On Minnesota visit, Biden touts job creation from big spending bills

FRIDLEY, Minn. — In remarks at a Twin Cities metro factory Monday, April 3, President Joe Biden said he's determined to reestablish the U.S. as a leading manufacturer and touted his economic agenda's positive effects on job growth and the domestic clean energy industry.

Addressing a crowd of hundreds at the Cummins Power Generation Facility in the north-metro suburb of Fridley, the president said his economic agenda has been key to spurring investments in industry, particularly in advanced sectors such as chip manufacturing. Since taking office, Biden has signed multiple bills investing trillions into the American infrastructure and economy, as well as clean energy, and he is touring the U.S. to promote what he says is his role in improving the U.S. economy.

"Federal investment attracts private investment," Biden said in his speech, later telling the crowd: "All these investments mean that now if you grow up in Minnesota or you go to a school in Minnesota, you can stay in Minnesota. ... You don't have to hear your son or daughter say, 'Mom, I love it here, but there's no work for me.'"

Cummins, an engine and power supply manufacturer, has chosen the facility in Fridley to produce electrolyzers — devices used to produce hydrogen for use in clean energy. It's the company's first such facility in the U.S. and is expected to create 100 new jobs.

Tony Satterthwaite, the company's senior vice president, said bills Biden signed into law such as the more than $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill and the Inflation Reduction Act are encouraging the development of clean energy technology in the U.S.

"As a result of this legislation, we saw demand for U.S.-made electrolyzers skyrocket. And what you see here today is our ability to capitalize on that demand," Satterthwaite said.

Biden visited Minnesota as part of a national tour touting his economic agenda. He arrived in Minneapolis midday and met with Gov. Tim Walz on the tarmac at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport before heading to Cummins. Ahead of his remarks, the president toured the new facility with the governor, Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, and U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, who also addressed the crowd at the factory.

Biden praised Walz for his recent signing of a bill requiring Minnesota to shift to 100% clean energy by 2040, saying "Hubert Humphrey would be proud" of the governor's work.

Walz praised Biden for taking action on infrastructure, saying it would help Minnesota take care of many public projects, including road work and building up a network of electric vehicle charging stations in the state.

On the "Investing in America Tour," Biden has been trying to highlight what he says are the positive economic effects of his policies and major pieces of federal legislation, including the $1 trillion infrastructure bill passed in 2021. Since Biden took office, there has been more than $435 billion in private investment in the U.S., according to the White House.

The White House says private sector companies have pledged to invest more than $2 billion in Minnesota's economy since Biden took office in 2021. White House officials pointed to several Minnesota projects as a sign of success, such as Xcel Energy's $575 million solar-power plant planned northwest of the Twin Cities metro, and a proposed Bobcat assembly plant near Minneapolis.

Cummins, which announced its plans to produce electrolyzers in Fridley last fall, on Monday morning announced plans to invest more than $1 billion in manufacturing across the U.S. The new investment will go toward Cummins' engine manufacturing network

at facilities in Indiana, North Carolina and New York, and will be used for upgrades to help shift the company toward low-carbon fuels — eventually including hydrogen.

A White House official said the president is also meeting with members of Congress who helped pass bills like the Inflation Reduction Act and the infrastructure bill. Vice President Kamala Harris and other executive officials will visit more than 20 states in the coming weeks, according to the White House. The vice president visited St. Cloud in February to highlight the Biden Administration's investments in electric vehicles.

Ahead of Biden's Monday visit, the Minnesota Republican Party characterized the policies of Biden and Democrats in Congress as wasteful "tax-and-spending sprees."

"He should apologize for making it harder for families to save for college or retirement, pay the bills, start a business or even buy the things they need every day like groceries and gas," GOP Chairman David Hahn said in a statement.

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