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President Joe Biden is renewing his push to make his big economic aid and social spending plan called Build Back Better be approved by Congress.
On Wednesday, Biden hosted a group of 10 top business leaders at the White House to discuss with them the $1.7 trillion dollar package that is stalled in Congress.
The event was geared towards showcasing an element of the Build Back Better bill that hasn’t received much attention: what I would do for business.
“It’s about the here and now and the future,” Biden said. “It’s good for families, it’s good for the economy and it’s good for the country.”
Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors, Jim Ford Motor CEO Farley, Salesforce co-CEO Marc Benioff, Microsoft Chairman Brad Smith, Etsy CEO Josh Silverman, Siemens Corp. CEO Barbara Humpton and Corning CEO Wendell Weeks , were among those who participated.
Biden recalled that the plan would include funding for universal preschool, child care and clean energy initiatives, among others things. Because this will also allow for a better developed labor force to face the challenges of the country’s economic development and the environmental crisis facing the world.
Biden also highlighted the economic aid plan assumes the clean energy industrialization: “We are, we are bringing back American manufacturing, or, I should say, all of you are bringing back American manufacturing. And we are helping along the way here”, the president highlighted
“The industrial Midwest, believe it or not, is making a comeback. I got here when I was between 20 and 30 years, and the industrial Midwest was still going strong. But it’s coming back and doing some of the most sophisticated manufacturing in the world,” Biden said.
“I really focused on the climate initiatives of the law”, said Tom Linebarger, executive director of the Cummins diesel engine company, who was among those attending the the White House round table. “The truth is that companies cannot do it on our own. We need infrastructure. we need an energy policy, we need many other things to support it. Because a fuel cell truck can only be used if hydrogen is available,” Linebarger said.
Brad Smith, from Microsoft recognized that there is a very important connection between the pieces of Build Back Better and what is important not only to Microsoft’s business, but to all American businesses. He added: “From our perspective, Build Back Better will help address short-term supply shortages while, I will also say, build a long-term foundation for another critical element that businesses need: namely, people with the skills to make the jobs we are creating”
The CEO of General Motors Co., Mary Barra, and the CEO of Ford Motor Co., Jim Farley, urged Wednesday to pass President Joe Biden’s climate policy and social safety net bill. Both companies committed during the United Nations Climate Change Conference to work so that all new car sales are zero emission vehicles worldwide for 2040, and GM committed to pursuing sales of zero-emission vehicles for 2035.
Mary Barra pointed : “To do that, you need a good public-private partnership. Because for us to make those investments, we need provisions, especially the environmental provisions or the climate provisions that are going to unlock the EV credits. We see that EV credits stimulate the market. And to achieve the aggressive greenhouse gas reduction targets that we have, achieving strong demand is very important.”
2040
Barra concluded by telling Biden to approve $80 $1 billion in funding for domestic semiconductor chip manufacturing “really is a national imperative. “Without having the ability to have that supply chain in this country, our ability to lead in electric and autonomous vehicles will be affected. And these are key technologies for the future.”
With moderate senators holding out, Democrats have been unable to muster the votes to push through the measure that It is one of the fundamental pillars of the Administration.
But there seems to be growing support from the country’s large companies to promote legislation that favors social development, reinforces protection against climate change and encourages the creation of a skilled workforce and advanced industrial development.
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