President Joe Biden came to Pittsburgh to call for the return of manufacturing on Friday hours after a major bridge collapsed in the city.
Throughout American history, Pittsburgh has provided steel for numerous cities. Additionally, Carnegie Mellon University was the perfect backdrop for the presidential speech. Its past manufacturing history shows the country’s need to build the economy through industrial production.
Equally important, Biden said the economy should live by “one principle” of making things in America “like we used to.”
The Hill and other media outlets reported on Biden’s afternoon speech.
President Talks About Nation’s Economic Needs
The Biden administration has worked to fortify supply chains, bring back American manufacturing, and create good-paying union jobs. The president hopes that the bipartisan infrastructure law can aid this plan.
A Pittsburgh bridge collapsed as Biden traveled from Washington, D.C. in a sad coincidence. The presidential caravan stopped to visit the site. Most importantly, the site was miles from the university.
Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald told the New York Post the bridge is “a major, major artery.” Fitzgerald warned “a lot of work’s gonna need to be done” to clean up the damage. Ten people suffered injuries after the early-morning collapse. Four needed hospital treatment.
Biden said the future needs what made America a “truly strong economy.” He called on Americans to use American-made products, parts, and materials to secure that future.
For example, the president urged companies not to outsource jobs. Likewise, Biden said it was “so that we have better jobs and lower prices here.”
President’s Infrastructure Law Making Results
In only 74 days, Biden said the government was “already making tangible differences” for things like highways, ports, airports, and high-speed internet.
The president focused on Friday’s bridge collapse, saying that we didn’t need to read headlines of deaths the next time a bridge falls.
In visiting the accident, he met with local officials and emergency personnel. Soon after, the Hill reported that Joe Biden told them the infrastructure bill would fix all of the city’s bridges.
The New York Post said officials could not determine why the bridge collapsed.
What’s more interesting is that officials inspected it last in September.
Currently, the city’s oldest in-service bridge is the Smithfield Street Bridge. Notably, it opened in 1883. Later on, the bridge became a National Historic Landmark in 1976.
Pittsburgh Has More Bridges Than Venice, Italy
According to the Pennsylvania Association of Bed and Breakfast Inns, Pittsburgh has 446 bridges. By comparison, that’s more than the “Floating city” of Venice, Italy.
President Joe Biden’s plan calls for about $1.6 billion in federal money for Pennsylvania’s bridges. That would include $327 million for the 2022 fiscal year for state bridge repairs.
On the negative side, Biden said there were more than 3,300 bridges and over 7,500 miles of highway in poor condition in the state.
To put it another way, there are 43,000 American bridges in poor condition.
In his first year as president, the economy has created 6.4 million jobs.
