Biden brings his economic pitch to Georgia, marking 100 days in office

By Tyler Pager,

DULUTH, Ga. — President Biden spent his 100th day in office in Georgia, where he thanked the state’s voters for delivering a Democratic majority in the Senate and credited them for making possible the ambitious economic plans he wants to push through Congress in the coming weeks.

At a rally hosted by the Democratic National Committee, the first in-person political event for Biden since he took office, the president infused more politics into the message he delivered Wednesday night in his speech to a joint session of Congress.

“We owe a special thanks to the people of Georgia,” Biden said at the drive-in rally, held in Gwinnett County. “Because of you, the rest of the world, because of your two senators, the rest of America was able to get the help they got. So far, the American Rescue Plan would not have passed. So much we got done, like getting checks to people, probably would not have happened. So if you ever wonder if elections make a difference, just remember what you did here in Georgia when you elected [Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael G. Warnock].”

Before the rally, Biden visited former president Jimmy Carter at his home in Plains, Ga.

The 100-day mark is a symbolic one, but the Biden White House has leaned into it as a crucial time period for making progress on the administration’s priorities. As the president gears up for a high-stakes legislative push for his ambitious infrastructure package, he is hitting the road to garner support from the American public as Republicans raise opposition to the expansive approach Biden is taking.

Biden is seeking a dramatic reshaping of the federal government, asking Congress to pass trillions of dollars in spending for a massive two-part plan that would rebuild the country’s aging physical infrastructure while also expanding social programs including universal preschool, free community college and new tax breaks for families. The program would be paid for with higher taxes on the richest and corporations.

Biden framed the country’s challenges as a test for democracy, urging lawmakers on Wednesday night to take action not only on his infrastructure package but on immigration, gun control and police reform to show the American people that a Democratic government can deliver results and improve their lives. America’s autocratic adversaries, he said, are betting that the nation’s divisions will lead to failure.

“You began to change America, and you’re helping us prove that democracy, democracy can still deliver for the people,” he said Thursday to the crowd in Georgia. “I want to thank you for all of that.”

As Biden seeks to remake the government, some moderate members of his own party are growing anxious about the scale and scope of his proposals. The latest infrastructure package follows the passage of a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package that Biden signed into law in March.

“He’s putting out a vision; I think it’s up to Congress to decide whether we’re going to go along with all of it or what parts of it are, and how we’re going to do that,” Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) told reporters on Thursday, declining to say whether she would support the full package. Shaheen said she wanted to see the details of the spending before making a decision.

Perhaps the most important moderate voice in the caucus, Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.), told reporters before Biden’s speech that the overall cost of the president’s agenda “makes you very uncomfortable.”

Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux (D-Ga.), who flipped a Republican-held seat in November and is a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, said Biden has identified some critical gaps but it is up to Congress to “hash it out and bring the pieces together.”

“There is that need to make investments for us to be strong going into the 21st century and to compete globally and the president made those points,” she said in an interview. “At the same time, we also don’t want to saddle our children with a heavy amount of debt and so we need some fiscal order.”

Biden has said he is willing to adapt his proposals to find compromise, and the White House has said the president and senior administration officials will continue outreach to congressional leaders and members of both parties to gather feedback on the legislation. But the White House also touted polls that show Biden’s agenda is popular with a large swath of the country, including some independents and Republicans.

At the same time, progressive Democrats want Biden to go bigger with his plans, particularly as it relates to climate change and health care. Some congressional Democrats are planning a significant expansion of Medicare by lowering the eligibility age. The move would defy the White House, which decided against including such a change in the package.

Biden was briefly interrupted at the start of his speech by immigration activists, who urged the president to abolish U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and end the use of private prisons. As the protesters shouted “End detention now!” and “Abolish ICE!,” Biden joked that they should take the microphone, then asked them for more time. He vowed to address the issue that has proved difficult for Democratic and Republican administrations.

“There should be no private prisons, period,” he said in response to their chants. “None. Period. That’s what we’re talking about in private detention centers. They should not exist.”

Biden and first lady Jill Biden earlier Thursday met with Carter and his wife, Rosalynn. The Carters did not travel to Biden’s inauguration because of the pandemic, but both couples are now fully vaccinated. Biden and Carter, 96, have spoken multiple times since Biden took office, and the two share a deep relationship that spans decades. Biden was the first member of the Senate to endorse Carter in his 1976 presidential bid and became an ally during his term.

“They are such a powerful reminder that serving our country isn’t limited to the office you hold,” Jill Biden said at the rally. “The Carters continue their work, making our country stronger every day, and we are grateful and honored for their friendship.”

In a not-yet-aired video tribute to Carter, Biden recalls flying to Wisconsin to meet the long-shot candidate. At the time, Biden, 33, joked that he wasn’t old enough to run himself, according to Carter biographer Jonathan Alter. The Constitution requires a presidential candidate to be at least 35, so Biden campaigned for Carter in many states.

“As I said then, Jimmy is not just a bright smile. He can win and appeal to more segments of the population than any other person,” Biden says in his tribute to air before the upcoming premiere of “Carterland,” a documentary on the Carter presidency. Biden also lauded Rosalynn for championing women’s rights, mental health and caregiving.

Georgia voters played a crucial role in Democrats’ success in the November elections, delivering Biden 16 electoral votes, the first time a Democratic presidential candidate had won the state since 1992, and sending two Democratic senators to Congress, giving the party control of both chambers. Ossoff and Warnock joined the president at the rally.

“Those two votes made the difference,” Biden said about the passage of the stimulus package. “It passed by a single vote.”

Biden’s trip was his second to the state since taking office. He traveled to Atlanta with Vice President Harris in March for an event to sell his virus relief package, but the events were scrapped after the spa shootings.

The trip also kicked off the administration’s latest nationwide tour to tout Biden’s achievements, beginning with the address Wednesday night and continuing with more travel in the coming weeks. Harris went to Baltimore on Thursday, making the case for the administration’s jobs plan, particularly the expansion of broadband, an issue Biden said she would take the lead on.

“Let’s be clear,” Harris said. “When we connect Americans to affordable and accessible broadband, we are connecting our children to education, we are connecting our seniors to telemedicine, we are connecting families to each other, and we connect Americans to economic opportunity.”

Mike DeBonis and Mary Jordan contributed to this report.