our country regarding covid vaccinations and wear a mask's. -- wearing masks. this is putting so many people in danger of losing their lives. i have family members who think the vaccinations are a joke. and i pray they do not get covid, because it is killing people. ♪ ["hail to the chief" playing]

>> good afternoon. my name is bernie ricky. i'm from michigan, home of the historic rouge complex and in the ford lightning. [applause] mr. president, it is my honor to be with you today. we know that the uaw and joe biden have worked together from your earliest days in delray, when we supported you in your first run for office. we were there in the beginning, we are so proud to be here now with our brother in the white house today. members are excited about the future. the uaw is ready to build electric cars, trucks and the batteries that go in them. we know that president biden has our back. we know he understands at that we can grow our industry, to preserve more union jobs in the build back better plan. we know that this president

understands that as we move towards this feature, none of us will be left behind. that we are the engine in making the technology work and we will empower america's middle-class. that is why i am proud to introduce president biden today, as a proud american and uaw member. we have your back, and you have ours. thank you, president biden. [applause] pres. biden: please come everybody sit down. -- please, everybody sit down. good afternoon. i -- before i begin, let me start with something, i apologize, more somber. i learned a couple hours ago, when my staff came in, that a close friend of mine -- and i think of many of you as well --

died today from a heart attack. that was the reason i was late coming out. i was talking to his wife and son. he was not just a great labor leader, he was a friend. he was someone i could confide in, and you knew whatever he said he would do, he would do. tommy, you knew him as well. he was always there. he was an american worker, always fighting for working people, protecting their wages, safety and pensions, and their ability to build a middle-class life. i've also believed that the middle class built america, but i know who built the middle classes unions. unions built the middle class. there is no doubt that trumpka helped the unions all across the country. my heart goes out to barbara, rich jr. and all the grandkids.

and i might point out that, you know, i used to always kid him. he was from soft coal country. i was from hard coal country. he used to be president of the united mine workers, that is how he got started. folks, let me now turn to the events -- the day's events. i want to thank bernie for being part of some of the best workers in the world. thank you to the president of the uaw. it's good to see you. and i also want to thank the leaders of the big three companies for being here. mary barra from general motors. [applause] i think she is one of the reasons we are here. we had a long discussion on a zoom call with a bunch of labor leaders and other major business leaders, and she made a commitment. and she is keeping it.

thank you very much. jim farley of ford. [applause] who, by the way, my dad was an automobile business and he did mostly general motors projects, products, but you see that over there? 0-60 in 4.1 seconds, and it is all electric. i want to say publicly, i have a commitment from mary when they make the first electric corvette, i get to drive it. right, mary? you think i am getting. i am not kidding. [laughter] my entire secret service detail went, oh my god. and, you know, mark -- we used to have one of your big plants in my estate. -- my state. and the man i am about to recognize, thank you to all the members of congress, but i want to pay particular recognition to

my chairman, my buddy, we served together for years, tom carper. tom, i know that i kid my michigan friends, but i just want you to know -- to say to senators heinrich, marky, white house, and duckworth and i am leaving some folks out, i am sure, kathy castor -- the whole michigan delegation that is here today. senator peters, donnie dingle, who is automobiles, and dan guilty. i remind the michigan delegation of this, it used to be when i first got elected, i used to tell your husband this as well, we had a higher percentage of autoworkers in delaware than any state, including michigan.

now, the fact we had a small population -- [laughter] and we had almost 100,000 autoworkers in our state, county and the --, had something to do with it. but i want to be very straightforward, you know. the uaw brought me to the dance, as they say. and i know we are missing someone truly special, a dear friend of all of us, senator carl leavenworth who passed away last week. carl and i served together for 30 years in the u.s. senate. i think all my colleagues will attest to this, he was one of the most honorable, decent people that i have ever known. he was a tireless champion of the american worker. and an iconic automobile industry. so, he embodied everything that his beloved michigan and our country represents, respect,

dignity, pride. pride in the nation and pride in what we build. so today, the unions, state and local leaders, we are working together to write the next chapter of the american story. as i have said before, we are in competition with china and other nations for the 21st century. to win, we need to make sure the future will be made in america. in may, i took a tour of the ford plant, a state of the art facility in dearborn, where the uaw workers are building the first ever electric ford 150. and the best part is, i got to drive it. it's incredible, just like the other vehicles behind me. they our a vision of a future that is now beginning to happen. a feature of the automobile industry that's electric. battery electric, plug in, hybrid, fuel cell electric. it's electric. there's no turning back. the question is whether we will

lead or fall behind in the race for the future. it is whether we will build these vehicles into the batteries that got them to where they are here in the u.s., or will we have to rely on other countries for those batteries. whether or not the job to build these vehicles and batteries are a good paying union job, jobs with benefits, jobs that will sustain continued growth of the middle class. they have to be, they have to be made here in america. right now, china is leading the race. it has one of the largest and fastest growing electric vehicle markets in the world. a key part of the electric vehicle, to state the obvious, is the battery. 80% of the manufacturing capacity for these batteries is in china. here is the deal, it is not that china's battery technology is much more innovative. remember, our national labs in america, our universities, our automakers lead in the development of this technology. we have led in the development

of this technology. there is no reason why we cannot reclaim that leadership and lead again. we have to move and we have to move fast. when barack obama and i were in office, that is what we were doing. in 2009, the automobile industry was on its back. we were told we would never be able to sell american-made cars at the same rate we had before, but we did not listen to the naysayers. we even had some in both parties who did not think we should "bailout" the industry, if he remembered. but we bet on the american worker, and we extended a lifeline. and they stepped up, made sacrifices to do it, and we saved more than a million jobs in the process. workers, we sent you efficiency scanners and we provided incentives for people to buy fuel-efficient vehicles. through the recovery act, we made the largest investment in clean energy and battery technology ever made.

and then, the previous administration came along, and they rolled back the standards we set. despite bipartisan support for consumer incentives, they also let the federal tax credit expire, penalizing autoworkers wh at the time were selling the most electric vehicleso. they it for every week for four years and not once got anything done. folks, the rest of the world is moving ahead. we have to step up. the government, labor, the industry working together, which you see here today. we have a playbook and it is going to work. today, i'm announcing steps we are taking to set a new place for electric vehicles. first, i am following through on my camping commitment to reverse the previous administration's rollback of vehicle emissions and efficiency standards. i'm doing so with the support of the auto industry. the automobile industry.

today, the epa in department of transportation are advancing proposals to do that. these agencies are beginning to work on the next round of standards for broad class of vehicles, for cars, suvs, pickup trucks, medium and heavy-duty vehicles. importantly, we have announcements today from automakers representing nearly the entire market, who have positioned around the ambition of 40% to 50% of all vehicles sold by 2030 be electric in america. it is a big deal. but to unlock the full potential, we have to keep investing in our manufacturing capacity and are workers. that is what our plan is all about. it's about leveraging investments, and the whole of government effort, to lift up american autoworkers and strengthen the american leadership in the world. in the clean car technology, just not cars, but trucks and

buses. that is why today, i am signing an executive order, setting out a target of 50% of all passenger vehicles sold by 2030 will be electric. and set into motion an all out effort. that is why along with the members of congress here, we are working around the clock on the build back better plan, which does three critical things. one, it transforms our infrastructure. we are going to put americans to work modernizing our roads, highways, ports, airports, rail and transit systems. that includes putting union workers to work, installing a national network of 500,000 charging stations on our roads and honor highways, in our homes and apartments. two, we are going to boost our manufacturing capacity. the to back better plan invests in new rooted facilities -- in new and retooled facilities and

will employ workers with good paying wages, good jobs. it grants the kickstarter of new battery and parts production, loans and tax credits to boost manufacturing of clean vehicles. and are build back better plan makes the largest investment in research and development in generations. thsi will help innovate -- this will help innovate, manufacture and build supply chains for batteries, semi conductors, the small computer chips and electric trucks, and cars, will be even more reliant upon as we go forward. never again should we be in a situation that we face today, with the semi conductor shortage. and we know these kinds of federal investments, we know that they work. with the defense department, with nasa. they got the semi conductor industry on its feet decade ago. our on department of energy pioneered and transform to the battery energy -- battery industry when we were in office,

barack obama and i. with the help of the recovery act, battery prices dropped 85% because we were forward looking. we need that same mindset today. thirdly, support of consumers and fleets. that means purchasing incentives for consumers to buy clean vehicles, union made in america, like the ones championed by debbie stabenow, in the senate, which provides a basic credit, $2500 credit for vehicles made in america and an additional $2500 credit for union made vehicles. that means spurring demand. think about the government's fleet of vehicles, we have a lot of vehicles, 60,000. turning them into an all american-made, clean vehicles. so that is what we will do as we roll out and get rid of the

existing fleet, we will support the electric transit system as well. and the electric school bus system. look, there is one other thing we have in our playbook that will help us compete with other nations, the american worker. [applause] the american worker. i really believe this, and i know that you guys do, too. we are the ace in the deck. many of you watching at home are like the folks that grew up with me and straighten, in delaware, they feel left out in an economy that is rapidly changing. i understand. but we are going to leave no one behind. nearly 90% of the jobs created in our infrastructure plan do not require a bachelors degree. and when we invest in our info structure, we will buy american products, american materials and services from american businesses made in america by american workers. and we are going to do everything in our power to

encourage and protect the right of workers to unionize and collectively bargain. the bottom line, we are proposing a blue-collar plan to rebuild america. that is what it will be. and we need automakers and other companies to keep investing in america. we need them not to take their benefits of our investments and expand production abroad. we need to continue paying good wages, support local communities across the country. that's why i am proud the uaw is standing here today as well. that's why i am proud that the three largest employers are sitting here, and the sector is set, not only on electric vehicles but on expansion, expanding union jobs and the middle class. it matters. in the spring, i kept my commitment to convened with leaders of all the major economies in the world. it was not in person, but we did it on a zoom call with a bunch

of folks, including the heads of state of china, india, japan, the european union, and we hosted it in the white house on the most cost mental issues facing the world. the agreement was on the climate crisis. and i made clear what i have long believed, and i think of when i think of the climate crisis, beyond the devastation of lives, livelihoods and at the health of our planet, when i hear about climate i think jobs. good paying, union jobs. i want the world to see that there is a consensus that we are at an inflection point in world history. if we act to save the planet, we can also come out of it better. we can create millions of jobs and generate economic growth and opportunity, and raise the standard of people not only here, but around the world. but i also want to put the world on notice -- america is back.

america is back. [applause] we are in the competition for the 21st century, the future that will be built right here in america. let me close with this. our economy is recovering. in six months, we ha seenv -- have seen the fastest job growth at any point in history. the fastest economic growth in nearly 40 years. and we have shown the world that there is no quit in america, none, none, none. and it is never a good bet to bet against america. we are the united states of america. there is not a single solitary thing, nothing, beyond our capacity to get done if we do it together. we have to act. and that is what we are doing today. and, again, i want to thank the ceos of the automobile companies, and i want to than all the autoworkersk -- thank

all the autoworkers. would like to invite my congressional colleagues to come up, if they are willing to stand behind me, when we do these command others who no -- do this, and others who know they are supposed to do this. thank you so much. [background chatter] pres. biden:,, how are you? -- tommy, how are you? >> it's good to see you. pres. biden: now, when i sign the executive order, usually i'm able to give a pen to the folks who are part of it, but i only have one pen. >> uh oh.

pres. biden: you each are going to get a pen, i promise you. this is the executive order for clean cars and trucks. i want to again thank the ceos and workers and members of government. thank you, thank you, thank you. alright! [applause] thank you, thank you, thank you. i'm sorry i was on the phone earlier. [background chatter] he was on a camping trip. [indiscernible chatter]

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announcer: earlier today, the white house met with pacific asian leaders to discuss anti-asian sentiment and the economy's role in the recovery from covid-19. ♪ ♪

>> ladies and gentlemen, please remain seated. ♪ pres. biden: we were talking a little bit