President Joe Biden, left, embraces U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Ann Arbor, right, after signing an executive order at UA Local 190 Training Center in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Sept. 6, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)
President Joe Biden signed Friday what he called a “Good Jobs” executive order, which requires federal agencies to prioritize funding projects with the free and fair choice to join a union, wage standards, workforce development programs such as apprenticeships and benefits like access to childcare.
“Economists have long believed that these good job standards produce more opportunities, better outcomes for workers and more predictable outcomes for businesses as well,” Biden said.
Biden was joined on stage by union pipefitters and plumbers at the United Association Local 190’s Job Training Center in Scio Township near Ann Arbor and handed the pen he used to his longtime friend, U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Ann Arbor).
The president dared any successors to try and walk back the order.
“Too many presidents, like my predecessor, have looked the other way as companies trample on the rights of workers while cashing in government checks. Not anymore,” Biden said. “From this point onward, any president who disagrees with that is going to have to say so out loud, say it to your face and repeal that order. And I want to see them try to do it.”
The event marked Biden’s first trip to Michigan since dropping out of the presidential race in July and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor.
It was not greeted warmly by the Michigan Republican Party.
“Joe’s trip to Michigan is another sickening reminder to every Michigander that a Kamala presidency would be another four years of historic inflation, high prices, and lost jobs to electric vehicles,” said Michigan GOP spokesperson Victoria LaCivita. “Despite Kamala and Joe’s best efforts, Michigan voters know that only President Donald J. Trump offers the common sense solutions that will Make Michigan Great Again.”
The event was part of a tour meant to highlight the administration’s achievements during the final months of Biden’s presidency, according to the White House, who said that the United States has created nearly 16 million jobs since Biden and Harris took office, with the lowest average unemployment rate of any administration in 50 years.
“That’s more jobs created under any president in the same amount of time in history,” acting labor secretary Julie Su said. “We don’t just care about the number of jobs, we care about the quality of those jobs. We want jobs to be jobs that provide a good wage, where every worker knows that they’ll be able to come home healthy at the end of the day, where you have benefits so you can take a day off if you need to and you can retire with dignity.”
The United States reported this week that another 142,000 jobs were added in August.
“I’ve never been more optimistic about America’s future,” Biden said. “We’re seeing the great American comeback story.”
While the event remained largely focused on touting the administration’s achievements on the economy, Biden did take a few jabs at former President Donald Trump, who is seeking to return to the White House in the November election.
“He refused to visit an American cemetery in France – that I was just near – because, according to his own chief of staff – a four-star Marine general – Trump said those servicemen buried there are ‘suckers’ and ‘losers,’” Biden said.
Trump has denied making the comments while he was president, but his former chief of staff, John Kelly, has said that the former president did.
“My son died,” Biden shouted before taking a pause to collect his thoughts before continuing, with a shakier voice, “because of a year in Iraq.”
Beau Biden, the former Delaware attorney general, died in 2015 from brain cancer that the president has said was related to his son’s service near military burn pits.
“I’m just happy, I mean this from the bottom of my heart, I’m glad I wasn’t there. I think I would have done something,” Biden said. “They’re heroes. He’s the sucker, he’s the loser, the way he talks about them.”
After taking another pause, Biden apologized to the audience: “I’m sorry to get emotional about that. But I miss him.”
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