Invest 125 Million Dollars to help Small Businesses in underserved communities. She spoke at the retail village at sycamore and oak, all black owned shopping village in washington, d. C. She also talked about skills trading, Community BanksPublicprivate Partnerships. This is 15 minutes. Vice president harris good afternoon, everyone. I was just saying to monica, the power of possibility, isnt that right . Really the power behind the power of possibility is that we as a community and society see it and then invest in it. I had the great joy, honor, and privilege of meeting with some of the Small Business owners who occupy this space and i have to tell you that their innovation, their enthusiasm, their love of this community and by extension the country is really so inspiring. I love a Small Business owner. I really do. [applause] i have to say, many of you may know this, but my sister and i were raised by our mother, she worked long days and we had a second mother who lived two doors down, michelle. We lived in the apartment above the Nursery School that she ran. She was a Small Business owner. She was a matriarch of the community. Not only a business leader, but a civic leader. She was a part of the cultural fabric of the community as well as someone who hired locally, whom men toward, and to role model what it means to be invested and be successful. So this is very personal for me to be here with all of you and applaud the work being done here and i want to thank monica again for her work and her leadership. [applause] of course it is good to be here today with so many incredible leaders. I spent i could spend all afternoon mentioning who you are but i will not do that in case i overlook anybody in particular but i will say that in particular i want to thank the leaders of the Commerce Department and the executive secretary and undersecretary, we have been working a lot together over the last couple of years and they are extraordinary, traveling through the country and really inspiring so much of the work we have done as an administration. Thank you both for all that you do. Thank you. To the Small Business owners and entrepreneurs of america, including those here today, you are the back own of our communities and of our economy and you are a part of the pride of our nation. President biden and i came into office with a plan to grow and strengthen americas economy. We knew that for far too long our economy has not been working for working people. Entire communities have been left out and left behind. Trickledown economics benefited big corporations and the wealthiest of americans, but not a lot of regular folks. When President Biden and i took office, we decided to invest in the working people of america. To create millions of jobs. To rebuild American Manufacturing. To repair our roads and bridges. To replace every lead to pipe in the nation. To connect every home with high speed internet. To expand Clean Energy Production. To expand Clean Energy Production and make sure not just the wealthy or wellconnected did have the opportunity to thrive. That is called bidenomics. [applause] we are very proud of bidenomics. As todays job numbers made clear, it is working. Last month we created 187,000 new jobs. Go ahead and clap. [laughter] [applause] i do not want to step on the applause. That means today 187,000 more americans are able to go to work, to provide for their family, and invest in their future. Todays numbers reflect the point that President Biden made many times. Americas economy is strong and experiencing stable and steady growth. Since we took office, we created more than 13 million new jobs. In 2. 5 years, we created more jobs than any other administration in four. [applause] today, the Unemployment Rate is near its lowest level in half a century. Wages are up, inflation has fallen 12 months in a row. Recently, some of the nations largest Financial Institutions have started to recognize the Significant Impact of our economic approach. Morgan stanley increased expectations for economic growth, as did bank of america. Unlike economic recoveries in the past, this growth is not only felt on wall street, but more importantly, felt on main street. Especially by people who start and own Small Businesses. Consider in just our first two years in office, entrepreneurs have applied to start more in new Small Businesses than in any other twoyear period in history. President biden and i have invested millions in American Manufacturing. Put this in context. Since most Manufacturing Companies are Small Businesses with fewer than 20 employees, our investment in American Manufacturing is also an investment in american Small Businesses. All of this to say, americas Economic Future looks bright. President biden and i will keep fighting to move our nation forward. That includes expanding support and access to capital for Small Business owners. Many of you may know i have traveled our nation from rural louisiana to small towns in new hampshire, to Indian Country to meet with smalls this owners and entrepreneurs. When i sit with folks, i asked, with all the challenges you face, what is your biggest concern . The answer they will give me is access to capital. They either want to start a business or grow a business, but do not have the relationship with the big banks. For years we have worked to expand investment in Community Banks. Community banks specialize in providing loans and Financial Assistance to Small Business owners. In particular, those in overlooked and underserved communities, including rural communities. As the name suggests, Community Banks are in the community. They understand the needs of the people they serve. They understand the capacity and opportunity, such as the capacity and opportunity of this community that big tanks often overlook or do not get. Building on the work by led as a u. S. Senator, and since taking office, President Biden and i have invested 12 million in our Community Banks. I was proud to convene consumer banks, investment firms, Tech Companies and philanthropies to launch a first of its kind Publicprivate Partnership in support of Small Businesses. We combined the expertise and experience of the private sector with the reach and capacity that only government can provide. As a result, we have secured billions of dollars in private Sector Investment for Small Businesses. In order to expand access to capital, we have to think outside the box. In particular, we feel a sense of responsibility to find innovative ways to support our entrepreneurs and Small Business owners. Including to fund Community Banks, to build Publicprivate Partnerships, and do what we are doing today, invest in Small Business accelerators. Small Business Accelerators or organizations that, in addition to capital, provide advice and support to entrepreneurs. Most of us did not grow up having parents or others in our community that understood business principles and high finance. It is not that folks do not have a good idea or ambition, just not access to information. Basically, a Small Business accelerator is a onestop shop for Small Businesses to succeed. They provide everything from mentor ship to management courses, to assistance filling out business taxes. I am proud to announce we will invest 125 million in 43 Small Business accelerators [applause] and, they have been chosen because they are the ones that have a track record of supporting entrepreneurs in underserved communities and helping them and of eight helping them innovate and hire and grow. Nearly all the alex so nearly all the accelerators we funded are here today. They will be able to extend capital and support to thousands more entrepreneurs and startups to take full advantage of the investments we have made in our nation the past two years. Since taking office President Biden and i have invested about 1 trillion to build a clean energy economy. 1 trillion to build and grow a clean energy economy. Think what this means. Folks with great ideas have access to information to participate, and be in the pipeline of the innovators doing this work every day to build back our country. Todays investment in Small Business accelerators will connect Small Business entrepreneurs and Business Owners with support and guidance to break into the clean energy economy. For example, it could allow a College Student from georgia to connect with a mentor to launch her clean Energy Startup and apply for Clean Energy Tax credit. It could allow a mother of two in arizona, who has a Business Plan to install solar panels, but she needs the Technical Support to learn how to turn that plan into a reality and meet the increasing demand for solar energy. That is where these accelerators come into place, to connect the desire, the ambition, the great idea, with the Resources Available to do that important work. This investment could allow a veteran who owns an Auto Repair Shop in milwaukee to access the capital he needs to buy equipment to repair electric vehicles. I have visited with some of these innovative Small Businesses. I met with one young innovator who talked about how he was setting up a company to work on electric vehicles and batteries. I said, tell me about the people working here. We refer to them as technicians. You mean mechanics . That is what. We are talking about. Skills that exist, but what we are doing to upgrade those skills to meet the demand of a new economy. Through this investment and our invest in america strategy, President Biden and i are working to make sure Small Business owners and entrepreneurs have every type of support they need to grow. As bidenomics continues to demonstrate, when we invest in the dreams, ambitions of Small Business owners and entrepreneurs, it creates opportunity and prosperity for us all. Thank you, may god bless you. [applause] cspans 2024 coverages your front row seat to the president ial election. Watch our coverage of candidates on the campaign trail with announcements, meet and greets, speeches and events, to make up your own mind. Campaign 2024 on the cspan network, cspan now, our free mobile idiopathic, or online at cspan. Org. Cspan, your unfiltered view of politics. Tonight, secretary of state Anthony Blinken highlights Foreign Policy challenges facing the u. S. From the Aspen Security Forum in colorado he was asked about an army soldier recently detained in north korea, the russiaukraine war and relations with cna. That is at 00 p. M. Eastern on cspan. And, more from the same event with former secretarof state condoleezza rice, talking about the importance of educating the Global Workforce and competitiveness. You can watch on the cspan video app or more on cspan. Org. Book tv celebrates 25 years of celebrating nonfiction books. Book tv is live with the library of Congress National book festival. Since 2001, book tv in partnership with the library of congress has provided indepth, uninterrupted coverage of the National Book festival including thousands of nonfiction authors and guests. Book tv brings you live coverage of the National Book festival. Guess include a cnn analyst, author of nine blk robes, and a former nfl player, r. K. Russell. See our complete schedule online at booktv. Org. The library of Congress National book festival Live Saturday at 9 00 p. M. Eastern on cspan two cspan2. Cspan is your unfiltered view of government, funded by these Television Companies and more including comcast. Are you thinking it is just a Community Center . It is more. Comcast is partnering with 1000 Community Centers for lift zones so students from low income families