President Biden visited Abbott’s Creek Community Center in Raleigh on January 17 to discuss his accomplishments concerning his infrastructure bill and the economy.
Biden visited the Triangle area as North Carolina is a battleground state in the 2024 election. In his speech, he shared that he provided $82 million in new investment to expand internet broadband to another 16,000 North Carolina homes and businesses. This latest advancement will help bring new people into North Carolina and allow different companies and communities to communicate. One of his goals is to have broadband internet provided to all Americans.
The $82 million award will fund Governor Cooper’s Stop-Gap Solutions Program, which aims to deliver reliable high-speed internet access to the most challenging locations to reach in North Carolina.
He also spoke about other infrastructure projects, such as the proposed Raleigh to Richmond rail line and bridges in the Outer Banks. Over $1 billion was proposed in the American Rescue Plan Act funding; this will increase the infrastructure in North Carolina by connecting over 300,000 homes and businesses to high-speed internet by 2026. The state put this funding toward nearly $350 million in Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology (GREAT) grants to connect 137,646 households and 4,441 businesses in 92 counties, along with $22 million in Completing Access to Broadband (CAB) program awards that will connect 6,012 more households and 164 companies in 14 counties to high-speed internet. In previous months, Biden has undergone pressure, considering the inflation levels that have fallen since reaching an all-time high in June 2023 have remained stubborn. President Biden empathized with voters about dealing with higher inflation, but he has stressed that his policies are fostering the creation of factory and construction jobs with middle-class wages.
While discussing new projects and building back the American infrastructure, Biden stated, “When jobs grow, everything grows.” After talking for 20 minutes, he visited Cook Out and had a milkshake with Governor Cooper. He also reported seeing a family at their home and bringing them Cook Out Trays, where he told the children stories before heading to the Raleigh-Durham International Airport.