What to expect ahead of President Joe Biden's visit to Louisiana Share Updated: 8:21 PM CDT May 5, 2021 WDSU Digital Team Share Updated: 8:21 PM CDT May 5, 2021 Hide Transcript Show Transcript EXTREMELY IMPORTANT AND I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE. BEFORE I GET TO THE COVID UPDATE I DID TO NOTE THAT. I’LL BE HAPPY TOMORROW TO WELCOME PRESIDENT BIDEN BACK TO LOUISIANA. WILL BE VISITING LAKE CHARLES AND THEN NEW ORLEANS. TO DISCUSS HIS INFRASTRUCTURE PLAN AND PERSONALLY I CAN’T THINK OF A BETTER PLACE. TO DO THAT AND IT IS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT THAT WE INVEST IN INFRASTRUCTURE HERE IN LOUISIANA. AND AROUND THE COUNTRY. I’LL BE JOINING THE PRESIDENT AND LAKE CHARLES TOMORROW AT THE BRIDGE. AND AGAIN, THIS IS FITTING. INFRASTRUCTURE IN LOUISIANA ROADS AND BRIDGES HAVE BEEN GIVEN A D+ GRADE. LOUISIANA HAS 1,634 BRIDGES IN POOR CONDITION. LATER THAT DAY. HE WILL TOUR WATER AND SEWER INFRASTRUCTURE IN NEW ORLEANS. AND IT WILL SEE FIRSTHAND THE STRUGGLES THAT WE FACE. IS MORE THAN 50% OF OUR WATER SYSTEMS HAVE INFRASTRUCTURE? THAT IS AT LEAST 50 YEARS OLD. IT’S ALSO CRITICALLY IMPORTANT FOR THE PRESIDENT TO VISIT LAKE CHARLES BECAUSE WE ARE STILL REBUILDING FROM HURRICANES LAURA AND DELTA A MUCH ASSISTANCE IS REQUIRED AND THAT ASSISTANCE REALLY CAN ONLY COME FROM. THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT THE STORMS WERE LAST YEAR, BUT WE ARE STILL FIGHTING FOR OUR COMMUNITIES AND OUR FAMILIES SO THAT THEY CAN FULLY RECOVER AND THAT ADDITIONAL FEDERAL SUPPORT, ESPECIALLY IN TERMS OF A DISASTER APPROPRIATION. FOR THE PERMANENT HOUSING AND RESILIENCY. THAT WE NEED TO BE ENGAGED IN SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA IS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT. I WILL ALSO BE THANKING HIM FOR LOUISIANA’S FUNDING FROM THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN IF YOU MAY REMEMBER LAST WEEK ON THURSDAY, I ANNOUNCED. OUR PLAN FOR THE USE OF THOSE DOLLARS AND IT’S VERY HEAVY ON INFRASTRUCTURE. SO THAT WI I THINK TYING VERY WELL WITH HIS VISIT AS WELL. ANOTHER PRIORITY THAT WE ANNOUNCED AS JUMPSTARTING TOURISM AGAIN IN THE TRAVEL INDUSTRY, WHICH IS WE ALL KNOW TOOK A HUGE HIT LAST YEAR BECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC I’VE DECLARED THIS WEEK TRAVELING TOURISM WEEK IN LOUISIANA TO BRING ATTENTION TO THIS VITAL INDUSTRY IN OUR STATE. I THINK WE HAVE A ONCE-IN-A-TIME OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE THIS SUBSTANTIAL FUNDING. 3.2 BILLION DOLLARS IN TOTAL FOR THE STAT TWO BILLION DOLLARS FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND PUT IT TO GOOD TRANSFORMATIVE USE AND YOU REALLY CAN’T DO THAT IF YOU DIVIDE IT UP DOZENS OF DIFFERENT WAYS BECAUSE YOU’RE NOT GOING TO HAVE ENOUGH OF AN INVESTMENT IN ANY ONE AREA TO HAVE THAT TRANSFORMATIVE IMPACT THAT WE’RE ALL LOOKING FOR. AND SO I THINK THE PLAN THAT WE LAID OUT IS A VERY SMART. USE OF ONE-TIME FUNDS THAT PLAN WAS DEVELOPED AFTER CONSULTING WITH PEOPLE ALL ACROSS, LOUISIANA. IN EVERY NOOK AND CRANNY OF OUR STATE TALKING TO THE STATE AGENCIES WHO OVERSEE EFFORTS RELATED TO WATER TO SEWER TO INFRASTRUCTURE AND SO FORTH AND I LOOK FORWARD TO SHARING THESE