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Las Vegas
CNN
—
President Joe Biden on Friday took aim at his predecessor, Donald Trump, for failing to enact new infrastructure reforms during his tenure, using a strong tone as he looks to shape the upcoming election in amid voter uncertainty over the economy.
Speaking in Las Vegas to a crowd of union workers, Biden offered a re-election argument based on his own record and Trump’s failure to deliver on his promises. Biden was in town to announce a billion-dollar increase in rail construction and improvements across the country — including what could be the nation’s first high-speed rail line.
Trump “always talked about infrastructure week. He had four years of infrastructure week. But he failed. He failed,” Biden said.
“Trump just talks the talk. We walk the walk,” he said, chastising his predecessor for saying America is a “failed nation.”
“The truth is he doesn’t know what the hell he’s talking about,” Biden said.
The renewed attacks on Trump’s record come as Biden works to reverse an evidence of undersea and negative economic sentiment, despite strong growth and investment.
It also comes amid concerns from voters about the president’s age and the legal issues surrounding his son, Hunter Biden, who continues to dominate the headlines with less than a year to go until the 2024 election.
During his speech, President Biden focused on the strong numbers of new jobs and declining inflation but admitted that “costs are still high for many things.”
He called on corporations to pass savings from improving supply lines to consumers, calling price increases “gouging.”
“Americans are tired of playing for suckers,” he said.
Biden said he intends to use billions of dollars in new passenger investments as evidence of his economic model, including a high-speed rail line between Las Vegas and Los Angeles to reduce travel time. the car in the storm.
“We have been talking about this project for many years. Now we will do that,” he said. “If a casino employee wants to take their kids to California for the weekend, they can have breakfast here in Las Vegas and lunch in LA.”
Planners hope to complete that project in time for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg called it a “tough time,” but said officials will monitor progress to keep it on track.
Biden predicted that Republicans who oppose the development law will be first in line to take credit for projects in their districts. He said he would see them at the groundbreaking.
The $8.2 billion rail grant will be distributed among 10 projects and is funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that Biden signed into law in November 2021. Biden has called the law, which is popular also the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, an important achievement of his tenure – and one of his campaign hopes will remain in the minds of voters with less than a year to go until the election 2024.
Following the passage of the law, Biden – known for being a rail rider during his time in the Senate – described it as “the most important investment in public transportation in the history of the United States.”
Also in the works is a high-speed rail project connecting Los Angeles and San Francisco. The California High Speed Rail Project – several years behind schedule – is a constant source of political criticism over many rail investments.
The top House member on the subcommittee that oversees railroads, Republican Rep. Troy Nehls of Texas, recently said in a court that the project is “disastrous” and an example of “the failure of bad plans and the incompetence of the government.” The Department of Transportation has also tried in the past to pull back the federal funds that have been pumped into the rail line.
But on a call with reporters about the announcement, Buttigieg defended the project, saying it was “facing a lot of challenges that come with being the first person anywhere.” According to him, the advantages of the project include economy and cost, estimated to be equivalent to removing 400,000 cars from the roads.
In all, said Buttigieg, the funding gives the train “the highest level of speed that we have seen today.”
This article and title have been updated in other developments.