Speaker Pelosi’s Remarks at the National League of Cities Congressional City Conference
Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi delivered remarks at the 2022 Congressional City Conference, hosted by the National League of Cities. Below are the Speaker's remarks:
Speaker Pelosi. Aren't our veterans our nobility, as well as our police and fire – and all those who protect us? That is quite an inspiration for all of us.
Good afternoon everyone. Thank you, Mr. Mayor and President Vince Williams, for your warm introduction and for offering me the privilege of addressing the National League of Cities' Congressional City Conference. And thank you also to my fellow Californian, Councilman and Second Vice President David Sander for helping to organize and facilitate this important conference.
Together, together, with your boundless energy and committed leadership, you carry on the National League of Cities' nearly century-old tradition as a powerful voice for the millions of Americans living in cities, towns and villages across the country. And this being Women's History Month, I want to acknowledge Mayor Victoria Woodards of Takoma, Washington.
[Applause]
She greeted me when I came here.
I thank all of you, and all the local leaders here, from mayors and councilmembers to hardworking staffers. Because of your hard work, our cities and towns are the engines of America: offering education, community and opportunity for so many families. I am so pleased to be with you here in-person once again – and to have you here in Washington.
You know, we've been together virtually, actually and the rest. But please understand your power – the importance of your presence in our nation's capital – which is essential. Your presence is essential to inspiring action that recognizes the vital role of cities in meeting the needs of the American people. The Congress needs to hear what you have to say. Thank you for being here.
Today, I come here officially on behalf of the House, which boasts many former officialsamong our ranks, including many mayors. This includes Congressman Greg Stanton, former Mayor of Phoenix, from whom you will hear – I think it's tomorrow.
I also come here personally, as the proud daughter and sister of a Mayor of Baltimore.
[Applause]
From a young age – I was in first grade my father was mayor. When I went away to college, he was still Mayor of Baltimore. So all my life I have seen firsthand the intimate connection you have with your community, hearing your constituents' concerns while standing in the grocery line or wherever you are in your community.
Indeed, there is no buffer between you and those you serve. And your leadership has a direct impact on people's everyday lives. And they know that. People can tell you who the President of the United States and who their local official is. They have no idea who their Congressperson is or Senator or any of the rest of that. So you are the intimiate connection.
It is a testament to the expertise of our local leaders that President Biden, himself a former member of the New Castle County Council – he chose four former mayors to serve in the Cabinet: Secretaries Marcia Fudge, Marty Walsh, Tom Vilsack, Pete Buttigieg. And a former Mayor – who we heard from, Mitch Landrieu, we had the privilege of hearing from earlier – to lead inbringing the benefits of our Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to communities across the country. Let's hear it for the President for appointing all those mayors.
[Applause]
While many of us have always known the value of our local leaders, your vital importance has never been clearer – crystal clear bythe COVID-19 pandemic. For two years, you've been on the frontlines saving lives and livelihoods: testing, tracing, vaccinating, delivering deeply needed assistance to families and small businesses, ensuring our public transit remains safe and strong, ensuring our schools are safe for our children, our teachers, [supporting] police and fire, first responders.
That is why one of Democrats' top priorities in our American Rescue Plan was to honor your service and your sacrifice. With your help, we fought for and won tens of billions of dollars for municipalities.
[Applause]
That's an applause line.
[Applause]
As you know, this was historic: for the first time ever, we sent individual allocations to every city and town. There were many in the Senate who wanted the funding to go only to the states and let the states distribute it. ‘Well, we can send some of that.' They said, ‘Well, we've been governors, so we know the states should be in charge of getting out this money.' Well, my father was the mayor and I think that we should be giving out this money!
[Applause]
And many of our Members not only were mayors, but local officials. And it was really important that we have direct support – doesn't mean the governors can't be giving you more, but we wanted to have your own, their own allocation.
House Democrats fought hard under the previous Administration to get this funding, but we couldn't. We were finally successful under President Biden. And we have fought to protect it from proposed cuts that some may have suggested.
Equipped with these resources, you have helped pave the way. You paved the way and continue to – shots in the arms, money in the pockets, good-paying jobs, safely, again, reopening schools, supporting our first responders.
Additionally, through the Rescue Plan's direct payments, Child Tax Credits, rent relief and more, we delivered nearly $1 trillion directly in the pockets of your families, helping grow local economies from the ground up. But as you know, more needs to be done.
[Applause]
Congress knows we cannot simply recover from this crisis. We must be Building a Better America and that's what the President has led us to do. This work must start in the cities and towns, which have seen their infrastructure languish and decay after decades of underinvestment on our part.
Our Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is bringing transformative investments to many of your communities, including the largest investment in bridges since the Interstate Highway System; the largest investment in passenger rail since the creation of Amtrak; and the largest investment in transit ever. Ever.
[Applause]
And so for many families, this law will bring cleaner drinking water, take – get the lead out, as well as access to high-speed broadband to work, learn, have medical care and connect with loved ones. In doing so, this law is bringing good-paying, prevailing-wage, union jobs right to your cities and towns – rebuilding our middle class and those who aspire to it as we rebuild our communities.
And importantly, we are making these investments with a special focus on equity and justice, whether it's environmental justice as we build the infrastructure, health justice as we invest in health issues. And again, the unfair practices of the past: ‘We might be able to rail a highway through a community.' Instead, we are undoing them
Of course, our work does not end there, as I said. As you come here, we are forging important bipartisan progress. Today – I leave here, right now, the President will sign the Keep Government Open bill to ensure that resources continue to flow to communities to meet peoples' needs.
Let me just say this on that score: the BBB, which we're still trying to get pieces of passed, is $1.7 trillion over ten years, $1.7 [trillion] over ten years. The bill the President is signing right now, today, is $1.5 [trillion] over the next six and a half months –
[Applause]
$1.5 [trillion] until September, the end of the fiscal year. So this is a big infusion in every way. Into our families and our communities.
The House and Senate are also preparing to go to conference on our American COMPETES Act, which will ensure our nation is once again pre-eminent in science, research, innovation and manufacturing. And, we will deliver transformative investments more broadly across the country, instead of just certain centers that have attracted the resources in the past. This is going to be transformative in how it spreads those investments around the country, so you'll be seeing that.
Again, we'll be addressing the semiconductor chips issue, the shortfall that we have there and any of the things that are keeping prices high, because it is low in the supply chain.
And we recently passed a bill to strengthen the Postal Service, so that it can continue to connect our communities, investing $57 billion in reforms that will save the Postal Service money. And that is so – I know it's important to my city in San Francisco.
At the same time, Democrats have an ambitious agenda to build a future that leaves no one behind and ensures that our families not only survive, but they thrive, they succeed.
We must lower the everyday costs that are weighing heavy on families, from child care to family care to home health care, all of those things.
We must enact game-changing workforce development initiatives, so women and people of color and many poor people – who have not been able to participate fully into the success of our economy.
And we must secure affordable housing and health care for all – which we believe are rights, not a privilege.
[Applause]
We must strengthen our democracy, including with the urgent voting rights legislation that is essential to our democracy.
[Applause]
We must protect our children by finally ending the horrors of gun violence and advancing – as we advance community safety.
[Applause]
And we must work to combat the climate crisis. The Congress salutes you for your longtime commitment to building resilient communities and protecting our planet. Your leadership, the leadership of our cities and our towns, has been an example to the world. Thank you for what you are doing.
As you know, addressing these urgent issues isn't about politics or partisanship. It's about delivering for the American people, For The People.
And, as we gather – I know that you've heard from the Mayor of Kyiv – as we gather, war rages in Ukraine. Tomorrow, the Congress will have the great honor of hearing from President Zelenskyy and conveying America's ironclad support for the Ukrainian people.
[Applause]
To those of you who represent our nation's Ukrainian communities: you're blessed. Thank you for your strong, empathetic leadership during this heartbreaking time.
A long time ago, many of you weren't even born, President John Kennedy so rightly observed: ‘A strong America depends on our cities.' And as local leaders and officials, strong cities depend on you. Indeed, your success is the foundation of America's success.
So as we strive to meet the needs of American families, the Congress looks forward to continuing to benefit from your wisdom, insight and partnership.
Thank you again for inviting me to join you today. Thank you so much for being here. Again, know your power. Your voices are very strong. Best wishes for a productive conference.
God bless you, God bless America. Thank you all.