President Joe Biden traveled to Michigan to celebrate U.S. progress in fighting COVID-19 and promote infrastructure spending, part of a slate of Fourth of July weekend events by the administration to signal a return to pre-pandemic life.
Biden picked a battleground state where he beat Donald Trump by 3 percentage points in the 2020 presidential election and where Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has clashed with state Republicans over pandemic restrictions.
Whitmer and Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., greeted Biden on Saturday at the airport in Traverse City, Michigan, a largely white community on Lake Michigan that helped him flip the state last November.
The White House said the trip is meant to celebrate the nation’s “independence from the virus” after one-and-a-half years, though the U.S. fell short of the president’s goal of getting 70% of adults vaccinated with at least one dose by Independence Day.
The number is slightly less than 67%, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with the spread of the more-contagious delta variant adding urgency to the drive to reach unvaccinated pockets of the U.S.
With his legislative agenda on the line, Biden is also promoting a bipartisan deal for $579 billion in new infrastructure spending.
He chose a cherry farm as the backdrop to “highlight the benefits of the bipartisan infrastructure framework, and what it will do to deliver to communities across the country,” according to White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki.
Members of Biden’s cabinet are fanning out across at least 10 states and Washington, D.C., through Sunday to deliver the administration’s message, including visits to vaccine sites, baseball games and a community meeting. First lady Jill Biden was scheduled to visit Maine and New Hampshire on Saturday, and Vice President Kamala Harris to travel to Nevada.
On Sunday, the White House has invited 1,000 essential workers and military families for a barbecue, the biggest event on the grounds since Biden took office.
The trip is Biden’s third as president to Michigan. He visited a Pfizer Inc. COVID-19 vaccine plant in February and traveled in May trip to promote the F-150 Lightning, an all-electric version of the Ford pickup truck.
COVID-19 infections have dropped substantially in Michigan and about 62% of residents age 16 and older have gotten at least one dose, a rate that puts it near the middle among states.
Whitmer, who faces a potential reelection contest next year, has said she wants to see at least 70% vaccinated.
Michigan announced Thursday lottery-style drawings to give away $5 million in cash and college scholarships to residents who get at least one shot.
Biden also planned to meet Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, a Democrat, to talk about flooding in southeast Michigan that started June 25 that caused sections of Interstate 94 to close, stranded motorists and flooded homes.
