President Joe Biden is visiting Portland for the first time during his presidency on Thursday, in a brief stop aimed at helping his party鈥檚 chances in this year鈥檚 elections.
Air Force One landed at 12:41 p.m. Biden plans to give public remarks at about 2:10 p.m.
Biden鈥檚 live remarks will be livestreamed here:
Air Force One landed at 12:41 p.m. Biden plans to give public remarks at about 2:10 p.m.
Whether Biden plans to make any other stops in Portland is unclear. Air Force One is expected to depart at about 4:30 p.m.
In his public remarks at PDX, Biden will attempt to sell voters on the bipartisan $1.2 trillion infrastructure package he signed into law in November. Democrats are pushing the legislation as a signature achievement, at a time they鈥檝e struggled to move other priorities past a tightly divided Senate.
Afterward, he will also appear at around 3:30 p.m. a fundraiser for Democrats at the Portland Yacht Club on the Columbia River. As Willamette Week first reported, the fundraiser for the Democratic Grassroots Victory Fund offered varying levels of access to Biden, with tickets ranging from $500 to $36,500. All tickets were sold out as of Wednesday afternoon.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Wednesday Biden planned to speak in Portland about investments like an earthquake-resistant runway and improvements that 鈥渉elp lower costs on everyday items by ensuring goods can move faster and more efficiently.鈥�
The president will be joined at the airport by U.S. Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, Gov. Kate Brown, and U.S. Rep. Kurt Schrader, Psaki said. The appearance could be a political gift to Schrader, a centrist who faces a competitive primary challenge from the left this year in a newly redrawn congressional district.
The president is midway through a bicoastal mini-tour to tout investments made possible by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act . On Tuesday, he visited Portsmouth, N.H., on a local port and other projects, and making sure to credit the state鈥檚 congressional Democrats with helping pass the bill.
鈥淭he last fella who had this job kept talking about 鈥榠nfrastructure week鈥� for four years,鈥� Biden said at the event, referring to former President Donald Trump. 鈥淲e have infrastructure decade.鈥�
Biden is likely to highlight his detailing nearly 400 bridges and 1,300 miles of highway in Oregon considered to be in poor condition and bemoaning longer commute times.
Oregon transportation officials have said the infrastructure bill will send an extra $1.2 billion to the state over five years. Roughly a third of that money came in the form of flexible funds, and in late March the Oregon Transportation Commission . The plan includes $50 million for highway projects, $80 million for safety enhancements on main streets and routes to school, $75 million for maintenance projects and $40 million to bolster the Oregon Department of Transportation鈥檚 budget, among other things.
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Biden was initially scheduled to attend a Democratic fundraiser in Southwest Portland following his remarks, at the Dunthorpe home of Win McCormack, owner of . That event was relocated due to concerns about capacity, Willamette Week.
While Thursday marks Biden鈥檚 first visit to Portland since he became president, he鈥檚 campaigned in the city before. In 2019, McCormack played host to Biden when the candidate was mounting a bid for president.
And in 2014, Biden came to town to campaign for U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley鈥檚 re-election, making a , an artisanal ice cream shop in the city鈥檚 Alberta Arts District.
Thursday鈥檚 presidential ice cream itinerary, if one exists, had not been released as of Wednesday afternoon.
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