Joseph Biden

Company Will Rehire Laid-off Workers for Green Jobs

March 1, 2009 -- (Washington, DC) The Vice President today commended the new owners of Republic Windows and Doors, a Chicago window manufacturing plant that was shuttered late last year, resulting in the lay-off of its 250 union workers. Republic was purchased in bankruptcy court last week by Serious Materials, a California-based company that makes energy efficient windows. Serious Materials has announced plans to reopen the Republic factory and to eventually rehire all 250 of its laid-off workers at their former pay levels. Serious Materials said it purchased Republic because the Recovery Act will increase demand for its products.    » read more »

February 27, 2009 -- Washington, DC – The White House Task Force on Middle Class Families, led by Vice President Joe Biden, is holding its inaugural meeting today in Philadelphia at the University of Pennsylvania. The Task Force has a simple mandate: to find, highlight and implement solutions to the economic challenges facing the American middle class. With President Obama announcing last week more than $20 billion for investment in a cleaner, greener economy – including $500 million for green job training – the Task Force's first order of business is to evaluate what investing in green jobs will mean for middle class families.    » read more »

February 27th, 2009 -- The following op-ed appears in the Philadelphia Inquirer this morning:

Green jobs are a way to aid the middle class

Joseph R. Biden Jr.

Today, in Philadelphia, the White House Task Force on Middle Class Families is holding its inaugural meeting. Our charge is to assess current polices and develop new ones aimed at helping the middle class, the economic engine of this country.

The economic-recovery package that President Obama signed into law last week contains more than $20 billion for investment in a cleaner, greener economy, including $500 million for green job training. The task force's first order of business is to evaluate how investing in green jobs will help build a strong middle class.    » read more »

February 27, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Change to Win chair Anna Burger, issued the following statement about the first meeting of the Middle Class Task Force today, chaired by Vice President Joe Biden, at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

“The world is facing a historic opportunity to rebuild our global economy through investments in sustainable projects that will create new jobs, reduce our dependence on oil and protect our planet after decades of mismanagement.    » read more »

HUD-DOE Agreement Will Help Spur a New Industry to Create Jobs for the Middle Class

February 27, 2009 -- Philadelphia, PA – U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Steven Chu today announced a major partnership between HUD and DOE that will streamline and better coordinate federal weatherization efforts to make it much easier for families to weatherize their homes and spur a new home energy efficiency industry that could create tens of thousands of jobs.

Vice President Joe Biden, joined by Secretary Donovan and Secretary Chu, praised the announcement during his remarks at a meeting of the White House Task Force on Middle Class Families in Philadelphia.    » read more »

February 25th, 2009 -- Washington, DC – The Middle Class Task Force, led by Vice President Joe Biden, will hold its first official meeting on FRIDAY February 27th at 12:30 PM EDT at the William B. Irvine Auditorium on the University of Pennsylvania campus in Philadelphia. The focus of this meeting is on green jobs as a pathway to a strong middle class.

The Vice President will be joined by several cabinet members and members of the Task Force including:

* Secretary of the Department of Energy Steven Chu;
* Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood;
* Secretary of Education Arne Duncan;
* Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack;
* Secretary of Department of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan;    » read more »

President Obama Appoints Earl Devaney as Chair of the Recovery Act Transparency and Accountability Board

February 23, 2009 -- President Barack Obama announced Vice President Joe Biden will oversee the Administration’s implementation of the Recovery Act’s provisions and the appointment of Earl Devaney as Chair of the Recovery Act Transparency and Accountability Board in a meeting with the Nation’s Governors this morning. The Vice President will meet regularly with key members of the Cabinet, Governors and Mayors to make sure their efforts are speedy and effective. He will also make regular, public reports to the President on implementation and those will be posted on Recovery.gov.    » read more »

February 17th, 2009 -- REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT AND THE VICE PRESIDENT AT SIGNING OF THE AMERICAN RECOVERY AND REINVESTMENT ACT

Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Denver, Colorado

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Governor, thank you. Governor, thank you very much. It's a genuine honor. It's an honor to be here with the President. And my name is Joe Biden. I used to work for -- I used to work for Ken Salazar -- (laughter) -- in the United States Senate. And it's good to see you here, Ken. I guess you got -- you're going to hitch a ride home with me, right?    » read more »

Governor Offers Vice President Detailed Briefing on Impacts

Feb. 11, 2009 -- HARRISBURG – Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell today joined Vice President Joseph Biden on a tour of the Route 34 bridge in Cumberland County and discussed the kinds of bridge improvements that could move forward in Pennsylvania with enactment of the pending American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

“Some of these bridges are as old as 80 years, are wearing out and need to be replaced as soon as possible,” Governor Rendell said. “The national stimulus plan before Congress will allow these planned replacements to start immediately rather than a year or more from now.”    » read more »

January 29th, 2009 -- $18 billion.

That’s what Wall Street bankers pulled down in bonuses over the past two months, according to a report from the New York State comptroller -- even as many of these institutions received billions in taxpayer dollars.

"That is the height of irresponsibility. It is shameful," President Obama said today, following a meeting with Vice President Joe Biden, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, and the rest of the economic team.

Read the President’s full remarks below.
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
AFTER MEETING WITH THE VICE PRESIDENT
AND THE SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY
The White House, Oval Office
January 29, 2009    » read more »

Special Envoy for Middle East Peace George Mitchell and Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke

Benjamin Franklin Room, Department of State, Washington, DC -- SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you. Thank you very much, and welcome to the State Department. Please be seated.

We are delighted to be joined this afternoon by President Obama and Vice President Biden for this very important announcement. But it is also absolutely a delight to have the President and the Vice President here with us today. It is an indication of the President's commitment to a foreign policy that protects our national security and advances our interests and is in keeping with our values. So we, Mr. President, take great heart from the confidence that you have placed in us.    » read more »

September 28, 2008 -- Chicago, IL - Statement of Barack Obama on Financial Plan Breakthrough:

"The breakthrough between Congress and the Administration is the culmination of a sorry period in our history, in which reckless speculation and greed on Wall Street and lax oversight from Washington led to a meltdown of our financial markets.

Barack Obama: Photo: Barack Obama campaign

But regardless of how we got here, a failure to deal with the current crisis would have devastating consequences for our economy, costing millions of Americans their jobs and retirement security.    » read more »

September 24, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Barack Obama today sent the following letter to Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary James Peake, requesting that he release critical information and data relating to veterans health care, disability claims and Vet Center activity. Since the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan began, veterans have faced unique challenges as they return to their families and communities, including health-related needs as well as community readjustment concerns.    » read more »

September 25, 2008 -- IL - Below is a Statement from Senator Barack Obama on Washington Mutual

"The government-brokered sale of Washington Mutual is the latest sign of the perilous situation facing our financial system and our economy. Although Americans with deposits at Washington Mutual should rest assured that they are safe under this arrangement, the failures of our financial institutions threaten economic instability, jobs, and the incomes of American families.

This is a time to rise above politics for the good of the country. We cannot risk an economic catastrophe. This is not a Democratic problem or a Republican problem - this is an American problem. Now, we must find an American solution," said Senator Barack Obama.

Source: Senator Barack Obama

September 01, 2008 -- Chicago, IL - "I welcome the results of today's emergency summit of European Union leaders in Brussels. The EU made clear, as I have repeatedly insisted, that Georgia's territorial integrity must be respected, that Russia's recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states must be rejected, that the six-point peace plan of August 12 must be implemented in its entirety, and that Georgia must be given substantial humanitarian and economic assistance.    » read more »