Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand held a virtual press conference ahead of President Biden’s State of the Union address to share what she hopes to hear from the president about the implementation of his major accomplishments and vision going forward. Senator Gillibrand is expecting the president to discuss the administration’s major investments in infrastructure and domestic manufacturing, the need for universal paid leave, and plans to address the housing crisis.
The full text of Senator Gillibrand’s remarks as prepared for delivery is available below. Video is available upon request.
Good morning everybody. Thank you for being here.
This evening, I will attend President Biden’s State of the Union address. I’m excited to hear more about the president’s major accomplishments and vision going forward.
In particular, I expect the president will discuss the administration’s major investments in infrastructure and domestic manufacturing, and I hope to also hear him talk about the need for universal paid leave and his plans to address affordable housing.
I’ve traveled across New York discussing the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s transformative impact on our state. From rebuilding and replacing our aging infrastructure to creating jobs and growing opportunity, this landmark legislation is transforming our communities.
Furthermore, we are creating more jobs in advanced manufacturing. The bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act has been crucial to this effort, especially in Upstate New York. It has encouraged companies like Micron to invest in microchips manufacturing in our state.
I am also eager to hear about the president’s commitment to passing America’s first national paid family and medical leave program. The United States is the only developed country with no statutory paid leave policy.
Far too often workers have to choose between their paycheck and the health and wellbeing of their loved ones or themselves. With President Biden’s support, we can implement this game-changing policy.
Finally, I want to hear about the president’s plans for affordable housing. New York City is one of the most expensive places to live in the United States. And while prices remain high on everything from apartments to houses, new housing in New York has not kept pace with job growth. To address this, I will be releasing a plan to deliver resources to build more housing, change policies that hold housing construction back and improve transparency and accountability. I’m confident our visions will complement each other.
I expect the president to tell the American people how the policies we’ve passed are already helping Americans.
The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act has already made an important difference in the fight against gun violence, especially through the provisions included from my bill to make gun trafficking a federal crime. I also expect the president to touch on the continuing need for accountability and justice in policing through legislation like the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, and to highlight our success in delivering support for our nation’s veterans through the PACT Act.
These are just some of the topics I expect President Biden will address. As a nation we have seen a lot of important progress in the past two years and I hope tonight’s speech will be enlightening.