Vice Presidential Pool Reports of March 21, 2022

VP travel pool report #1 -- JBA depature

Good morning from Joint Base Andrews, where it’s 50 degrees and sunny.

Marine Two touched down at 8:55. Vice President Harris crossed the tarmac, without stopping to talk to the pool gathered under the wing of Air Force Two.

Harris was greeted by Commerce Deputy Secretary Don Graves, and Rep. Troy Carter, D-La. Harris boarded AF2 at 9:02.

AF2 will be wheels up shortly for Louisiana, where the VP will tour Armand J. Brinkhaus Community Library in Sunset, La. and deliver remarks at a local community center.

On background from the VP's office:

Today, Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to Sunset, Louisiana to highlight the Biden-Harris Administration’s historic investments in affordable, accessible high-speed internet. Governor John Bel Edwards, Senior Advisor to the President Cedric Richmond, and Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves will also participate.

The Vice President will highlight the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announcement of 13 grants totaling more than $277 million, which will be used to connect more than 133,000 underserved households. In total, the grants were awarded to 12 states and one territory. Louisiana’s Acadiana region is receiving $29 million in funding to provide high speed internet to over 22,000 households and over 3,000 small businesses.

Prior to delivering remarks, the Vice President will hear directly from people in the community about the importance of high-speed internet, especially when it comes to students learning at home and in the classroom, small businesses remaining competitive, community members receiving telehealth services, and students at community colleges training for jobs laying new broadband lines.

The President and Vice President have made it a top priority to ensure all Americans have access to reliable, affordable, high-speed internet to learn, work, and participate in the 21st century economy. But accessible broadband remains out of reach for too many: more than 35 percent of rural Americans and Tribal communities lack wired access to broadband at acceptable speeds.

The Vice President worked with the President to pass the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law – including fighting for the $65 billion investment to ensure affordable, accessible high-speed internet for all Americans. Then-Senator Harris co-sponsored the Accessible, Affordable, Broadband for All Act. Since becoming Vice President, she has traveled the country meeting with Americans, experts, lawmakers and others to make the case for closing the digital divide.

On February 14th, Vice President Harris announced more than 10 million households are enrolled in the Affordable Connectivity Program, the nation’s largest ever broadband affordability program. The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to removing barriers to high-speed, affordable internet access. Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, millions of families who previously could not get online or struggled to pay for this modern-day necessity are now connected.

VP travel pool report #2 -- Lafayette arrival, motorcade rolling

AF2 was wheels down at Lafayette Regional Airport at 10:41 local time after a smooth flight.

Vice President Harris deplaned at 10:55, arriving to a temperature of 67 degrees and overcast skies with some sun peeking through. She spoke with greeters and then got into a waiting SUV.

The motorcade is rolling to Sunset.

Greeters, from the VP's office:
Gov. John Bel Edwards
Commerce Dep. Sec. Don Graves
Rep. Troy Carter
Sunset Mayor Charles James
Lafayette Mayor Josh Guillroy

And a small update as well that Senior Adviser to the President Cedric Richmond has not joined VP on this trip. (He was on the list of officials earlier this morning).

VP travel pool report #3 -- Library tour

Vice President Harris arrived at the Armand J. Brinkhaus Community Library at 11:30, after a roughly 30-minute ride.

People lined sections of the route in the town of Sunset waving at the motorcade.

Harris, flanked by Gov. Edwards and others, visited several parts of the library, starting with a computer room where she met a library staff member and patron. The patron told Harris she brought her grandchildren to the library to do their homework there because they didn't have access to broadband internet at home.

Next Harris visited a reading room where she met with a restaurant owner who said bad internet connectivity impacts his small business. "Ordering, shipping things, time is money," the man said. "When my internet is out I have no [ability to run] credit cards."

"This is a great outline of the significance" of broadband, Harris said. She asked him what his best dishes were.

"You want the biscuits and the oysters. That's my retirement money," the man said.

Harris then talked to a health care provider who spoke about the importance of broadband internet for seniors seeking telehealth services during the pandemic.

Next, Harris stopped by a different reading room where she talked to an 11-year-old girl who read her prepared remarks off a note card. "Our internet is slow," the girl said, "and we struggle to be virtual" during covid.

Harris said she wanted to "hear from young leaders." The VP asked the girl what her favorite subject was in school. "PE," she replied.

The last stop of the tour was a brief conversation with an official representing Louisiana's technical and community colleges. Harris then got a short demonstration of how to splice fiber optic cables.

The pool was led out at 12:13. Walking next door to the Sunset Community Center, where the VP will deliver remarks.

VP travel pool report #4 -- VP remarks start

VP Harris stepped to the podium at the Sunset Community Center at 12:34, before a crowd of roughly 100 people.

Harris was introduced by Gov. Edwards, who talked of the need to boost broadband internet across the state, and a school student. The student said poor connectivity made virtual learning during the pandemic "ten times more difficult."

More to follow.

VP travel pool report #5 -- Remarks end, pool holding

Vice President Harris concluded her remarks at 12:50. The pool is holding at the community center while the VP does interviews with local press.

The White House live-streamed audio of the speech on its website. Some highlights:

The Biden administration has been working to "build an economy that works for working people," Harris said.

"High speed broadband internet is critical to that effort. In the 21st century, high speed internet is a necessity, full stop."

"So much of our world has moved on line during the pandemic."

And yet, Harris said, an estimated 42 million Americans don't have high-speed internet, either because they can't afford or don't have access to it. Harris added that 30 percent of the households in St. Landry Parish, where Sunset is located, don't have high-speed internet.

Kids "are sitting in fast food parking lots, doing their homework over public wifi" and seniors are doing telehealth visits at local libraries without any privacy, she said.

Harris touted the bipartisan infrastructure law's $65 billion in funding for high-speed internet across the country.

"We will lay thousands of miles of fiber optic cable and help millions of households lower their monthly internet bill," she said.

The vice president also noted the infrastructure law included funding for flood resilience for communities hard hit by natural disasters, which got a large cheer from the crowd. "I see your enthusiasm," Harris said.

VP travel pool report #6 -- background on library tour

Background on library tour participants, from the White House:

Stop 1, children's computer lab: Leona Boxie
Stop 2, reference room: restaurant owner Troy Bijeaux
Stop 3: reference room: telehealth expert Rhonda Bergeron
Stop 4: children's room: Raelyn Guillroy, (the 11-year-old who met w/ the VP)
Stop 5: children's room: community colleges: Christopher James Wiley and Rick Banteman

VP travel pool report #7 -- Rolling to Lafayette

The motorcade is rolling back to Lafayette for the return flight to JBA.

VP travel pool report #8 -- Departure from Lafayette

Vice President Harris boarded AF2 at 3:37. She did not answer shouted questions from the pool on Ukraine and SCOTUS hearings. Wheels up at soon for JBA.

VP travel pool report #9 -- JBA return/M2 lifts

AF2 wheels down at JBA at 6:55 ET after an uneventful flight.

Vice President Harris walked down the steps at 7:10, and headed straight to Marine Two.

M2 lifted off at 7:15.

Good evening, all.