Administration of Joseph R. Biden, Jr., 2021

February 12, 2021

Hello, everybody. Thanks for coming in. I'm fortunate to have today a group of leading Governors and mayors of both political parties to talk about the COVID plan we've put forward, and their needs and their ideas and their recommendations on how to proceed.

And the American Rescue Plan isâhas multiple pieces. The most important piece, in my view, is making sure we give them enough capacity to deal with the virus in their States and how we're going to do that.

But equally consequential is the need to help the States economically, in terms of everything from unemployment to being able to make sure that they're able to get kids back in schools and what role the Federal Government should play in helping theâgetting that done.

And you know, we'veâthese folks are all on the frontlines. They've been dealing with this crisis from day one. It'sâI'm not making a political statement; it just, it's taken a while to adjust. They've been left on their own, in many cases. I think some have found what I found when I got here: that what we thought was available, in terms of everything from vaccine to vaccinators, was not the case.

So I thank them for the work they did in their cities and their States in order to respond to the crisis. But I think it'sâand I've said it plainly when I was running and as Presidentâthat I think the Federal Government has a major role to play here. But these are the folks that are on the ground dealing with it every single solitary day. And they see the pain, and they see the successes when they occur.

And what I really want to know about is what should thatâthe recovery planâshould we have more or less of anything in it; what do they think they need most; how to proceed. Because, as I've said before, you know, Governors and mayors, that's a real job.

I was a Senator for years. I got on a train every day and came to Washington, DC, and I'd get asked questions by the conductors and the shoeshine guys and the ticket masters andâbut every single day, these folks are home. Every single day, they're meeting with their constituents.

We're down here in Washington, and we meet with them. I don't mean to belittle them at all, but it's not the same as being on the ground. And so whenever I want to know what's really happening, I want to talkâand I'm not being solicitousâto Governors and mayors.

And so thank you for being here. And that's what we're going to be doing today. Thank you

all.

NOTE: The President spoke at 11:44 a.m. in the Oval Office at the White House. Participating in the meeting were Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York; Gov. W. Asa Hutchinson II of Arkansas; Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico; Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan, Jr., of Maryland; Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms of Atlanta, GA; Mayor Latoya Cantrell of New Orleans, LA; Mayor Michael E. Duggan of Detroit, MI; Mayor Francis Suarez of Miami, FL; and Mayor Jeff Williams of Arlington, TX.

Categories: Addresses and Remarks : Economic stimulus and pandemic relief legislation :: Governors and mayors, meeting with President.

Locations: Washington, DC.

Subjects: Diseases : Coronavirus, domestic prevention efforts; Economy, national : Strengthening efforts; Education : Schools, efforts to reopen.

DCPD Number: DCPD202100140.