MILWAUKEE — In his third visit to Wisconsin in as many months, President Barack Obama outlined details for a new $50 billion in economic stimulus to fund nationwide infrastructure projects during a Labor Day event on the same grounds as the Summerfest music festival.
Dubbed “Laborfest,” the event was attended by thousands of union employees. In his remarks, the president called for the creation and renovation of 150,000 miles of roads, 4,000 miles of railway and 150 miles of airport runway over the next six years.
He added air traffic control procedures will also be modified to reduce travel times and delays, helping to rebuild and modernize America “for the long term.
“I want America to have the best infrastructure in the world,” he said.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood joined Obama to reinforce the message that high speed rail transportation is the future of the country, though some in the crowd shouted their opposition to LaHood.
High speed rail has been a contentious political issue in Wisconsin, with Republican gubernatorial candidates Scott Walker and Mark Neumann both saying they would put an end to costly state rail plans.
Obama said, in his mind, high speed rail should be a bipartisan effort, but Republicans and other interest groups have become fond of disagreeing with him on most issues.
“Even on things we usually agree on, [Republicans] say no. If I said the sky was blue, they say no. If I said fish live in the sea, they’d say no,” the president quipped. “[Some powerful interests] talk about me like a dog. That’s not in my prepared remarks…but it’s true.”
Obama added the White House will work with Congress to ensure high speed rail plans will be fully funded and will not add to the deficit over time.
Both Obama and LaHood also emphasized the job creation aspect of the rail plans, saying how the projects will employ thousands of residents right away and continue to boost the economy over time.
Other infrastructure projects touted by Obama were his plans to connect the country with broadband internet access and promote clean energy jobs and technology in the U.S.
“I don’t want to see solar panels and wind turbines and electric cars made in China,” Obama said. “I want them made right here in the United States of America.”
In particular, Obama praised Gov. Jim Doyle and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett for their efforts to bring green jobs to the area.
Barrett, the Democratic gubernatorial hopeful, said both Wisconsin and the country need people who are going to make job creation their number one priority once in office.
Barrett also echoed the need to keep manufacturing jobs in the U.S. and blasted his opponents Neumann and Walker for criticizing the state.
“I’m running against two guys who love to say how lousy the state of Wisconsin is,” Barrett said at the rally. “When I hear these guys say, ‘Believe in Wisconsin again,’ I’m here to tell you there are millions of people in the state who have never stopped believing in Wisconsin.”
Walker, the Milwaukee County executive, put out a statement prior to the president’s visit in which he called Obama’s “spending spree” an “outright failure.”
“It seems like every time the president opens his mouth, he spends another $50 billion of our money to ‘create jobs’ but instead we continue to see spiraling unemployment,” Walker said.
