Biden pushes to replace lead pipes, create jobs

MILWAUKEE — President Joe Biden made his way back to the Badger State on Tuesday to announce new actions from his Investing in America agenda aimed at helping connect more Milwaukee residents to good-paying jobs—all as part of a broader effort to replace lead pipes and upgrade infrastructure across the city.

Tuesday’s visit came with two announcements from the president. First, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has now finalized regulations to replace lead pipes within a decade, and second, another $2.6 billion in new funding will go toward a nationwide effort to deliver clean drinking water.

The president spoke from Milwaukee’s Dept. of Public Works Headquarters, where nearly $100 million worth of infrastructure projects are already underway across the city through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).

“Over the years, we’ve only chipped away at the problem,” President Biden said. “Chipping at a problem hasn’t fully solved it. It’s taken too long and hasn’t been given a high enough priority until now.”

“We can see the federal dollars working in our city,” Shy McElroy, a local activist who introduced the president, told the crowd. “You can’t drive 10 minutes without driving past an infrastructure project, and so many of those projects are ridding our homes of lead.”

An influx of federal funding has already helped Milwaukee start replacing 100% of its lead service lines and cut down the anticipated timeline from 60 years to 10 years to meet the president’s goal.

“Doing this is about more than just replacing lead service lines,” Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson explained. “It’s about protecting our kids, and it’s more than even just protecting our kids. It’s about creating good-paying, family-supporting careers right here in Milwaukee.”

President Biden also touted how those investments could create thousands of jobs for Milwaukeeans, with the city being home to one of nine Investing in America Workforce Hubs.

“That’s why my administration is bringing together the City of Milwaukee, local unions, educators, employers, to create an Invest in America Workforce Hub right here in Milwaukee,” President Biden added.

President Joe Biden walks off stage after delivering remarks in Milwaukee. (Spectrum News 1/Mandy Hague)

Locally, both the City of Milwaukee and the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District are leading the effort to create jobs in the community. However, several Milwaukee Workforce Hub partners also announced Tuesday new commitments to hire apprentices and expand job opportunities aimed at reaching the president’s goals.

Republicans, on the other hand, tied the visit to inflation and the upcoming November election.

“As Wisconsin families suffocate under the weight of Kamala and Joe’s dangerously liberal agenda, it’s horrifying to consider that ‘not a thing’ came to Kamala’s mind when asked about changes she’d make as president,” Team Trump Wisconsin Communications Director Jacob Fischer said in a statement. “Wisconsinites continue to sour on Democrats, and Joe’s visit is another sickening reminder that a Kamala presidency would be another four years of historic inflation and high prices.”