Garamendi joins meeting with Biden
Rep. Garamendi has authored numerous bills to bring manufacturing jobs back to the United States.
One of President Joe Biden’s campaign promises was to create a package that would modernize transportation infrastructure in the United States, including creating millions of jobs to repair the country’s transportation systems, providing every city with 100,000 or more residents access to zero-emissions public transit options, expanding broadband and allowing the automobile industry to prioritize technology created in America.
Biden is continuing to emphasize this plan during his presidency and he shared his vision with a bipartisan group of eight congressional representatives from the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in an Oval Office meeting Thursday that also included Vice President Kamala Harris and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Among the representatives who took part in the meeting was Rep. John Garamendi, D-Solano, who told The Reporter he was very pleased by what was presented.
“He laid out that vision of things that America needs to do to have a modern American infrastructure: streets, roads, trains, planes, harbors, research facilities,” he said. “He went through all of these things and said, ‘We have to have this if we’re going to be competitive and if we’re going to have the jobs necessary for Americans.’”
Garamendi said Biden assured that he wanted every taxpaying dollar that goes into such projects would go toward purchasing American-made goods and services. He said he “stood up and cheered” because that is something the congressman has been promoting for years through his “Make it in America” agenda.
Garamendi has authored numerous bills to bring manufacturing jobs back to the United States and allow the country to purchase goods made in America.
Early in his presidency, Biden signed an executive order to support “Buy American” policies for goods and services. Subsequently, Garamendi reintroduced his American Food for American Schools Act, which would mandate that school districts buy domestically sourced ingredients for meals.
Garamendi said progress has been made over the years, regarding American materials being used to create transportation infrastructure, and he believes the president is “all in” on furthering this goal.
“I talked about that with him, encouraged him to continue to be strong on that,” he said.
Other things that Biden reportedly discussed at this meeting included updating maritime ports to dredge deeper channels, building American ships, upgrading airports, improving communication infrastructure, enhancing electrical grids, providing more electric vehicle charging stations and improved dams and levees.
“(These are) things that we’ve been working on in our district (California’s 3rd Congressional District) for as long as I’ve been in Congress,” Garamendi said.
Garamendi said Biden also discussed areas that the congressman believes the 3rd District is a leader in. These included the pharmaceutical supply chain, which is served by Genentech in Vacaville; and having a well-educated workforce, which Garamendi believes that Solano Community College and the University of California, Davis accomplish.
“They are educating the next generation of biotech chemists and technicians and researchers,” he said.
Garamendi said Biden also touched upon issues he would like to see addressed in his district. These included bridge improvements, and Garamendi specifically cited the Yolo Causeway, a raised highway viaduct along Interstate 80 that connects West Sacramento to Davis. The California Department of Transportation has announced plans to widen the causeway, although construction is not slated to begin for at least another three years.
Garamendi said the causeway in its current state has created “a major chokepoint” for traffic on I80.
Garamendi said he expects a comprehensive bill within four to five months.
The other committee members who participated in the meeting were Chairman Peter DeFazio, D-Oregon; Eleanor Holmes-Norton, D-D.C.; Sharice Davids, D-Kansas; Garret Graves, Republican Louisiana; Rodney Davis, R-Illinois; John Katko, R-New York; and Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pennsylvania.