Josh Bork – The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House has a new initiative to show local governments what they can do for their communities, inviting North Carolina officials to highlight funding opportunities and hear firsthand how they’re doing it can do. coronavirus relief, Infradollar and other policies are working locally.
Thursday’s event reflected increased use of the White House campus as pandemic restrictions eased. It’s also part of a larger initiative to host city, county, and state officials from all over the week. empower Democratic voters.
People are also reading…
“We’re entering a time when the administration can do more about meetings at the White House,” said Julie Rodriguez, director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs. “It’s incredibly inspiring for us to get closer to the impact we’re having on the daily lives of Americans.”
One of the key messages for the North Carolina officials’ visit is the recovery of manufacturing. With steady employment since mid-last year, US manufacturing employment totaled 12.85 million. This is his highest figure since late 2008, when the financial crisis forced him to cut more than two million jobs in the sector.
Officials to Talk to North Carolina Group Wolfspeed plans to invest $5 billion to build a silicon chip factory This is projected to create an estimated 1,800 jobs in the state.
That discussion follows a recent initial group visit by Ohio officials. President Joe Biden earlier this month Intel’s new factory near Columbus. Both Ohio and North Carolina have Senate seats vacant this year.
EPA Administrator Michael Regan from North Carolina was scheduled to attend Thursday’s half-day event. Rodriguez and former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, now a senior White House adviser, were also scheduled to speak with the group.
Twenty-three people were confirmed to be in attendance, including Representative Kathy Manning, state legislators, and mayors of Charlotte, Wilmington, Fayetteville, Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Chapel Hill, Raleigh, Concord, Kinston, and Durham. He was a North Carolina government official. Wake and Guildford counties.
Just as administrators want to hear local stories, they also want to highlight the opportunities local governments may have. bipartisan infrastructure lawincentives for the development of computer chips, scientific researchand recent packages that encourage climate-friendly energy sources and limit prescription drug prices.
As part of the day’s events, the White House planned to connect these officials with the local media as a sign it was trying to get the message across to the wider public. It is important. Republicans seeking control of the House and Senate have blamed high inflation on Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, but the administration said the price was due to global events such as the pandemic and Russia’s February invasion of Ukraine. said to be a by-product of
The White House says its efforts have helped workers by rapidly bringing the unemployment rate down to a low 3.7%, while the Republican drumbeat has pushed consumer prices up 8.3% from a year ago. , is the main reason voters are concerned. Gasoline prices fell after peaking in June, The Federal Reserve estimated Wednesday that the unemployment rate is likely to rise to keep inflation down.
Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said in a speech to the Senate on Monday, “Just because inflation is leveling off above 8% doesn’t mean families are taking a break. Quite the opposite. It means that,” he said. “It means families are constantly watching prices go up and up.”
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
