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Collab is taking applications for its Spring 2024 Business Accelerator Program. This free, 12-week course offers education, mentoring, and technical help to entrepreneurs who want to build unique businesses and create positive change. 

Please email with questions, or visit Collab New Haven to apply by the March 10 deadline. 

Vice President Kamala Harris today met with Prime Minister Keith Rowley of Trinidad and Tobago at the White House.  They discussed continued progress under the U.S.-Caribbean Partnership to Address the Climate Crisis (PACC 2030) and other key priorities, including regional security issues and the imperative of addressing firearms trafficking. They also discussed Venezuela and the Vice President stressed the need for Nicolas Maduro and his representatives to meet their commitments under the democratic electoral roadmap and support the aspirations of the Venezuelan people for a democratic future. 

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White House announced 10 U.S. regions that are emerging as innovation ecosystems and receiving over $530 million of investment catalyzed by the U.S. National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Regional Innovation Engines program. The Biden-Harris Administration is awarding the 10 NSF Regional Innovation Engines $150 million ($15 million each) in federal investment, with over $365 million in matched contributions from non-federal partners. Over the next decade, these 10 NSF Regional Innovation Engines will be eligible to receive upwards of $2 billion, with a goal of stimulating economic growth across a range of sectors, including semiconductor manufacturing, clean energy, sustainable textiles, climate-resilient agriculture, regenerative medicine, and more. The NSF Regional Innovation Engines program was authorized by the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act – signed into law by President Biden in August 2022 – and is part of the President’s Bidenomics agenda to grow the economy from the middle out and bottom up.
 
On Friday, First Lady Jill Biden and Director of the U.S. National Science Foundation Sethuraman Panchanathan visited Forsyth Technical Community College to announce two NSF Regional Innovation Engine awardees in North Carolina, focused on driving innovation in textile manufacturing and regenerative medicine.
 
The 10 NSF Regional Innovation Engines will build on regions’ scientific and technological strengths to build new industries and workforces, creating more possibilities for Americans to participate in the 21^st-century economy without having to leave their communities. The NSF Regional Innovation Engines bring together private industry, venture capital, state and local governments, institutions of higher education including community colleges and technical schools, labor unions, Tribal communities and nonprofit organizations to transform their communities and regions over the next decade. This program is critical to the President’s economic vision of supporting regional economies, bringing communities together to tackle economic and science challenges, and bolstering industries of the future.
 
President Biden’s Investing in America agenda has leveraged public investment to catalyze private sector investment and job creation in key areas driving American competitiveness. Since President Biden took office, private companies have announced more than $640 billion in clean energy and manufacturing investments, including over $230 billion in semiconductor manufacturing, $150 billion in electric vehicle and battery manufacturing, $75 billion in clean energy manufacturing, and $20 billion in biomanufacturing; all of these sectors are represented by the NSF Regional Innovation Engines announced today. These investments will further position U.S. businesses and workers to outcompete the world in the economy of tomorrow and strengthen our national and economic security.
 
NSF Regional Innovation Engine Awardees:

• The Central Florida Semiconductor Innovation Engine will build a next-generation semiconductor technology innovation ecosystem and sharpen our nation’s competitive advantage in the emerging field of semiconductor advanced packaging, ensuring that America maintains reliable and secure access to the chips that underpin nearly every aspect of our economy. 
• The Great Lakes Water Innovation Engine will develop smart water recovery systems to save water and make the region’s booming manufacturing industries more sustainable. 
• The Louisiana Energy Transition Engine will advance technologies critical to the energy transition, including commercializing new approaches to use carbon dioxide and hydrogen as feedstock, advancing the use of carbon dioxide to produce biofuels or bioproducts, and creating sustainable manufacturing practices for the clean energy industry.
• The North Carolina Sustainable Textiles Innovation Engine will revolutionize the $90 billion textile industry by advancing technology in textiles and wearable tech to developing textiles that can be used in innovative ways for protection or in the medical field.
• The North Dakota Advanced Agriculture Technology Engine will reinvent the way we feed our nation, combining advanced crop data, genetic data, climate modeling and sensor technologies to adapt our food systems to the challenges and technology of the 21^st Century.  
• The Paso del Norte Defense and Aerospace Innovation Engine will bolster America’s competitiveness, national security, and space supply chains.  
• The Piedmont Triad Regenerative Medicine Engine will tap the world’s largest regenerative medicine cluster to create and scale breakthrough clinical therapies.
• The Colorado–Wyoming Climate Resilience Engine will develop advanced, trustworthy, and scalable methods to monitor and predict methane emissions, soil carbon capture, wildfires, and more, advancing essential technology to help the world adapt to a changing climate. 
• The Southwest Sustainability Innovation Engine will deploy new solutions to extreme regional dryness and heat, enabling equitable water and energy access. 
• The Upstate New York Energy Storage Engine will accelerate advanced energy storage technologies, unleashing the potential of U.S. battery manufacturers. 

In addition to investing in the 10 NSF Regional Innovation Engines, NSF is also inviting 15 other teams to pursue NSF Regional Innovation Engine Development Awards – adding to the set of 44 such awards announced in May 2023 – to seed communities that will grow their region’s economies through research and partnership and compete for future rounds of the NSF Regional Innovation Engines program.

NSF’s Regional Innovation Engines program, comprising Engines and Development Awards, represents the full diversity – and potential – of America, selected from more than 120 applications spanning nearly every U.S. state and territory. The NSF Regional Innovation Engines will deliver the benefits and opportunities of scientific and technological innovation to communities across the country, with nearly all significantly benefitting small and rural areas and likewise directly supporting historically underserved communities, including states and territories that have traditionally received less investment from the federal government. President Biden believes the U.S. economy is more resilient if we ensure no community is left out or behind by Federal programs. NSF is further partnering with workforce organizations such as labor unions, helping to enable the creation of good-paying, union jobs in the communities where workers live.

Supporting NSF Regional Innovation Engines Through an All-of-Government Strategy

These groundbreaking investments represent one of the broadest and most significant investments in regional science and technology innovation capacity in our nation’s history, since Congress created the modern university system over 150 years ago with the Morrill Land-Grant Acts. To ensure these NSF Regional Innovation Engines have the tools they need to compete on a global scale, the Administration is bringing the full resources of the federal government to identify and provide funding, technical assistance, and planning for the NSF Regional Innovation Engines program, including:

• The U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) will partner with NSF to facilitate interactions between the two agencies and their investments in place-based innovation. EDA and NSF will closely align and coordinate benefits and resources if a region has received both an NSF Engine award and a Tech Hubs designation, including regular coordination between EDA and NSF teams to ensure that these investments are catalytic and not duplicative.
• The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) will partner with the NSF Regional Innovation Engines program to advance shared Good Jobs Principles and develop equitable workforce development pathways for talent in NSF Engines communities. NSF and DOL will promote job quality, worker empowerment, and equal employment opportunity standards through Regional Innovation Engines to spur inclusive economic growth.
• The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), working with NSF’s Regional Innovation Engines, will enhance the impact of the Biden-Harris Administration’s historic climate legislation by undertaking a place-based approach to spurring innovation, helping build a 21st century workforce, and strengthening community engagement in collaboration with DOE-funded clean energy projects.
• The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will work with the NSF Regional Innovation Engines program to advance the best available technology and the latest, commercially viable innovations to achieve the nation’s drinking water and clean water goals – including increasing water efficiency and reuse, reducing energy consumption and emissions across the water sector, and ensuring that treatment technologies meet health benchmarks across a range of water quality challenges.
•  The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will partner with the National Science Foundation (NSF) to ensure employment opportunities generated by the NSF Regional Innovation Engines program align with accessible and affordable housing goals and support strong, sustainable, inclusive communities. HUD will work with NSF to inform grant recipients about their market housing needs and challenges and offer examples of best practices that lower the cost and speed up the production of new housing, including through innovative housing technologies.
• The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), which funds transformative R&D to accelerate better health outcomes for everyone, commits to facilitating connections between NSF Regional Innovation Engines and our ARPANET-H nationwide health innovation network, which connects people, innovators, and institutions.
• The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Advanced Research Projects Agency-Infrastructure (ARPA-I) commits to supporting NSF Regional Innovation Engines in the transportation sector. ARPA-I support will include connecting teams to DOT technical experts, testbeds, and pilot deployments, as well as assisting with technology commercialization and deployment in partnership with public and private stakeholders across the transportation ecosystem.
• The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will collaborate with the NSF Regional Innovation Engines program to support thriving local ecosystems with equitable opportunities for the aerospace industry. NASA support may include connecting teams with the agency’s technical experts and technologies and local NASA awardees and sharing knowledge around space and aeronautics.
• The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) will collaborate with the NSF Regional Innovation Engines program to support thriving local ecosystems with equitable opportunities for arts integration and practice. NEA support may include technical assistance on arts-based and culturally-relevant community engagement processes, advising the NSF Regional Innovation Engines teams on future funding opportunities, providing connection to local grantees, and sharing knowledge around innovation and the arts.
• The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) will partner with NSF to integrate humanities perspectives into the NSF Engine program. This collaboration encourages broader reflection across a wider range of academic disciplines, including history, ethics, and other relevant fields that complement the scientific development of new technology, and fosters innovation ecosystems across the U.S.
• The Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which is responsible for the regulation of cell and gene therapy products, commits to facilitating scientific and regulatory interactions with the agency, allowing sponsors to take advantage of the full breadth of available regulatory programs to advance product development. 
• The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) will provide technical assistance for the Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) program to increase private investment in small businesses located in NSF Engine regions, convene SBIC funds with NSF Engine leaders, and facilitate connections for NSF Engines with the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) ecosystem.
• The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development State Offices and their State Directors will work with the U.S. National Science Foundation, including direct engagement with rural-focused awardees, to identify relevant USDA Rural Development programs and networks, such as Rural Partners Network Community Networks, that could help ensure rural communities can benefit from and engage with the NSF Engines awardees.
• The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Directed Energy Directorate will work with the NSF Regional Innovation Engines to identify any relevant materials, additive manufacturing and Directed Energy technology that could help strengthen the supply chains for technology, widen the talent pool for Directed Energy at a national level, and identify collaboration opportunities to strengthen industry-academia-government ties for advancing state-of-the-art strategies in Directed Energy Science and Technology.

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Earth Rider Brewery
Superior, Wisconsin

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, hello, hello.  (Applause.)  Thank you, thank you, thank you.  (Applause.)  If you have a seat, take it.  (Laughs.)

Hello, Wisconsin.  (Applause.)  And from across the Bay, hello, Minnesota.  (Applause.)  Tim, thank you for the introduction.

I got to m- — I got to meet his twins and his wife.  And no wonder he’s here.  I tell you what, they’re going to keep him here.

Look, I’m honored to be with the two best governors in America — in the United States of America today — (applause) — the governor of Wisconsin, Tony Evers — Tony, stand up — and, also, the governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz.  (Applause.)

And thanks to the outstanding senators: Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin — (applause) — Tammy (inaudible) — and Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith from the state of Minnesota.  (Applause.)  If I have all three of them on my side, I don’t worry about anything.  (Laughter and applause.) 

And two great mayors: Mayor Paine of Superior, Wisconsin — (applause) — and Mayor Reinert of Duluth, Minnesota.  (Applause.)  Stand up, guys.  (Applause.)

Folks, I’m here today to talk about something that doesn’t get enough attention: the progress we’re making to invest in America — in American workers, in American products — to invest in America.  That’s what we’re doing: bringing work, opportunity, and hope to people and communities all across this country.

Just last week, we saw the biggest jump in 30 years in how positive consumers are feeling about the economy.  Things are finally beginning to sink in.

We passed a lot of really good legislation.  We knew it was going to take time for it to begin to take hold.  But it’s taking hold now and turning the economy around.

We also just learned that America fi- — filed 16 million new business applications since I’ve become President.  That’s a record.  (Applause.) 

And the reason I mention it — when someone files for a new business, it’s a — it’s a — it’s an example of hope, something they believe in.  They believe that they can get something done and of consequence.  You know, and Tim’s business right here is that act of hope, as well — started a while ago.

And just today, we learned the economy of the United States grew by 3.1 percent last year.  I don’t wa- — (applause) — I don’t want to bore you all with detail, but, you know, the experts, from the time I got elected, were insisting that a recession was just around the corner.  Every month, there was going to be a recession.

Well, you know, we’ve got really strong growth.  Listening to this — here is this mo- — this morning’s headlines, from the Wall Street Journal and other papers.  Quote, “U.S. [Growth] Shatters Expectations.”  Second headline: “The U.S. Economy Boomed in 2023.”  Third: “U.S. Economy Grew at a Sh- — a Shocking Pace.”  (Laughs.)  I love that “shocking pace” piece.  (Laughter.)  But my favorite is from the Wall Street Journal.  Quote, “What Recession?  Growth Ended [Up] Accelerating in 2023.”  (Applause.)

Folks, look — and, by the way, the economic growth was stronger than we had during the Trump administration.

Our — my predecessor recently said he was actually hoping for the economy to crash.  His quote.  Hoping for the economy to crash.  And can you believe it?  Well — well, he said he’s hoping — because he hope it happens soon, while I’m still president.  That’s what he’s hoping for.

Well, thanks to the American people, America now has the strongest growth and the lowest inflation rate of any major economy in the world.  (Applause.)  It’s because of you.

We obviously have more work to do, but we’re making real progress, building an economy from the middle out and the bottom up and not the top down.

I was raised in a household where there were — we had three-bedroom — it was a nice home — three-bedroom split-level home in a new development of 40 homes in suburbia with four — four kids and a grandpop living with us.  And — but trickle-down economics didn’t trickle down much on my ga- — dad’s kitchen table.

Because when we — when we — when we work from the middle out and the bottom up, the poor have a shot, the middle class does really well, and the — and the wealthy still do well.  But everybody gets a shot.  We all do well.

You know, as the Secretary of the Treasury, Jan- — Janet Yellen, just said today, and I quote, “The story of the middle class is not separate from the st- — state of the economy.  It’s at the heart of it.”  She went on to say, “I mean workers across industries and occupations — from firefighters to nurses to factory workers.”

That’s the middle class.  At least that’s where I come from.  And that’s what it’s all about.

So, I’m here to announce more progress that shows that we can get big things done in America if we start believing in ourselves again, if we start investing in America again.

Folks, look, our infrastructure used to be the best in the world — the be- — rated the best in the world.  But over a period of time, we stopped investing in America.  We stopped it.  We stopped investing in ourselves, and we slipped.  We’re now ranked the 13th best infrastructure in the world.  The United States of America, number 13 in the world.

How in God’s name can we have the strongest economy in the world when we don’t have the strongest and best infrastructure in the world?  It’s not possible.

So, we’re determined to turn that around.  We — we’re determined to turn that around in a big way.  And that’s exactly — (applause) — and that’s actually what we’re doing.

Two years ago, I came to Wisconsin — it was almost this very spot — to talk about the historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that I signed with the support of your elected officials — the most sweeping investment to rebuild America in American history.

We’ve already invested $6.1 billion in Wisconsin so far, $5.7 billion — (applause) — $5.7 billion in Minnesota.  (Applause.) 

Two years later, I came back to the Blatnik Bridge.  I was here two years ago.

Well, last time I was here, I came with Tammy, and we’re now back this time because we know — we knew this bridge needed a — had — needed a lot of work.  Tammy didn’t let — let me forget that, either.  (Laughter.) 

You know, that bridge opened in 1961, and it connects Minnesota to Wisconsin — you know better than anyone in the world — and over the [St.] Louis Bay.

It’s a vital link in our nation’s economy.  Every year, 950,000 trucks use the bridge to carry 3.4 billion tons of goods all the way across America and into Canada.  Folks, every day 33,000 ve- — vehicles cross that bridge.

The flow of people is so critical to small businesses that rely on it to get customers, employers [employees], goods to the businesses — it’s critical — and local businesses like this brewery at the base of the bridge.

Think what Tim just told us.  Tim’s family has been here for four generations.  His great-grandparents moved here from Scandinavia to build a bakery just four blocks from here.

And as Tim just said, the bridge is critical to his business, his workers, his customers, to the entire local economy.  And it’s like that in other parts of the country as well.

This bridge is also critical to the largest port on the Great Lakes, serving critical industries like forestry, agriculture, clean energy, supporting so many communities.  I mean, it really is consequential.

But you also know this bridge is in badly corroded condition.  It’s unsafe for trucks to carry oversize, overweight loads, causing drivers lengthy detours, increasing costs and delays.

It’s outdated in design.  Tight curves have led to higher-than-average car accident rates, traffic congestion.

For decades, people talked about replacing this bridge, but it never got done, until today.  (Applause.)  Until today.  I mean it.

And I’m proud to announce $1 billion from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will be used to build this new bridge, a new bridge that will increase capacity for large trucks and oversized loads; a new bridge with a modern design, wider shoulders, smother on — smoother on and off ramps; a new bridge with a shared path for pedestrians and cyclists.  (Applause.)

And I — and I want to credit your governors — and I mean this sincerely — and your state legislatures for coming up with the matching money to invest in this bridge.  Otherwise, it wouldn’t have gotten done with — with your own funding.

This investment is going to make a huge difference: less traffic, fewer car accidents, faster commutes to your jobs and schools, quicker response times from firetrucks and first responders when every minute counts.

Goods are going to get shipped quicker, and commerce will flow more freely, instead of having to detour for up to 10 miles.

Here’s what else it means.  It means that 10,000 new construction jobs — union jobs — (applause) — are going to be created.

We’re investing in America, in jobs for American workers, built with American products.

And that’s going to — with the help of your congressional delegation, especially Senator Tammy Baldwin, we’re making sure that that iron, that steel, that construction material to build this bridge is made in America.  (Applause.)
And this funding is part of a larger $5 billion investment led by the Department of Transportation for 37 major projects across America, including bridges, highways, ports, airports.  To date, 40,000 infrastructure problems have been — projects have been announced all across America.  And with the support of these great governors and congressional delegation, we’re doing other big things.

For example, we’re making sure every American, including all of you here, have access to affordable high-speed Internet.  (Applause.)  I want to thank Amy for her leadership in this issue.  She has been relentless.  (Applause.)

High-speed Internet is essential to today’s economy.  It’s as essential as electricity was when Franklin Roosevelt was president.  Not a joke. 

That’s why, nearly a century ago, Franklin Roosevelt signed the Rural Electrification Act.  I know this sounds like it doesn’t make — doesn’t matter, but it matters a great deal.  He signed it to bring electricity to nearly every home and farm in America because it became essential — an essential part of the economic growth of the country, an essential way to access the modern life.  And so is high-speed Internet today.

In Wisconsin and Minnesota, we’re investing $2.5 billion — $2.5 billion in high-speed Internet.  And we’re going to save — (applause) — and we’re going to save more than 600,000 families in these two states up to $30 a month on their Internet bills.  The household that I came from, that matters.  Those $30 extra at the end of the month — bills all add up when you’re living on a fixed salary.

We’re also investing $1.1 billion in your state to provide clean water and replace poisonous lead pipes.  (Applause.)  Every lead pipe is going to be taken out so you can turn on your faucet and drink clean water without getting sick. 

You know, a recent study shows that reducing lead exposure for children has the same effect on a student’s test scores as reducing the size of a class they’re in from 22 to 15 — one tenth the cost, it is.  It matters.  It affects the ability of the brain to function.

That’s why we’re going to eliminate every single lead pipe in America.  And I promise you that.  We got the money to do it now.  (Applause.)

And that’s on top of another billion dollars to clean up the Great Lakes, which provide drinking water to 20 million people — (applause) — 20 million people.  And, by the way, it used to make the beer brewed here — (laughs) — it is used to make the brewed beer here in this refine- — oh, Earth Rider, thanks for the Great Lakes.  I wondered why (inaudible) — (laughter).

What we’re doing in Wisconsin and Minnesota is just one piece of a much bigger story.  Look, 14 million new jobs since I became president — (applause); 169 [thousand] new jobs in Wisconsin, 200,000 in Minnesota; nearly 800,000 new manufacturing jobs nationwide — good-paying jobs. 

And [un]employment has been the lowest — been below 4 percent for the longest stretch in 50 years.  (Applause.)  And it’s even lower in Wisconsin and Minnesota, where it stands at 3.3 and 2.9 percent, respectively. 

That’s our economic plan: invest in America, invest in American products, build in America.  That’s what we call Bidenomics. 

My professor — well, I won’t get into my professor.  (Laughter.) 

But, look, my predecessor, though, he chose a different course: trickle-down economics, cut taxes for the very wealthy and big corporations, increasing the deficit significantly.  That’s exactly what happened.  That’s exactly what happened. 

And the fact is — well, I won’t get into it, but — I don’t want to get going.  (Laughter.) 

He stripped good-paying jobs and shipped them overseas.  Why?  Cheaper labor.  Rather than pay you a fair wage, ship it overseas, lower wage costs, and then import the product, denying Americans jobs.  He shrank public investment in infrastructure and education.  And then the process — in the process, he hollowed out communities, closing factories, leaving too many Americans behind.

Look, I grew up in the neighborhoods that many — many of you did, in regions where they had that factory that — maybe it only employed 600 people or 800 people, but it was the heartbeat of the community. 

And all of a sudden, one day, corporation owners decided it was cheaper to send that factory overseas because the labor was cheaper.  So, it sent the — closed the factory, sent it overseas, imported the product from overseas, paid more money for it, and they didn’t have to pay as much in labor.  That’s what happened.  That’s how we began to hollow out American labor.  For real.  Not a joke. 

You know, any rate —

He talked about infrastructure.  Every week, when — for four years, he was going to increase the infr- — “We’re at ‘Infrastructure Week.’”  Well — (laughs) — we have Infrastruc- — Infrastructure Year.  (Laughter.)  He didn’t get — on my watch, instead of Infrastructure Week, America is having an Infrastructure Decade.  (Applause.)

Look, we’re rebuilding factories, and jobs are coming back to America.

For example, you know, when we — you know that little computer chip that everybody needs for everything from your watch to your automobile?  Well, guess what?  We used to make — we invented them.  We s- — made them more sophisticated.  We used to have 40 percent of the market.  And all of a sudden, it was — we have nothing.  You know that — and so, guess what?  I got on a plane and went to South Korea. 

My staff went, “What the hell are you doing?”  I talked to the — the prime — the leader of South Korea.  I said, “You have a thing called ‘Samsung.’  You make a lot of these computer chips.  Come to America.” 

Well, not only did they, but a total of $50 billion — (applause) — is coming to America, building factories in America — in America.

There’s a place just outside of Columbus, Ohio.  They call it a “Field of Dreams.”  They’re building two of these — these fa- — these “fabs,” they call — factories.  They’re like gigantic football fields.  And guess what?  They hire a whole hell of a lot of people, not only building the facility but working there. 

You know what the average salary is?  One hundred and ten thousand bucks a year, and you don’t need a college degree to have the job.  (Applause.)  

The Midwest is coming back.  And these senators right in front of you here, they delivered it.  Amy delivered it.  Tammy delivered it.  Tina delivered it.  I mean it sincerely.  (Applause.)  And you, the American people, supported it. 

Now, I worked with some Republicans to get the bipartisan law done.  And it got done.  But I’m sorry to say, the vast majority voted against it.  But you know what?  That’s okay, because we’re building projects everywhere, no matter whether they voted for it or not. 

I promised to be a president for all Americans, whether you voted for me or didn’t vote for me.  (Applause.)

Folks, but we have more — we have more work to do.  For example, does anyone think that the tax code in America is fair?  Raise your hand if you think the tax code is fair. 

In 2020, 55 of the Fortune 500 company corporations paid zero in taxes — zero in taxes.  You may heard me harp on this for a while.  Federal taxes on $40 billion in profit, they paid zero cents. 

But not anymore.  What I was able to do is provo- — provide for funding all of these programs by signing a — getting passed the tax of just 15 percent.  You pay more than that.  But just getting up to 15 percent — 15 percent tax on these 50 corporations making $40 billion.  And guess what?  As a consequence, we could pay for so many of these investments we’re making all across America without the deficit going up.  And we still brought the deficit down by $7 billion. 

Look, we have to do more. 

One of the other things that I want to mention — you know, I — I’ve been — I’m going to say this politely.  For my entire career, I have been going after the pharmaceutical corporations.  Pharmaceutical corporations in America are the best in the world.  They make the best product.  But whatever prescription you may be taking now, if I take that prescription for you — we’re going to fly to Toronto, Canada; London, England; any — Brazil; anywhere in the world — I will get that prescription by the same company filled for anywhere from one third to one half the cost. 

We get charged more than any other country in the world.  Not a joke.  And you pay for it not only in your prescription, but you pay for it because Medicare pays for a great deal of this.  So, I’ve been pushing to let Medicare negotiate and save (inaudible).  (Applause.)

Well, with the help of your Senate and congress- — congressional delegation, I finally won. 

And guess what?  Any of you — I’m not asking you to raise your hand — but you know anybody who has a — has a problem with diabetes, needs insulin?  Well, it used to be the average cost of that insulin shot a ye- — on a monthly basis was closer to $400.  Now they cannot charge more than $35.  (Applause.)

And, by the way, they’re still making 350 percent profit.  It costs 10 bucks to make it — 10 bucks to make it.  And the guy who invented it didn’t even want a patent on it because he thought it should be available to everyone.

I could take you down the list. 

And beginning in 2025, guess what else happens?  Anybody you know have parents or grandparents who are taking a cancer drug?  They may be paying anywhere from 6- to 13,000 bucks a month for the — for that drug.  They can’t do it.

And guess what?  No one is going to have — no senior is going to have to pay, no matter how many drugs have to take, more than $2,000 bucks a month, period — period, period, period.  (Applause.)

And they’re still going to make money.  They’re still going to make money.

And, folks, I was told that that’s an awful thing to do, man.  It’s a terrible thing to do.  Guess what?  Not only is it saving the individual money, it means you, as taxpayers, are paying billions of dollars less per month because you don’t have to spend that money on Medicaid.  You don’t have to spend that money on Medicaid because it’s a fair price.

We get thou- — look, we — you know, we now have — we used to — before the recession, before the — the pandemic, we had about 700 billionaires in America.  There are 1,000 billionaires now.  You know what their average tax rate is?  Eight percent.

Raise your hand if you want to trade your tax rate now for 8 percent.  (Laughter.)  No, I’m not joking.  I — I’m being deadly earnest.  You know, it sou- — it sounds like I’m making this up: 8 percent, what they pay. 

That’s why I proposed the billionaire minimum tax of 25 percent.  That’s not even the top rate.  (Applause.) 

If billionaires and big corporations paid even close to their fair share, we could strengthen Social Security and Medicare, bring down the cost of childcare, eldercare.  Working-class and middle-class people would all be better off.  And it wouldn’t cost a penny because they’re making — $40 billion would be coming in.

And — and it’s not — I mean, it’s just — it’s just basic fairness.  You know, it’s the right thing to do, and we can get this done.  And I’ll be damned, in the last year of this administration, I’m going to get it done.  (Applause.) 

Let me close with this.  I’m going on too long.  I apol- — I get a little tied up here.  (Laughter.)

This bridge is important, but the story we’re writing is much bigger than that.

When you see the shovels in the ground and cranes in the sky and people hard at work on these projects, I hope you feel re- — a renewed sense pride — pride in your community, pride in what we can do, pride in America, pride in knowing we can get big things done still together in America.

We’re the only county in the world that’s come out of every crisis we’ve gotten into stronger than we went in.  Not a joke.  The only country in the world.  For God’s sake, this is the United States of America — United States of America.

And the real heroes in this whole story, the American people, are starting to speak up.  American workers, American people doing the work to bring communities back to their country in ways that are — that it was before — in the future.

That’s what America does.  That’s why I’ve been never more optimistic about the future.  We just have to remember who in God’s name we are.  We’re the United States of America, and there is nothing — nothing beyond our capacity when we do it together. 

Let’s start working together, for God’s sake.

God bless you all.  And may God protect our troops.  (Applause.)

President Biden and Black voters are discussed by Charlamagne Tha God, co-host of “The Breakfast Club,” and Angela Rye, co-host of “Native Land Pod,” as Biden tries to shore up support among African-Americans. "I may talk about Joe Biden and his shortcomings, but I also say Donald Trump is the end of democracy as we know it,” Charlamagne Tha God tells Joy Reid.

charlamagnethagod #thebreakfastclub #angelarye

Vision 2034 Kickoff Meeting Thursday Jan 11

Click link Open for Vision 2034 Community

New Zoning Map Release   The City of New Haven will be releasing a new zoning application next week. The impetus for this release is to replace the previous platform being phased out by its developer and make the application more useful to users. We look forward to your feedback on the application. Please email to FCecunjanin@newhavenct.gov. Changes include:

HARTFORD, Connecticut – On Wednesday afternoon, Connecticut’s Investment Advisory Council (IAC) convened their first meeting of 2024 at the State Office Building in Hartford. State Treasurer Erick Russell opened the meeting by announcing more than $1.1 billion in investment commitments in the private credit and real estate portfolios of the Connecticut Retirement Plans and Trust Funds (CRPTF). 

In private credit, the Treasurer committed $125 million to ICG North America Credit Partners Fund III LP and $200 million to ICG Liquid Credit Strategies, including ICG Global Loan Fund and ICG Global Total Credit Fund.

Treasurer Russell also announced two European credit investment commitments. He will direct €150 million to ICG Europe Mid-Market Fund II SCSp and €150 million to a customized co-investment program. This equates to approximately $328 million total, at the current exchange rate.

In the state’s real estate portfolio, Treasurer Russell announced his decision to commit $125 million to Penzance DC Real Estate Fund III LP, $200 million to Stonepeak Infrastructure Fund V LP, and $125 million to Homestead Capital USA Farmland Fund IV, LP.

These investment decisions were based on input and feedback the Treasurer received during the November 2023 meeting of the IAC.

“I’m pleased to kick off 2024 with this slate of investment commitments,” said Treasurer Russell. “These European opportunities, in particular, represent prudent diversification of our private credit portfolio. I’m grateful to the IAC for their collaboration and input in these decisions.” 

Also in Wednesday’s meeting, the IAC received several updates from the Treasurer’s investment team. These included an update on Global Equity positioning and outlook, the currency overlay strategy for the Public Markets, a review of the Short-Term Investment Fund (STIF), and a presentation of the CRPTF rebalancing process.

Additionally, Principal Investment Officers Mark Evans and Denise Stake provided an overview of the recommended pacing plans for the Private Equity, Private Credit, Real Estate, and Infrastructure/Natural Resource Asset Classes.

The IAC is comprised of volunteer members who are responsible for providing advice to the State Treasurer on performance benchmarks, investment and shareholder policy, and institutional investment procedures for the CRPTF. It includes both ex-officio members and members who are appointed by the Governor and legislative leaders. To learn more about the IAC, visit portal.ct.gov/OTT/About-the-Treasury/Advisory-Council.

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Governor Ned Lamont today announced the establishment of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s (DEEP) Office of Outdoor Industry and Experiences, which seeks to grow Connecticut’s outdoor recreation economy by creating partnerships with the private sector. Coinciding with establishing this new office, DEEP is launching a request for information (RFI) as an initial step to expand services and amenities in state parks through partnerships with businesses, nonprofits, and other private sector entities.

The first task for this new office will be to facilitate the RFI process to establish partnerships with organizations that share our values for both conservation and outdoor recreation, and ultimately result in enhanced outdoor experiences in state parks.

Governor Lamont and DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes made the announcement at the Mohawk Mountain Ski Area in West Cornwall, a family-operated outdoor recreation business currently operating through a partnership with Connecticut State Parks.

“Connecticut’s state parks are among the best in the country and provide the setting for many memorable outdoor recreation experiences,” Governor Lamont said. “Our private partners help facilitate those experiences, whether it be a great day of skiing at Mohawk, tubing with family and friends on the Farmington River, or taking a ride on the Essex Steam Train. There are so many wonderful ways to experience the outdoors in our state, and with this new office and RFI, we look forward to discovering new ways to play in the outdoors in our beautiful state.”

Demand for outdoor recreation has spiked since the COVID-10 pandemic, with state park visitation increasing from just under 10 million in 2019, to an estimated 17 million in 2022. DEEP has embraced these higher visitor levels and the opportunities to connect park visitors with other Connecticut tourist destinations, with the launch of a new, interactive state parks website, ctparks.com. Connecticut’s $4.6 billion outdoor recreation economy also has demonstrated robust growth each year since the pandemic, expanding by 20% in 2021 and then by another 11% in 2022. This is the second largest in New England, supporting almost 46,000 jobs.

Thanks to the Passport to the Parks program, DEEP is able to maintain parks services and operations without charging Connecticut residents a fee to park at popular park destinations. The recent increase in public demand for outdoor recreation at state parks coincides with a historic investment in state park facilities and services. Since 2022, the Lamont administration and the legislature have committed $80 million in capital investments as part of the Restore CT State Parks initiative. This initiative is funding repairs and improvements at more than 40 park locations, from renovations of Heublein Tower at Talcott Mountain State Park in Simsbury, to site improvements at Gillette Castle State Park in East Haddam.

Against this backdrop of increased visitation, a growing outdoor economy, and a once-in-a-generation level of capital investment in park facilities, DEEP is launching a RFI to solicit ideas and concepts from strategic partners – businesses, nonprofits, and other interested stakeholders – about new or expanded partnerships DEEP could pursue to elevate the outdoor recreation experience in state parks, create new tourism destinations, and provide equitable access to the outdoors.

“Through this new office and initiative, we are elevating the outdoor recreation experience in our parks, creating new tourism destinations, and building on the Lamont administration’s commitment to providing equitable access to the outdoors,” Commissioner Dykes said. “I encourage private sector organizations who share our values for both outdoor recreation and conservation to submit partnership concepts. We’re eager to hear ideas from nonprofits and businesses about ways they could partner with us to provide expanded services and amenities for state park visitors, that reflect our values for both outdoor recreation and natural resource conservation. We want to hear from our visitors about the kinds of experiences you’d like to see result from these partnerships.”

“The initial steps established by DEEP’s RFI are bold, smart, and innovative,” Anthony Anthony, Connecticut’s chief marketing officer, said. “These kinds of partnerships with the private sector have long been encouraged by the Lamont administration, and this one in particular will build sustainable development of the tourism industry. More importantly, it will expand access to our state parks, which are some of Connecticut’s finest and most visited tourist destinations. It’s a win-win for everyone — tourists and residents alike, private industry, and our economy.”

This RFI will seek to add to DEEP’s successful partnerships, which includes canoe and kayak rentals through Clarke Outdoors at Burr Pond State Park; the Essex Steam Train, an iconic regional tourism destination in Connecticut Valley Railroad State Park; Farmington River Tubing, which provides a safe, enjoyable experience in Satan’s Kingdom State Park; and the Mohawk Mountain Ski Area.

Businesses, nonprofits, and individuals are invited to apply to the RFI, which can be found on the website for DEEP’s Office of Outdoor Industry and Experiences at portal.ct.gov/DEEP-parks-partnerships.

The RFI seeks to:

• Elevate outdoor recreation and visitor experiences: DEEP is interested in exploring partnerships to provide services that elevate the public’s experience in Connecticut State Parks. Potential services could include boat or bike rentals, events, locally sourced farmers’ markets held in parks, guided experiences, “glamping,” rafting or tubing, skiing, biking, marinas or boat shares, food and beverage, and other outdoor recreation partnerships concepts.
• Expand tourism destinations: State parks are one of Connecticut’s largest tourism attractions, and DEEP seeks to build on our success through partnerships that expand sustainable tourism opportunities and support local economic development.
• Provide equitable and sustainable access to the outdoors: DEEP seeks to establish partnerships that provide all visitors with equitable opportunities to participate in outdoor recreation experiences, such as universal, adaptive, and ADA-compliant equipment rental, experiences, and education.

“With today’s announcement of the new Office of Outdoor Industry and Experiences, Governor Lamont is demonstrating great leadership in recognizing the relationship between outdoor recreation and public health, economic development, and state competitiveness,” Chris Perkins, vice president of programs for Outdoor Recreation Roundtable, said. “Connecticut is joining 20 other states around the country who have created dedicated offices and positions to advance the outdoor recreation economy. At a time when the outdoor recreation economy has reached $1.1 trillion in economic impact nationwide and $4.6 billion in Connecticut, we couldn’t be more excited to support the new office’s work.”

“We’re thrilled to support Governor Lamont’s vision for the future of outdoor recreation here in Connecticut,” Neil Johnson, store manager for REI Co-op in Milford, said. The outdoor retailer has three locations in the state and operates a wide range of educational experiences and programs. “Whether you prefer to explore the waters of the Long Island Sound or traipse our extensive segment of the Appalachian Trail, the $4.6 billion outdoor recreation industry provides health, economic and social benefits to everyone in our state. We look forward to working with this new office as we strive to make time outside more accessible for all.”

“Excited is an understatement,” Mick Ferraro, secretary of the Connecticut Outdoor Recreation Alliance, said. “The new Office of Outdoor Industry and Experiences will be a game-changer for promoting outdoor recreation in Connecticut and embodies Governor Lamont’s initiative to ‘Make It Here.’ With outdoor recreation contributing more than $1 trillion to the U.S. economy, this office is poised to impact the health of our state in a multitude of ways. We look forward to collaborating with the new office to continue increasing outdoor recreation opportunities, supporting economic development, and stewarding Connecticut’s natural resources.”

“I applaud DEEP for their innovation in establishing an office of Outdoor Industry and Experiences to partner with the private sector to enhance outdoor recreation in state parks,” Ryan Snide, president of Friends of Connecticut State Parks, said. “I encourage our various Friends groups to consider and share the RFI with the organizations that they think would be best fit for their local state parks.”

To learn more about the new Office of Outdoor Industry or to submit a proposal through the RFI, visit portal.ct.gov/DEEP-parks-partnerships.

Today my daughter @isabellastrahan joined @robinrobertsgma and myself for an interview about the journey she has been going through on @goodmorningamerica. ❤️❤️❤️

I love you Isabella and I’m always by your side. To all sending love, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts!!

📸 ABC/Heidi Gutman