- The Washington Times - Tuesday, February 14, 2023

President Biden on Tuesday offered a glimpse into the messaging for his reelection campaign, telling a group of county officials that his legislative agenda is making things better at their level.

A former county official himself in Delaware, Mr. Biden delivered a campaign-style stump speech that borrowed heavily from his State of the Union address.

He warned congressional Republicans against cutting entitlements like Social Security and Medicare, he called for higher taxes on the wealthy and corporations, lower drug costs and strengthening online child protections.

But the president largely emphasized that local residents will reap the benefits from his economic agenda, ranging from capping the price of insulin to the jobs created by his bipartisan infrastructure law.

“If we don’t pass another single thing, the things that are going to take place by implementing just the laws we passed are going to deliver real benefits to people that they’re going to feel in their everyday lives,” Mr. Biden said in remarks at the National Association of Counties Legislative Conference in Washington.

The National Association of Counties is comprised of nearly 2,000 elected and appointed county officials who are meeting to discuss issues ranging from offering mental health services and increasing broadband access, to providing affordable housing and fighting wildfires.

Presidents who have addressed the conference while in office include Barack Obama, George H.W. Bush and Ronald Reagan.

Mr. Biden pointed to different counties across the country and talked about how they are using federal funds to improve lives.

He highlighted Milwaukee County and Los Angeles County using COVID-19 rescue funds to mentor vulnerable youth and offer them job training. Mr. Biden pointed to Maricopa County, Arizona and Prince George’s County, Maryland, saying they are using federal dollars under the infrastructure law to do things such as replace older buses and refurbish fading bridges.

“That money helps you shore up your budgets to avoid painful layoffs, put cops back on the beat, firefighters back on the job, teachers in the classrooms and nurses in the emergency room,” Mr. Biden said of the COVID-19 funds.

Mr. Biden’s speech was the latest in a series of remarks to promote his agenda following his State of the Union. He delivered similar messages in Florida and Wisconsin last week.

In addition, Vice President Kamala Harris and members of his Cabinet are headed on a 10-state blitz to promote the president’s policies.

• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.

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