Biden unveils $3 billion expansion of US ports, takes aim at Trump

US President Joe Biden on Tuesday announced a $3 billion investment in port infrastructure in Maryland and criticized Republican White House candidate Donald Trump a week before Election Day.

Biden’s visit to the Port of Baltimore, a key auto industry hub, comes as his vice president, Kamala Harris, remains locked in a tight battle with Trump to succeed him.

“I’m proud to announce that we’re committing $3 billion as part of my Inflation Reduction Act to help clean up and modernize ports in 27 different states and territories, from Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan and beyond, including, yes, Puerto Rico.” – he said.

Biden’s jab came after a storm over the opening act of a comedian at a Trump rally in New York over the weekend, who called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage.”

Since then, the Trump campaign has tried to distance itself from these remarks by the former president.

Biden also highlighted his administration’s efforts to modernize US infrastructure, saying his predecessor Trump had failed to do the same.

He pointed to how his government’s policies are investing more in Republican-leaning states than Democratic ones, along with the country’s recovery from the pandemic.

“We are witnessing a great American comeback,” he said.

The White House said Tuesday that money from the Inflation Relief Act, a package of energy transition and social reform policies, will go toward improving and electrifying port infrastructure.

This includes supporting the procurement of battery and hydrogen equipment, including those used for cargo handling, as well as charging and refueling infrastructure.

The grants include $147 million in awards to the Maryland Port Authority.

U.S. ports employ more than 100,000 union workers nationwide.

As Election Day approaches, both Harris and Trump are fighting to win over workers, especially in swing states.

The grants announced Tuesday fall under a “clean ports” program that officials hope can improve air quality by installing “clean, zero-emission freight and ferry technologies and related infrastructure.”

The goal is to eliminate more than three million tons of carbon pollution within 10 years.

“We need to clean up our ports as quickly as possible to mitigate serious public health concerns,” said Terrence Bankston, senior ports and freight campaigner for environmental nonprofit Friends of the Earth.

Biden’s visit comes months after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in March, which blocked ship traffic in and out of the Port of Baltimore and killed six workers.

Source: AFP