it is a rare occasion that a sitting president attends our mid winter conference but we know now more than ever that if we get our cities right, we'll get our country right. [cheers and applause] and thank you, mayor bowser, for leading the clap. [laughter] for the past two years, mayors have stood on the front lines of american democracy. mayors have carried the heavy burden of economic recovery and social dislocation. mayors have led on commonsense public health measures to save lives and to save livelihoods. we mayors understand the issues at hand. we know that while others posture, we must persuade. while others insight, we -- incite, we must implement. as others talk, we must deliver. mayors have stood in the breach between toxic partisanship on both sides to deliver real results for real people. we welcome you warmly and welcome further engagement with you and your administration in the years ahead, mr. president. [cheers and applause] and so it is without further ado that i introduce the president of the united states, joseph biden. [cheers and applause] president biden: hello, hello, hello. it's good to have you all back in person. [cheers and applause] mr. mayor, thank you for your leadership. i appreciate it. i know one thing, we both did marry up. mayor bowser, thanks for hosting us. you're the best. you really are. thank you for everything you do. i've had the honor of addressing this body many, many times. i've always had enormous respect for the job you do. some of you heard me say before, but it's the truth, i ran for the united states senate in 1972 as a 29-year-old kid because i was a local official and it was too hard. so you think i'm kidding, it's not a joke. mayors carry the quality of the people's lives on their shoulders. everything you do every day effects the lives more than almost anything anybody else does and you can make or break a person's day. will the bus get me hoament on time? -- home on time? it sounds silly, but will the garbage be picked up, will i be safe walking in the park? these are the bigger questions. and can i afford to give my family a good life? will my kids have a chance to get a good job someday? how will i rebuild from the fire or the storm? all of these questions, they're not partisan, but they're practical. people you look to are you. they're the people that they look to. you. for real. you know there's no way to walk into the corner drug store without being accosted immediately as to what's going on, right? [laughter] well, so you know what it means to solve real problems. to be held accountable for the people you serve. that's why when i put together my cabinet, i called on former mayors and i mean this sincerely. [applause] take a look. tom vilsakk was a govern and also mayor. marcia fudge, mayor. marty walsh, mayor in boston. pete buttigieg, mayor. and landry, he knows how mayors get things done. [cheers and applause] no, i mean it. because mayors know the measure of success isn't scoring partisan points. it's did you fix the problem? did you fix -- seriously. think about it. did you fix the problem? the infrastructure law is a perfect example. of what we can achieve when we tackle problems the way mayors do. everybody in america, everybody in america knows we've fallen behind on infrastructure. so we came together, democrats and republicans, and did something about it. a number of really brave -- i'm not being facetious when i say the brave republicans stood up and joined us in a bipartisan effort to get it done. and by the way, i want to thank you all. more than 360 of you signed a letter that was sent to me when we were trying to get this legislation passed. 360 of you. you lobbied congress to get it done. and it's the reason it got done. not a joke. it's the reason it got done. because of you. [applause] a lot of people wanted to vote for it but they had a lot of pressure not to vote for it, for political reasons. but because of you they voted for it. we got it done. because they know, they know how it goes in your cities to determine how their state goes. and now after years of dead ends and broken promises, not only has infrastructure week finally arrived -- [cheers and applause] -- but literally because we look forward to an infrastructure decade, that's not hyperbole. back in 2009 when president obama asked me to lead the recovery effort, which was an $800 billion effort, and the first thing i did, i went to the mayors. not a joke. now most of you are too young to have been around in 2018. but -- 2008. but, look, i spoke to over 200 mayors putting that together. because of them, because of you, we came through that moment together. that's the same approach that mitch has taken, having been a former mayor, with all of you. i know mitch has spoken to many of you already. and just two months we've already seen this law start to make a real difference, creating better jobs, transforming our communities in tangible ways. we've announced billions of dollars for highways, port, airports, water and sewage systems. high speed internet. funding to clean up the rivers in ohio, chemical plants and sites in florida, polluted lakes in michigan. and dozens of other sites. the new program to cap and plug oil and gas wells, cleaning up communities that in fact are affecting, while good paying jobs. the folks who dug those wells when we needed them, they got paid well. well, they're getting paid the same amount to plug those wells. it matters. it matters. a new nirntive to -- initiative to bolster our energy grid with stronger transmission lines and towers to keep the power flowing. more reliably and, consequentially, a more secure energy supply. i have flown all over the country this last year visiting sites that have been damaged by the consequences of environmental changes. more forests, homes, buildings, businesses have about burned to the ground than make up if you take it in square miles than the entire state of new jersey. from new york all the way down to cape hen lopein -- henlopen. that's how much has been burned to the ground. a lot of it because of lack of resilience in the towers that get blown over. the wires snapped. we got so much we can do with this legislation now. last week we rolled out historic investments in our nation's bridges like in new hampshire where we force fire trucks to go 10 miles out of the way to get across a small river. or i-10 bridge in louisiana, 20 years past its planned life. it doesn't have modern safety features. and it's last inspected the brinl, it's deemed to be in poor condition. now it has two lanes on the bridge. four lane interstate feeds into, causing major back-ups. going to upgrade thousands of bridges, creating good-paying jobs, cutting community times, ensure that as we build back, no community gets left behind. folks that mayors view of problem solving is what we brought you in the american rescue plan. it's designed so that you would be able to have the resources and the flexibility to take both the short-term and long-term challenges created by this pandemic. 10 months ago that law is still carrying the nation forward on vaccines, on boosters, on keeping schools opened. and still making a difference for communities across the country. i might add a lot of money in that to keep those schools opened. some states have spent the money well. so you can keep those schools opened and change the ventilation systems and busing and the whole works. some states haven't distributed the money. everything i have done in my career when it comes to federal funding i tried to make sure that you don't have to go past go to get it. it goes directly to the mayors. directly to you. i mean it. [applause] president biden: a major part of the rescue plan was a $350 billion we allocated to state and local budgets. and again because of you over $100 billion of that went directly to cities and counties. [applause] not easy to get done, with you it's -- but it's important to get done. you didn't have to go through your state threw legislature. they are not bad folks. or your governor. good folks. to get the money. today communities are still putting those funds to work keeping people on the job. connecting people to better jobs. in seattle the money's being used to give premium pay to local childcare workers. so they can keep childcare centers open and available for folks who need it. not sure that would have happened had it not gone directly to the states. in phoenix, partnering with community college, these funds are going to help workers find careers in regions and in the semiconductor industry, which is a big, big deal. in milwaukee, you all are training workers to get help to get rid of lead pipelines. 450 -- the idea that we have our kids driking -- drinking out of fountains that have lead pipes feeding the fountains. because everybody deserves clean water. everybody. no matter -- city, suburban, or rural areas. here in washington, d.c., expansion of a infrastructure academy. preparing local workers to take the good-paying jobs in manufacturing, construction, and utilities that are going to be created as a consequence of the infrastructure law. i urge every american to take a look at what you all are doing. i urge every american to follow suit, to use the resources, the rescue plan, the resources that were intended not just to stave off disaster but build for a future around the people who make communities run. use your funds to cover childcare costs. temporary paid leave to help certain workers dealing with omicron. build pathways to better jobs through union-based apprenticeships, on-the-job training. give people in every zip code a chance to deal for themselves and deal them into this booming economy. that also means building more affordable housing so people can have safe places closer to their jobs. funding programs to help haven't crime. we shouldn't be cutting funding for police departments. i propose increasing funding. look, we ask cops to do everything. including be psychologists and social workers. guess what? they need psychologists and social workers. [applause] i mean it. not a joke. so they can hire more social workers, folks trained in mental health so they can partner with trusted community leaders like the programs, the rescue plan is funding. in louisville and other cities across the country. the truth is we have an incredible opportunity ahf -- ahead of us this year. we still have a lot of work to do to defeat covid, bring down costs for families. look what we accomplished together so far. even in the face of those headwinds. in 2021, more jobs were created in america than ever in a single year in american history. more jobs, over six million. unemployment rate dropped more than any year in american history. income -- [applause] income for working frontline jobs in service industries rose more than any year in history. the folks at the bottom of the economic rung. we lowered child poverty in this country by nearly 40%. more than any time in u.s. history. [applause] you know this business applications grew by nearly 30% last year, more than any year in history. if things are so bad, why are people fighting to open up businesses? more americans gained health insurance than any year in history. these are facts. to confront the climate crisis we deployed more solar, wind, batteries and electric vehicles than ever before. we are teaming up with mayors, labor, and industry to save families and businesses money by improving energy efficiency in our buildings. and the battle against the deadly virus, we have gone from putting two million shots, vaccinations in people's arms to 210 million americans fully vaccinated. [applause] you mayors have been critical partners. i'm not trying to be nice to you. it's a fact. you have been critical partners in that fight from day one. from masking to testing to vaccinations. we partnered with you. [applause] we partnered with you on the mayors challenge last summer. 115 cities working together to get americans vaccinated n richmond, you created vaccination clinics that doubled as job fairs. get your shot and also a job fair. encouraging people to come in. in detroit, the mayor, are you here, mr. mayor? i tell you what, i worked with him for a long time. a man who knows what he's doing. partnered with solar -- saloons and barbershops to get shots in people's arms. st. louis, mayor jones worked with churches and local food programs to reach neighborhoods with low vaccination rates. all of these efforts you saved lives. not a joke. you saved lives. to keep up that fight against omicron we have launched dozens of federal testing sites in new york, philadelphia, henderson, nevada and elsewhere throughout -- sites we are launching every week. we are devoted federal medical teams made up of military, first responders, national guard to bring relief to the hardest hit hospitals who need additional personnel just to keep it moving because they are so overrun. we are purchasing and distributing free one billion at-home tests people can test themselves in their communities. we still face tremendous challenges, though. but together we have proven we can get big things done in this country. last year, you helped lay the groundwork. this year we have to build it. the biggest weapon in our arsenal is the build back better act. nothing is going to do more to ease pressure on families. as my friend, jim clyburn says, it's about making everything more affordable and accessible to people. every mayor knows people can't find affordable childcare they can't work. some of your cities it's 14,000, 15,000 bucks a year for childcare. that's why we have nearly 1.2 million extremely qualified women who haven't been able to return to the work force. we can cut the cost of childcare in half. and fix that problem. health insurance, we can reduce the cost for families for $600 per year. climate extremely disaster costs, communities, $145 billion last year. that's how much we spent because of weather related crises. $145 billion. by investing in resilience and clean energy technology, we can do something about that. to give relief to families, the american rescue plan, we had the childcare tax credit. that did reduce child poverty by 40%. there is no reason it shouldn't continue. and on education -- [applause] on education today about half of the 3 and 4-year-olds are enrolled in early child education. in germany, france, u.k., lat tea vea, the number is more than 930%. where the heck are we? i'm serious. we have fallen further and further behind the curve. we can fix that problem. we can do this and more on health care, nutrition, and a host of other issues. and folks, here's the point, we can do it without increasing inflation or the deficit. 17 nobel laureates in economics wrote a letter to me recently affirming that this bill would reduce inflationary pressures on the economy. not increase. reduce it. [applause] by the way, by the way it's entirely paid for. every single penny. [applause] and not a single person making less than $400,000 a year will pay a single additional penny in federal taxes. not a single penny. [applause] by the way, i'm a capitalist, not a socialist. if you can make a billion dollars, $10 billion, good for you. just begin to pay your fair share. [applause] we can pay for all this by just making sure that the wealthy, making sure that the wealthy and the biggest corporations pay their fair share. case in point, last year, 55 of the fortune 500 companies, and i come from the corporate capital of the world, delaware, not a joke, more corporations incorporated in my state than every other state in the union, ok. i get it. and i represented it for 36 years. but guess what? you got 55 krptions -- corporations last year that made $40 billion in profits and didn't pay a single penny in taxes. that's not right. that's not right. look, we can tackle all these challenges. just like we did with the rescue plan, the infrastructure law, and the fight against covid. we can't do it without you. i'm not trying to be nice to you. we can't do it without you. no, no. this is the god's truth. you understand the challenges people are facing. and you understand the solutions. you know this isn't when it gets down to whether the garbage gets collected or someone is safe in the street, this isn't partisan, it's practical. you understand the cost if we fail to act. we need the voice of mayors. telling the stories of what your communities need, anti-impact -- and the impact we are making on people's lives or not making. we can get this done, i believe this with every fiber of my being, if we get this done, there is no limit what americans can achieve. let's continue to give working families a fighting chance. i wasn't kidding when i said, when i announced for president that i am so tired of the working class and middle class carrying the burden. it's about time we grow the economy from the bottom up and middle out. by the way, when the middle class does well, the wealthy do very, very, very well. i'm not joking. this isn't about punishing anybody. it's about getting everybody in the game. raise your hand if you think the present tax structure is fair. we'll take a picture of you and send it home. [applause] seriously, guys. you know, the thing i like about mayors is you are straight. you know what i mean -- you shoot from the shoulder. let's keep investing in the future of every city and town in america. let's face these challenges head-on and keep building. we can build back better. folks, i really believe it. there is not a damn thing we can't do if we set our minds to it. and every single time -- [applause] think about this now, this is not hyperbole. no other country than america has come through every crisis we faced and ended up stronger than we were before we got in the crisis. think about that. [applause] think about that. don't give up on the american people. i said many, many times to world leaders particularly when they ask me about america, it's never been a good bet to bet against american people. never, never, never been a good bet to bet against the american people. we stand together there is not a damn thing we can't do. democrats and republicans. thank you all. god bless you. may god protect our troops. keep it going, folks. [applause] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2022] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy visit ncicap.org] >> c-span offers a variety of podcasts that have something for every listener. week days, washington today gives you the latest from the nation's capital. and every week book notes plus has in-depth interviews with writers about their latest works. while the weekly uses audio from our immense archive to look how issues of the day developed over years. and our occasional series talking with, features extensive conversation was historians about their lives and work. many of our television programs are also available as podcasts. you can find them all on the c-span now mobile app or wherever you get your podcasts. >> during the final three years of world war ii, nearly 3,000 nazis were detained and interrogated at fort hunt. a top secret military intelligence facility along the potomac river near washington, d.c. sunday night on "q&a," robberert sutton, foasm chief historian of the national park service, and author of book, nazis on the potomac, talks about fort hunt and the importance it played during the war >> there were two russian american soldiers at fort hunt, they were dressed in red army uniforms. they were conspicuous throughout the fort. if an interrogator thought someone was being cagey and not forthcoming with information, they would call in one of these two fellows and they had say, oh. you don't want to talk to us. how about if ivan here takes you to the soviet union. maybe they would like to hear what you have to say? that worked incredibly well. both at fort hunt and in europe. >> robert sutton and his book "nazis on the potomac" sunday night at 8 p.m. eastern on c-span's "q&a." you can listen to "q&a" and all of our podcasts on our new c-span now app. >> the house select committee on the modernization of congress held a hearing on recommendations to make congress more effective. efficient, and transparent. we'll hear about telework, staffing, and committee voting systems. >> congress can be a tough place to get things done but we've proven it's possible. to date the committee's passed a total of 142 recommendations to make congress more efficient and effective, over 60% of the 97 recommendations passed in the 116th congress have been implemented or have seen meaningful action toward implementation. kism kism 24 have -- mr. kilmer: 24 have been fully implemented. that's a tremendous accomplishment and we're j