Washington Hilton
Washington, D.C.
1:20 P.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, thank you, thank you. (Applause.) Thank you.
Folks, my name is Joe Biden. (Laughter.) And I used to be a county councilman. (Applause.) And I ran for the Senate because it was too damn hard being in the council. (Laughter.)
It’s great to be back with you all. Commissioner Larry Johnson of DeKalb County, Georgia, thank you for your leadership.
I also want to thank all the folks working so hard here in the Washington Hilton to make this conference possible. Thank you all very much. (Applause.)
And if you want to know how seriously I take the role you play on the frontlines in this country, just look at who I asked to come with you. You said you wanted to know what was going on. I sent you the whole damn administration. (Laughs.) (Applause.)
Yeah, Secretaries — three Secretaries, an Administrator — Regan of the EPA; Gene Sperling leading the Rescue Plan implementation; Mitch Landrieu, who’s leading the implementation of the Infrastructure Law; and you all know Julie Rodriguez, my Director of Intergovernmental Affairs. (Applause.) And along with a number of other key deputies and — leading my economic strategy.
Look, I want to recognize my home county executive, Matt Meyer, so I can go back home. Matt, thank you. (Applause.) Thank you. Matt is doing one heck of a job, and I’m sure he’s told you the story, I heard, of the — my time in the county council.
You know, I used to — I don’t know about you all, but commissioner, councilman — whichever your title is — you knock on the door and say, “My name is Joe Biden, and I’m a candidate for the county council.” And they look at you like, “Okay?” (Laughter.) And you’re wondering — you’re wondering what the county council does, aren’t you? (Laughter.) Well, it affects their lives more than anybody else’s. No, it really does. You’re involved in everything.
When a constituent called, she said — I represented a — we had — we have one county that has 60 percent of the state’s population. And we had six councilmen. So a councilman’s district was seven times bigger than a house member and — in the state house — and three time bigger than the state senator.
And I represented a middle-class district to a working-class district, but there was one very wealthy neighborhood. And I got a call one night; the woman said to me — obviously not of the same persuasion as I was, politically — called me and said, “There’s a dead dog on my lawn.” (Laughter.) And I said, “Yes, ma’am.” I said, “Have you called county?” She said, “Yes, they’re not here.” And I said, “Well, I’ll get them in the morning.” She said, “I want it removed now. I pay your salary.” (Laughter.) So, I went over. (Laughter and applause.) I picked it up. She said, “I want it out of my front yard.” I put it on her doorstep. (Laughter and applause.)
But I’ve gotten much better since then.
So, I know from personal experience how hard the job you have is. People — people having to phone or — you know, or not afraid to use that phone. I used to give out my phone number; can’t do that anymore. They don’t even allow me to have a phone anymore. (Laughter.)
But I — I also know you work often on the basis of what other people — whether they’ve lost faith, they have faith, they lose faith in government — you’re there. You represent the frontlines of public service. It’s not hyperbole.
That’s why I was elected — one of the first calls I made was to your board of directors. And I reminded Judge Gary Moore, your past president, that this administration includes a President and Vice President who are both former county officials. And I promised I’ll always have you as a partner with us.
The partnership was critical when we passed American Rescue Plan — the most significant investment in the country’s local governments in American history.
And I also inherited a tough situation in 2020. But after an incredibly difficult year, local and state governments have added 448,000 new jobs in 2021 — the strongest growth in 20 years. (Applause.)
And, you know, it’s — it’s amazing what you all do. I really mean it. I’m not being solicitous. After a year of disruption for our kids, we were able to add education jobs in 2021, more than — […]
Protected by Patchstack