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The meeting is different from previous ones due to health precautions.
A day after announcing his massive infrastructure plan, President Joe Biden held his first in-person Cabinet meeting Thursday afternoon at the White House, tasking five members of his cabinet to take the lead in selling the proposal to the people. American – and Congress.
In brief remarks at the top of the meeting, Biden announced that Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge, Labor Secretary Marty Walsh and Secretary at Commerce Gina Raimondo would assume this additional responsibility.
Working with his White House staff, Biden said the group of former mayors and governors “will represent me in dealings with Congress, engage the public … and help work out the details as I go. we will refine them and move forward “.
“I want to thank them in advance for the role they are going to play with this additional mission that I am asking them to take on. And we will be discussing that today, among other things,” Biden said of the meeting. , during which the new infrastructure proposal was to be a major topic of conversation.
Biden also issued a directive to members of his cabinet as they strive to move his agenda forward, asking them to follow through on the executive’s “Buy American” action he echoed. in January “to make sure that when the government spends taxpayer dollars, they spend it on products made in the United States, American companies and American employees.”
“Today, I ask each member of the Cabinet, I sincerely mean it, everyone, to take a close look at their agencies’ expenses and make sure they meet my ‘Buy American’ standard,” he said. Biden told the group. “I’m going to ask you all to report to me at the next Cabinet meeting.”
The 25-person meeting included the 15 senior department heads, as well as seven cabinet-level department heads, including Shalanda Young, acting director of the Bureau of Management and Budget. Biden’s original choice for the role, Neera Tanden, has withdrawn his nomination due to opposition in the Senate.
Vice President Kamala Harris and White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain, both Cabinet members, were also in attendance, along with nine senior White House staff, including the director of the National Economic Council. Brian Deese, Home Policy Council Director Susan Rice and Jeff Zients, White House COVID-19 Coordinator.
The meeting was different from previous ones due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of taking place in the Cabinet Room, the traditional venue, the group met in the East Room to comply with public health guidelines and allow for social distancing.
The rally was timed to follow Biden’s launch of the first part of his new infrastructure plan, a multibillion-dollar proposal aimed at traditional infrastructure projects to repair roads, rails and bridges, but which also includes billions to expand high-speed Internet access, America’s senior-based care community, and clean energy investments.
“It’s not a tinkering around plan,” Biden said in a speech in Pittsburgh on Wednesday. “It’s a one-time investment in a generation in America, unlike anything we’ve seen or done since we built the interstate highway system and the space race decades ago. In fact, it’s the biggest U.S. investment in jobs since World War II. “
The meeting was to focus not only on infrastructure and the role Cabinet members will play, but also on continued implementation and communication on Biden’s $ 1.9 trillion COVID relief bill, according to one. responsible for the White House.
Press availability at the top of the meeting contrasted with former President Donald Trump’s longer press availability during his first Cabinet meeting in June 2017, during which members of his cabinet took to the floor. praise from the then president, who praised himself. for the accomplishments of his administration despite the fact that no major legislation has yet been passed by Congress.
No member of Biden’s cabinet spoke during the brief availability of the press, which lasted less than two minutes.
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