

Greeting the President on the tarmac at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport:

· Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (D-OH-9)

Travel pool report #8 — full quotes from JBA... WH clarification

New WH clarification on COVID relief statement: "Sorry, to double clarify – it is just pre-ARP. The original line is accurate."

And here's the transcript of Biden's Q&A from JBA.

What do you make of GOP counterproposal?
"One of the things I want to tell you is I haven't ha a chance yet to go over the detail of the counteroffer made by Capito. They're going, we're going to meet sometime next week, and we'll see if we can move that, and I 'll havre more to say about that in time."

What will 90-day review reveal/why now?
"If I knew that I wouldn't ask for a 90-day review. I don't know.

Will you release findings?
"Yes, unless there's something I'm unaware of

Is GOP counter too small?
"I had a good conversation, very brief, but a good conversation with Capito, Senator, and I told them we to contact me next week. I told her we have to finish this very soon, and there's another Republican group that also wants to talk. But we're going to have to close this down soon."

Travel pool report #9 — on campus

Motorcade arrived at 1:30pm... de-vanning ahead of the tour. More to come... --

Travel pool report #10 — Kaptur covo

Congresswoman Kaptur told pool she and POTUS discussed the upcoming Putin summit on the tarmac.

Captur, the co-chair of Congressional Ukraine Caucus, added she wants to talk with POTUS about helping "the people of Ukraine and the leadership of Ukraine" develop an energy independence plan in

She did not raise NordStream

We're now holding for POTUS' tour

Travel pool report #11 — tour/participants

POTUS' tour stops at a demonstration of a robotic arm used in training students and a 3D printing demonstration.

The president asked how long it takes students to receive certification and was informed it can be accomplished in as little as one semester. The program itself is part of "Smart Manufacturing."

Pool was shuffled through secondary viewing locations and could not get a good ear on some pleasantries POTUS exchanged with students taking part in the demonstrations.

POTUS specifically asked how long it took to create some of the 3D printed sculptures on the wall... "you're doin it," he added while examine some of the products.

Passing along from WH

Participating in a photoline with the President:

· Congressman Tim Ryan (OH-13)
· Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson
· Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish
· Youngstown Mayor Jamael Tito Brown
· Minority Leader, State Representative Emilia Strong Sykes (Columbus)
· State Senator Kenny Yuko (Cleveland)
· State Representative Stephanie Howse, State Representative (Cleveland)

We're walking over to set up for POTUS' speech. More to come

Travel pool report #12 — the room

One note... POTUS' tour began at 1:56pm.

Pool is currently located in the back of the large, warehouse-like facility where the president will deliver remarks. His podium is set up with attendees arranged in a horseshoe, fanning out from the center of the room.

There's a number of the administration's "Blue Collar Blueprint for America" signs posted along the room's perimeter and at least 4 American flags within pool's line of sight.

Your pooler guesstimates there are around 100 people in the room once you include attendees, press, faculty, traveling staff, and all others.

Travel pool report #13 — Shilaah Patterson (POTUS intro) & more background

Shilaah Patterson, a Cuyahoga Community College student, is now speaking on her experience with the school ahead of POTUS' remarks.

Passing along more background on the tour from WH

Tour Stop 1: Robotics Integrated System Station
An immersive experience to prepare students for the sounds, feel, and potential problems that they may encounter while working at any given section of an automation-enabled factory.

Tour Stop 2: The Ideation Station
A digital fabrication laboratory that allows individuals to experience a simulation of the "fun" of manufacturing. The lab offers industrial-grade fabrication equipment such as 3D printers, laser engravers, a 4x8 Computer Numerical Control (CNC) router, a vinyl cutter, a 3D scanner, electrical tools, and open source software.

Joining the President at the Cuyahoga Community College Manufacturing Technology Center:

· Alicia Booker, Vice President, Cuyahoga Community College Manufacturing Technology Center
· Ray Nejadfard, Dean of Engineering Technology, Cuyahoga Community College
· Sunseray Wen, recent student of the Manufacturing Technology Center in the robotics program
· Jacob Meadows, student of the Manufacturing Technology Center in the robotics program
· Alethea Ganaway, Program Manager for the 3D Additive Manufacturing & Fab Lab, Cuyahoga Community College (Stop 2)
· Joshua Cates, student at Cuyahoga Community College in the Additive Manufacturing Program (Stop 2)

Travel pool report #14 — POTUS remarks

Biden took the podium at 2:23 pm

Follow along live here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6NrWIDgpyw

Travel pool report #15 — remarks end

POTUS wrapped at 3:01pm.

His remarks echoed similar speeches, particularly in terms of modernizing US infrastructure as a means of competing with China, EU and others: "We must be number one" if we want to lead the world in the 21st century...

One additional noteworthy moment from the speech... Biden pulled out a "list" of Republicans who didn't vote for his American Rescue Plan but are still "taking credit" for its results: "I mean, some people have no shame..."

Pool is holding for further instructions. We're scheduled to head back to the airport at 3:40pm.

More to come...

Travel pool report #16 — rolling

Motorcade is heading back to the airport as of 3:05pm. --

Travel pool report #17 — Psaki statement on ARP

Passing along from WH...

From Press Secretary Jen Psaki:

The American Rescue Plan is working exactly as intended – delivering relief to families, businesses, and communities to bridge our economy to the end of the pandemic and into a strong recovery. Tax cuts and assistance of over $900 billion have either already gone out (such as the direct payments), are currently going out to workers and families, or will be disbursed as planned. Small businesses have applied or are applying for around $75 billion in relief funds and tax credits. Finally, major provisions of the law for state and local governments, K-12 schools, higher education institutions, and child care providers have been almost entirely allocated. Local governments, schools, and other entities are already budgeting for this year and beyond with these funds.

Travel pool report #18 — list of "no shame" Republicans

A big shoutout to Doug Mills, who snagged a picture of Biden's list of 13 GOP members who voted against the ARP but still touted it back home, referenced in previous report:

https://twitter.com/dougmillsnyt/status/1397993741965795331?s=21

Travel pool report #19 — unscheduled stop

Motorcade is now driving through a residential area for an unscheduled stop... More to follow

Travel pool report #20 — ice cream

From the WH

The President is making a stop at Honey Hut Ice Cream.

Travel pool report #20b —

POTUS chatted with workers at the ice cream shop and asked a group of supporters what they usually order... one of the workers cut him off, saying "Mr. President, it's already taken care of"

His order: "chocolate, chocolate chip" and "butter pecan"

POTUS told the shop to keep the change on his order; and one employee called it her best day of work ever

OF NOTE: a very angry person was yelling at Biden and press as we walked back to vans... "f**k you, motherf*****s! ... c**ksuckers!"

The angry person also repeatedly yelled slurs for Black and gay people at the press and WH staff

We're back in the vans as of 3:24pm and now heading to the airport

Travel pool report #21 — back at airport

Motorcade arrived at Cleveland Hopkins Int'l at 3:37pm

POTUS was climbing up the AF1 steps as pool exited the vans at 3:41pm

FLAGGING: POTUS answered one question your pooler missed during the ice cream stop re: Jan 6 commission

"I can't imagine anyone voting against... it's one of the greatest civil assaults" in our country's history (h/t Patsy again for her keen ear and plz check against tv footage for accuracy)

Travel pool report #22 — wheels up

Taxiing as of 3:47pm ... JBA bound

One other note... POTUS purchased 50 units of ice cream for staff from Honey Hut

Travel pool report #23 — JBA landing

We touched down at 4:47pm

Little surprise: Jen Psaki came back and delivered some ice cream from Honey Hut to the press. We determined the flavors to be Butter Pecan and (possibly) Orange Blossom.

National Economic Council Dir. Brian Deese also came back and spoke to us OTR during the flight.

Travel pool report #24 — M1 departure

POTUS walked down the AF1 steps at 4:59pm before heading toward M1 and boarding at 5:01pm

He did not answer shouted questions from the press. Wheels up at 5:06pm, and handing back to in-town pool

A major thanks to Politico’s Anita Kumar for all of her help today too. Have a great evening, y’all!

Travel pool report #25 — 1 final note (JBA greeters)

Passing along from WH:

Upon arrival to Joint Base Andrews, the President was greeted by Colonel Matthew Jones, 89th Airlift Wing Commander