Pool Reports of June 29, 2021

Pool report 1

Pool is gathering for Marine One departure

Pool report 2

The president gave brief answers to 2 questions as he walked to Marine One. Asked if going to Florida, he said, "Hopefully as early as thursday." In whether the First lady is going to Tokyo, he said, "working on it.'

Pool Report #3

Marine One lifted off the South Lawn at 9:11.

Also the credit for drawing the president over to the pool goes to Steve Holland of Reuters who asked the Florida question.

From the White House:

Traveling with the President on Marine One:
Bruce Reed, Assistant to the President & Deputy Chief of Staff
Jen Psaki, Assistant to the President & Press Secretary
Brian Deese, Assistant to the President & Director of the National Economic Council
Brett McGurk, Deputy Assistant to the President & Coordinator for Middle East and North Africa
Stephen Goepfert, Special Assistant to the President & Personal Aide to the President

In-town Pool Report 4

Pool is gathering for the South Lawn arrival of Marine One.

Also, for the record, a belated clean-up of Intown Pool Report #3. The lift-off this morning was at 10:11, not 9:11.

Intown pool report 5

Marine One set down at 5:50.

The president stepped off at 5:52.

He had shed his tie and was wearing sunglasses. He waved and smiled but declined to answer shouted questions on Afghanistan and infrastructure.

He was inside the White House at 5:53.

At 5:57, a travel/photo lid was declared accompanied by White House wishes to "stay cool."

Travel pool report #1 — background

Good morning from a sunny and hot Joint Base Andrews. I'm your print travel pooler for the president's trip to Wisconsin today.

The president is set to travel to La Crosse, Wisconsin on Air Force One. There, he'll visit a local transit authority and deliver remarks on the bipartisan infrastructure framework.

Press Secretary Jen Psaki will gaggle en route. It should be live-streamed on the White House website. E-mail me your questions and I will do my best to ask.

Here is background provided by the White House on the president's trip.

BACKGROUND MEMORANDUM

TO: Out-of-Town Travel Pool

FROM: White House Press Office

DATE: June 29, 2021

RE: Background for the President's Visit to Wisconsin

Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework

• The Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework is the largest long-term investment in our infrastructure in nearly a century. It is:
  
  • Four times the infrastructure investment in the 2009 Recovery Act
  • The largest investment in public transit in history
  • The largest investment in passenger rail since the creation of Amtrak
  • The largest investment in repairing our nation's bridges since the construction of the interstate highway system
• It will build a nationwide network of electric vehicle chargers, eliminate the nation's lead service lines and pipes, and will accomplish the President's goal of getting every American reliable, affordable, high-speed internet. The Framework is the largest investment in clean transmission in American history, and will create good-paying union jobs addressing legacy pollution and advancing environmental justice.

The Need for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework in Wisconsin

Wisconsin's infrastructure received a C grade on its Infrastructure Report Card. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework will make a historic investment in our nation's infrastructure.

• Roads and Bridges: In Wisconsin, there are 979 bridges and over 1,949 miles of highway in poor condition. The Framework will devote more than $300 billion to transform our nation's transportation infrastructure, including more than $100 billion repairing roads and bridges.
• Public Transportation: Wisconsinites who take public transportation spend an extra 62.7% of their time commuting, and non-white households are 5.9 times more likely to commute via public transportation. The Framework will make a $49 billion investment in public transit.
• Resilient Infrastructure: From 2010 to 2020, Wisconsin has experienced 42 extreme weather events, costing the state up to $50 billion in damages. The Framework invests nearly $50 billion to improve the resiliency of our infrastructure and support communities' recovery.
• Drinking Water: Over the next 20 years, Wisconsin's drinking water infrastructure will require $8.6 billion in additional funding. The Framework includes a $55 billion investment to ensure clean, safe drinking water is a right in all communities.
• Broadband: Nearly 14% of Wisconsin residents (including more than 44% of rural Wisconsin residents) live in areas where, by one definition, there is no broadband infrastructure that provides minimally acceptable speeds. And 69% of Wisconsinites live in areas where there is only one such provider. 14% of Wisconsin households do not have an internet subscription. The Framework will invest $65 billion to bring universal, reliable, and affordable coverage to every family.
• Clean Energy Jobs: As of 2019, there were 76,685 Wisconsinites working in clean energy. The Framework is the single largest investment in clean energy transmission in American history, and creates a first-of-its-kind Infrastructure Financing Authority that will leverage billions of dollars into clean transportation and clean energy.

La Crosse Municipal Transit Utility

La Crosse Municipal Transit Utility is a small transit agency owned and operated by the City of La Crosse with service in La Crosse, French Island, and Onalaska, Wisconsin and La Crescent, Minnesota. The agency offers 10 bus routes and paratransit services for people with disabilities or other riders unable to use traditional bus service.

Prior to the pandemic, La Crosse Municipal Transit Utility provided approximately 900,000 passenger trips per year with 55 employees and 41 buses and other vehicles. In 2018, MTU was awarded a Federal grant to purchase two electric buses, charging stations, and related infrastructure. Earlier this year, MTU and Excel energy announced a partnership to install the chargers this summer to accommodate the new buses, expected to arrive in fall 2021. This is part of a broader strategy for the City of La Crosse to achieve a goal of 100% renewable energy by 2050. The buses are being manufactured by Proterra, whose Greenville, South Carolina facility the President visited on a virtual tour in April.

The maintenance facility also serves the City of La Crosse Street Department, which is responsible for maintaining the City's streets, repairing potholes, managing snow and ice control removal, maintaining traffic lights, and painting crosswalks.

Pool report 2 — Marine one arrival/wheels up soon

President Joe Biden landed in Marine One at 10:17 eastern time and quickly waved to the gathered press before heading up the stairs.

Air Force One will be wheels up from JBA soon.

From the White House:

Upon arrival at Joint Base Andrews, the President will be greeted by:
Col. Matthew E. Jones, Commander, 89th Airlift Wing

Traveling with the President to Wisconsin:
Bruce Reed, Assistant to the President & Deputy Chief of Staff
Jen Psaki, Assistant to the President & Press Secretary
Brian Deese, Assistant to the President & Director of the National Economic Council
Brett McGurk, Deputy Assistant to the President & Coordinator for Middle East and North Africa
Ryan Montoya, Deputy Assistant to the President & Director of Scheduling & Advance
Ashley Williams, Special Assistant to the President & Deputy Director of Oval Office Operations
Stephen Goepfert, Special Assistant to the President & Personal Aide to the President
Meghan Hays, Special Assistant to the President & Director of Message Planning
Connolly Keigher, Special Assistant to the President & Director of Presidential Advance
Lee Slater, Special Assistant to the President & House Legislative Affairs Liaison
Dan Cluchey, Senior Presidential Speechwriter

AF1 was wheels up from JBA at 10:31 am eastern.

Press Secretary Jen Psaki gaggled with reporters on board for 22 minutes, discussing the infrastructure framework, Biden's planned trip to Florida on Thursday, Afghanistan and other topics. The gaggle live streamed on the White House website, but let me know if there's anything you need clarity on.

AF1 was wheels down in La Crosse at 11:12 am central time. (Pool will be using central time as long as we're in Wisconsin.)

Biden deplaned at 11:23 a.m. He greeted Democratic Rep. Ron Kind, Sen. Tammy Baldwin and La Crosse Mayor Mitch Reynolds on the tarmac, conversing with the trio for about five minutes.

Motorcade is rolling to next stop.

More background from the WH:

President Biden's American Rescue Plan provided Wisconsin with:

• $2.53 billion in state fiscal relief
• $2.32 billion in local fiscal relief
• More than $1.59 billion in relief for K-12 schools
• Economic impact payments of up to $1,400 per person (above the $600 per person provided in December) for more than 3,817,100 adults and 1,368,300 children. This is 89% of all adults in the state and 88% of all children in the state .
• Additional relief of up to $1,600 per child through the Child Tax Credit to the families of 1,159,000 children, lifting 46,000 children out of poverty
• Additional relief of up to nearly $1,000 through the Earned Income Tax Credit to 321,000 childless workers, including many in frontline jobs
• Marketplace health insurance premiums that are $1,410 lower per month for a 60-year old couple earning $75,000 per year

Wisconsin's economy is surging back:

• Wisconsin has added more than 218,000 jobs since this time last year.
• Wisconsin's unemployment rate plummeted from 10.4 percent in May 2020 to just 3.9 percent in May 2021.
• While Wisconsin's GDP fell 8.8 percent during the first quarter of 2020, it rose 6 percent during the first quarter of 2021.
• Last year, 158,000 Wisconsinites reported that children in their household did not have enough to eat. Since then, that number has fallen by 77,000 (or 44%).
• Last year, 128,000 renters in Wisconsin were behind on payments. Today, 29,000 (or 23 percent) fewer Wisconsinites are behind on payments.

Travel pool report #4 — arrival at transit utility

Pool arrived at the La Crosse Municipal Transit Utility at 11:46 a.m. In the city of La Crosse, a number of people stepped outside to watch the motorcade pass and film it with their cell phones. But the pool saw no signage, positive or negative.

Closer to the utility, members of a local county GOP held up Trump signs, one declaring "NO TO BIG GOVERNMENT," and one calling for the defeat of Rep. Kind. A slightly smaller group of pro-Biden demonstrators stood on the opposite side of the street.

Pool is holding in a press area.

The president is in a photo line with local leaders and elected officials. The participants, according to the White House:

Adam Lorentz, Transit Manager, La Crosse Municipal Transit Utility
Congressman Ron Kind (WI-03)
Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes
Attorney General Josh Kaul
Monica Kruse, Chair, La Crosse County Board of Supervisors
Senator Brad Pfaff, State Senate District 32 (Onalaska)
Ben Wikler, Chair, Democratic Party of Wisconsin

Travel pool report #5 — Tour begins

The president's tour of the MTU began at

12:19, led by Adam Lorentz, the transit manager at the MTU.

Pool struggled to hear Biden at times, but he discussed the benefits of electric buses with MTU employees and how Wisconsin winters damage the city's roads.

"Winter is a never-ending battle in Wisconsin," Mike La Fleur, the superintendent of streets for the MTU, told Biden.

Biden asked La Fleur about the condition of the city's bridges, which he suggested was a problem.

"Our major hurdle right now … is bridge maintenance, road maintenance," La Fleur said

Upon seeing La Fleur sitting high in the cab of a paving machine, Biden joked: "Don't jump!"

Biden is set to deliver remarks on the bipartisan infrastructure deal shortly, which should livestream on the WH website.

Some overview of the tour from the WH:

STOP 1:

Laurie Nederloe, Bus Driver for La Crosse MTU, will give an overview of the La Crosse hybrid bus fleet and the shift to electric busses.

In the coming months, La Crosse MTU will expand their hybrid fleet from two to five and will add their first two fully electric busses. La Crosse is one of the first cities of its size to shift to Hybrid and Electric busses.

STOP 2:

Mike La Fleur, Superintendent of Streets for La Crosse MTU, will give an overview of road repair and how the Zipper and Paver machines enable them to make temporary fixes until they receive a larger infrastructure budget.

The Zipper and Paver work hand-in-hand: The Zipper quickly rips up the road, and then the Paver assists with repaving the roads. With these machines, the La Crosse Street Department is able to prioritize infrastructure issues year-round. The Street Department has been able to quickly take roads that were in long standing disrepair and make them safer as well as prepare them for the new hybrid and electric busses.

Pool report #6 - remarks in La Crosse

Before the president spoke at the MTU in La Crosse, Rep. Kind, Sen. Baldwin and Gov. Evers all delivered remarks.

"The president and his administration are going to make Wisconsin a regular stop," Evers said.

After Evers spoke, there was a significant delay before Biden came out to speak at around 1 p.m. central.

Laurie Nederlose, a bus driver with the La Crosse MTU, introduced the president. Biden told a story about driving a school bus during a summer in a law school to make money.

"From one bus driver to another, Laurie … let me tell you: It isn't always easy," Biden said toward the beginning of his speech, which was roughly 30 minutes long.

Most of Biden's remarks were focused on selling the new bipartisan infrastructure deal, which he called "a step forward for our country" which he said would create "good-paying jobs, not minimum wage jobs" building and repairing roads around the country. He noted today is the 65th anniversary of President Harry Truman signing the legislation that created the interstate highway system.

Biden repeatedly emphasized how the plan would benefit Wisconsin, a state he narrowly won in 2020 and that should have competitive races for governor and Senate next year.

Biden also cracked a joke about global warming after mentioning record-high temperatures in the Pacific Northwest, including 116 degree temperatures in Portland, Ore.."Don't worry there's no global warming. It doesn't exist. It's a figment of our imagination," he said.

Toward the end of his speech, Biden argued the infrastructure deal's success would show democracies could deliver for their people: "This deal isn't just the sum of its parts. It's a signal to ourselves, and to the world, that American democracy can come through and deliver for all our people."

Biden also said he would continue fighting the parts of his agenda that were included in the American Families Plan. "Maybe the most important among them is the child tax credit," he said.

Biden is set to met with Evers following the speech, the White House says.

Travel pool report #7 — heading back

Pool loaded on to buses and is rolling back towards the La Crosse airport at 1:55 p.m.

Travel pool report #8 — ice cream

Motorcade has stopped for an OTR at The Pearl, an ice cream parlor and candy store in La Crosse.

Pool report #8 — ice cream, continued

Biden entered the ice cream parlor and greeted the owners at 2:04 p.m.

Biden told Gov. Evers, Rep. Kind and Sen. Baldwin: "I'm buying."

"Oh, you guys got everything," Biden said as he examined the menu.

Kind got a single scoop cup with mint chocolate chip, while Baldwin got the same with chocolate and Evers with white chocolate raspberry.

Biden got two scoops on a sugar cone: cookies and cream and strawberry.

Pool was hustled out of the shop at around 2:09 p.m. and motorcade is rolling at 2:16 p.m.

Travel Pool report #10 — arrival at La Crosse airport

Pool arrived back at the La Crosse airport at 2:28 p.m., just in time to see Biden ascend the stairs.

AF1 should be wheels up to JBA shortly.

Also, the previous pool report should've been numbered #9. My apologies.

Travel pool report #11 — correction

In the pool report covering Biden's remarks at the MTU, I incorrectly said Biden noted it was the 65th anniversary of President Truman signing the law creating the interstate highway bill. Biden correctly credited President Eisenhower for signing the law.

Travel pool report #12

AF1 was wheels down at JBA at 5:25 p.m eastern.

Biden descended the stairs and boarded Marine One at 5:35 p.m. Col. Matthew E. Jones, Commander, 89th Airlift Wing, greeted the president on the tarmac. Marine One took off at 5:41 p.m.

Here's who returning to the WH on Marine One with the president, per the WH:

Bruce Reed, Assistant to the President & Deputy Chief of Staff
Jen Psaki, Assistant to the President & Press Secretary
Brian Deese, Assistant to the President & Director of the National Economic Council
Brett McGurk, Deputy Assistant to the President & Coordinator for Middle East and North Africa
Stephen Goepfert, Special Assistant to the President & Personal Aide to the President

Handing off to in-town pool.