Biden will travel to Minnesota to highlight rural investments
The White House will announce more than $5 billion in funding Wednesday for agriculture, broadband and clean energy needs in sparsely populated parts of the country, as President Biden travels to Minnesota to launch a government-wide tour of rural communities.
The president’s efforts to focus on the domestic economy ahead of next year’s campaign come after three weeks of his administration preoccupied with events abroad following the terrorist attacks in Israel and subsequent military action of the state in Gaza.
The trip will come as Biden pushes Congress to quickly pass a $105 billion funding package that includes emergency aid to Israel and Ukraine, two conflicts he has described as threats to democracy around the world.
But the president and his aides are well aware that his hopes for a second term will likely be determined closer to home. Rural voters, like those he will address at a corn, soybean and pig farm south of Minneapolis, are increasingly voting Republican. a A recent poll showed that most voters had heard little or nothing about a health care and clean energy bill that is the cornerstone of Mr. Biden’s economic agenda. And the president is even facing a challenge within his own party, from Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota, who announced his long-awaited presidential bid last week.
Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, declined to speak on campaign issues on Tuesday, citing the Hatch Act, which limits the political activity of federal officials, but said Mr. Biden “loves Minnesota.” Administration officials have said that Mr. Biden’s trip was planned before Mr. Phillips announced his candidacy.
The White House has dubbed the next two weeks of events the “Investing in Rural America Event Series.” It includes more than a dozen trips by Mr. Biden, as well as Cabinet secretaries and other senior administration officials. The White House said in a statement that the tour would highlight federal investments that “bring new revenue to farms, greater economic development in rural towns and communities, and more opportunity across the country.”
Mr. Biden will be joined on Wednesday by Tom Vilsack, the secretary of agriculture. Set against the backdrop of a family farm using techniques to make crops more resilient to climate change, they will announce $1.7 billion to farmers across the country to adopt so-called climate-smart farming practices.
Other funding announcements include $1.1 billion in loans and grants to improve infrastructure in rural communities; $2 billion in investments as part of a program that helps rural governments work more closely with federal agencies on economic development projects; $274 million to expand high-speed internet infrastructure; and $145 million to expand access to wind, solar and other renewable energy, according to a White House fact sheet.
“Young people in rural communities should not have to leave their homes to find opportunity,” Neera Tanden, director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, said on a call with reporters on Tuesday.
She said federal investments “created a path for the next generation to maintain their roots in rural America.”
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, said he expected Biden would face serious headwinds in rural communities, largely due to inflation.
“There’s no denying it’s a bit of a challenge when prices rise,” Mr. Walz said. “Politics has become a little angrier. I think people are feeling a little behind.”
But Mr. Walz also praised Mr. Biden for spending time in rural communities. “Democrats need to show up,” he said.
Kenan Fikri, research director at the Economic Innovation Group, a Washington think tank, said the Biden administration has made significant investments in agriculture, broadband and other rural priorities over the past two and a half years.
“The administration has a lot to show for its economic development efforts in rural communities,” he said, but “whether voters will credit Biden for strong economic performance is another question.”
Later this week, Mr. Vilsack will travel to Indiana, Wyoming and Colorado to speak with agricultural leaders and discuss land conservation. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland will head to her home state of New Mexico to highlight investments in water infrastructure.
Energy Secretary Jennifer M. Granholm will be in Arizona to talk about the electric grid and renewable energy investments in the rural Southwest.
Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough plans to visit Iowa to discuss improving access to medical care for veterans in rural areas. Isabel Guzman, head of the Small Business Administration, will travel to Georgia to talk about loans for rural small businesses.
Miguel A. Cardona, the education secretary, will go to New Hampshire to promote how community colleges are helping students from rural areas. Xavier Becerra, the secretary of Health and Human Services, will be in North Carolina to talk about access to health care in rural areas.