Author Staff White House Intergovernmental Affairs   Published: 9/5/2022     WHIA

Statement by President Biden onManufacturing in America

This week’s announcement by Micron is another big win for America.  Just this week, we’ve seen First Solar, Toyota, Honda, and Corning make major announcements of new investments and new jobs as a direct result of my economic plan.  In our future, we will make EVs, chips, fiber optics, and other critical components here in America, and we will have an economy built from the bottom up and middle out.
Biden-⁠Harris Administration Launches the Apprenticeship Ambassador Initiative to Create Equitable, Debt-Free Pathways to High-Paying Jobs 

This week, the Biden-Harris Administration is announcing the launch of the Apprenticeship Ambassador Initiative, a national network of more than 200 employers and industry organizations, labor organizations, educators, workforce intermediaries, and community-based organizations who are committed to strengthening and diversifying Registered Apprenticeship. Registered Apprenticeship is a high-quality, debt-free, equitable “earn and learn” model with a nationally recognized credential system that helps employers hire a more demographically diverse workforce and provides workers with on-the-job learning experience, job-related instruction with a mentor, and a clear pathway to a good-paying job. The Apprenticeship Ambassadors have existing Registered Apprenticeship programs in over 40 in-demand industries and have committed to expand and diversify these programs over the next year by collectively: developing 460 new Registered Apprenticeship programs across their 40 industries, hiring over 10,000 new apprentices, and holding 5,000 outreach, promotional, and training events to help other business, labor, and education leaders launch similar programs. 

The Apprenticeship Ambassador Initiative will have long-lasting and mutually beneficial economic benefits for both workers and employers. About 93 percent of workers who complete Registered Apprenticeships gain employment and earn an annual average starting wage of $77,000. Registered Apprenticeships also help employers attract, train, and retain a skilled and diverse workforce and reap a $1.47 return for every dollar spent on Registered Apprenticeships. The Initiative will help to ensure there is a skilled, diverse workforce to implement the President’s economic agenda – including tackling the supply chain challenge and filling new clean energy jobs created by the Inflation Reduction Act, manufacturing and technology jobs created by the CHIPS and Science Act, infrastructure jobs created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and roles in other high-demand sectors like health care and cybersecurity.Please find the full Fact Sheet here
President Biden to Announce 21 Winners of $1 Billion American Rescue Plan Regional Challenge
Funding Provides Regional Investments to Transform Local Economies, Create Good-Paying Jobs, Jumpstart Emerging Industries, and Prepare Workforce for the Future

This week, President Biden announced the 21 winners of the $1 billion Build Back Better Regional Challenge, the most impactful regional economic development competition in decades. Funded by President Biden’s American Rescue Plan and administered by the U.S. Commerce Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA), the Regional Challenge provides each award winner funding to rebuild regional economies, promote inclusive and equitable recovery, and create thousands of good-paying jobs in industries of the future such as clean energy, next-generation manufacturing, and biotechnology.

Awardees span 24 states and will receive between $25 million and $65 million to execute transformational projects and revitalize local industries. Projects include developing workforce training programs and connecting workers to jobs; providing support to family-owned manufacturers to transition from traditional automotives to electric vehicles; establishing a digital finance sector to support small businesses in Tribal communities; providing digital resources to small farms; renovating and repurposing industrial buildings for new businesses; rebuilding pharmaceutical supply chains in the U.S. to lower drug costs; building advanced manufacturing centers for testing and training; deploying solar energy on former coal land; and more. Additionally, private sector companies and local organizations are investing an additional $300 million in these local projects.

Equity was a key consideration for project finalists, with a focus on rural, Tribal, and coal communities, as well as communities facing high and persistent poverty. Funding awards include $87 million to two primarily Tribal coalitions and, as part of EDA’s $300 million Coal Community Commitment, over $150 million for projects serving energy communities impacted by the declining use of fossil fuels. These grants will support 236 rural counties, 136 persistent poverty counties, and 121 counties that include Tribal areas.Please find the full Fact Sheet here
Public Safety Day of Action on September 7th
President Biden knows what works to make our communities safer: investing in community policing andcrime prevention. We need to invest in mental health and substance use treatment services, crisis responders, and social workers to reduce the burden on police officers, connect people with community resources, and prevent violent crime. We need to expand community violence interventions – led by trusted messengers breaking the cycle of violence and trauma. We need to enforce our commonsense gun laws, require background checks for all gun sales in order to keep firearms out of the hands of felons and domestic abusers, and ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines – weapons of war that have no place in our communities.

President Biden has taken action to make our communities safer during his first 18 months in office. He has funded the police and issued an Executive Order to improve police accountability. President Biden has taken more executive action to tackle gun violence than any other president at this point in their Administration, including by reining in the proliferation of ghost guns and cracking down on gun traffickers and rogue gun dealers. President Biden is the first president in nearly 30 years to bring together Members of Congress from both parties to take action on gun violence, signing the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. The President also secured Senate confirmation of career prosecutor Steve Dettelbach to serve as Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), empowering this law enforcement agency with its first confirmed leader since 2015. And, the President has made unprecedented investments in community-led crime prevention and intervention.

The President believes we can and must do more to reduce crime and save lives. On July 21, President Biden announced his Safer America Plan to build on the progress he has made to reduce gun violence.
Make a Commitment in Time for the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health on September 28th
The Biden-Harris Administration has set the goal of ending hunger and increasing healthy eating and physical activity by 2030 so fewer Americans experience diet-related diseases.  Achieving this goal will require everyone working together. As part of the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health, the Administration is encouraging stakeholders to make their own commitments that will allow us to collectively achieve this goal.We need your help! Make a commitment with the goal of ending hunger, and increasing healthy eating, or physical activity in your community.  Commitments should: 
  • Be big and bold (e.g., result in systemic, long-term change and meaningfully move the dial to end hunger and reduce diet-related diseases);
  • Help eliminate disparities and support individuals and communities that are most impacted by hunger and diet-related diseases;
  • Be innovative and test new models;
  • Scale up evidence-based strategies to a national level; and
  • Go beyond what the federal government can do.
Everyone can make a commitment.  If you are interested in making a commitment, please complete this form. Below are a few examples of potential commitments. Click here for more examples.

  • Pillar 1: Improve Food Access and Affordability 
    • A state/local government funds a year-round mobile produce market, particularly in areas with limited food access.
  • Pillar 2: Integrate Nutrition and Health
    • Implement worker wellness programs for state, local, or tribal government employees.
  • Pillar 3: Empower All Consumers to Make and Have Access to Healthy Choices
    • Provide nutrition incentives to SNAP recipients to purchase healthy food, such as increasing the purchasing power of SNAP recipients at farmers markets.
    • Create tax incentives for urban agriculture and community gardens.
  • Pillar 4: Support Physical Activity for All 
    • States/localities establish more rigorous physical education requirements in schools to help students meet physical activity guidelines.
    • A local health department commits to having urban planners/designers and public health nutrition experts on staff.
    • City bike share companies subsidize their membership costs for individuals with lower-incomes.
  • Pillar 5: Enhance Nutrition and Food Security Research 
    • Enter into data sharing agreements with governments, universities, think tanks, etc. to provide administrative data about program utilization (example: school lunches, participation in after-school sports, utilization of food banks)

Feel free to send any questions to IGA46@who.eop.gov
Virtual Briefing Hosted by NOAA 

DATE & TIME: Thursday, September 15, 2022 @ 4:00 PM ETREGISTRATION: Please register for the briefing hereAfter registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.ABOUT:The Climate Ready Coasts initiative will invest $1.467 billion to help coastal communities build the future they want to see, including natural infrastructure to increase resilience to climate change and extreme weather events. The initiative will be administered and implemented by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) existing programs. The Climate Ready Coasts initiative will increase resilience through landscape-scale habitat restoration in coastal ecosystems nationwide and promote coastal resilience in underserved coastal communities as well as those most vulnerable to climate impacts.SPEAKERS:

  • Dr. Richard Spinrad, Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere & NOAA Administrator
  • Carrie Selberg Robinson, Director, NOAA’s Office of Habitat Conservation
  • Joelle Gore, Stewardship Division Chief, NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management
  • Nancy Wallace, Director, NOAA’s Marine Debris Program
  • Joshua Brown, NOAA’s National Sea Grant Office
  • Betsy Nicholson, North Regional Director, NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management
Biden-⁠Harris Administration Announces Public and Private Sector Actions to Strengthen Teaching Profession and Help Schools Fill Vacancies

This week, the Biden-Harris Administration is announcing new efforts to strengthen the teaching profession and support schools in their effort to address teacher shortages as the new school year begins. This announcement includes new commitments from leading job platforms to make it easier for Americans to find opportunities in the education field, and new initiatives from teachers unions and national and state organizations to expand high-quality pathways into the profession for future teachers.

The $130 billion in President Biden’s American Rescue Plan directed to the nation’s K-12 schools have allowed school districts across the country to invest in teacher pipeline programs, increase compensation for teachers, and hire more professionals across the education workforce. ARP funding has helped school districts increase the number of school social workers by 54%, increase the number of school counselors by 22% and increase the number of school nurses by 22% compared to years prior to the pandemic. Today’s announcements reflect additional steps by the Administration and leaders across sectors to continue to tackle this challenge.

This week, First Lady Jill Biden, Secretary Cardona, Secretary Walsh, Ambassador Rice, the executive leadership of ZipRecruiter, Handshake, and Indeed, and leaders from the National Governors Association, American Federation of Teachers, National Education Association, Council of Chief State School Officers, and American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education will convene in the Roosevelt Room to discuss the staffing challenges schools are facing, these new actions, and additional ways that the federal government, state and local governments, education organizations and the private sector can strengthen the teaching profession.

Talent Industry Announces New Commitments to Help School Districts Source Talent and Help More Americans Find Jobs in Schools.

This week, leading talent recruitment and job platforms are announcing a series of new actions to make it easier for states and school districts to source, recruit, and hire job seeking teachers and school professionals, and to help more Americans find jobs in education:

  • ZipRecruiter is launching a new online job portal specifically dedicated to K-12 school jobs. This portal will showcase job openings across public schools throughout the United States, including teachers, nurses, guidance counselors, social workers, mental health counselors, librarians, and more. Schools, districts, and states can partner with ZipRecruiter to have their open roles included for free.
  • Handshake will help college students explore careers in education. In October 2022, Handshake will host a nationwide free virtual event to help current undergraduate students learn about pathways in the field of education, including teachers, guidance counselors, school mental health specialists, and school psychologists.
  • Indeed is announcing that it will facilitate virtual hiring fairs for educators throughout the country. These events will specifically focus on the hiring of teachers, administrators, counselors, and other staff. Participating entities will gain access to Indeed’s free suite of hiring tools to manage the end-to-end hiring process, from job postings through interviews.

Biden Administration Announces New Actions and Highlights Resources to Strengthen the Educator Pipeline and Address Shortages.

This week, the Department of Education (ED) and the Department of Labor (DOL) issued a joint letter to state and local education and workforce leaders encouraging them to take a series of actions to address teacher and school staff shortages and invest in the teaching profession, including:

  • Paying teachers a livable and competitive wage. Secretaries Cardona and Walsh are encouraging governors and district leaders to use American Rescue Plan’s Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds and the $350 billion in State and Local Fiscal Recovery funds to increase teacher pay.
  • Expanding high-quality programs that prepare and support teachers, including registered teacher apprenticeship programs. DOL is committing to prioritize the education sector in future apprenticeship funding, including its next round of over $100 million in apprenticeship grants, which will provide critical support for states and other partners looking to start and expand teacher apprenticeship programs. Students need qualified teachers who are prepared to teach them, and who reflect the diversity of our students. Teachers need affordable pathways into the profession. 
AmeriCorps invites you to honor, serve, and unite on this September 11th Day of Service

In just one month, the country will mark more than 20 years since the attacks of September 11 with the National Day of Service and Remembrance. This year, AmeriCorps invites you to honor those we lost by uniting in service to rekindle the spirit of unity that swept our nation after that tragic day.  Through service, we can come together across divides, differences, and ideologies. We can stand together and lift each other up, neighborhood by neighborhood, just as Americans did more than 20 years ago. AmeriCorps invites you to honor, serve, and unite on this September 11th Day of Service.

  • Serve on 9/11. Demonstrate the spirit of unity in your community by volunteering in honor of September 11 and invite someone from a different party, ideology, or background to serve with you. Share your service experience on social media using the hashtag #911Day.
  • Encourage your constituents to serve. Invite your constituents to volunteer in their communities by encouraging service on social media, in your newsletters, or other communications channels. Sample messages, graphics, and more are available in our 9/11 Day of Service Toolkit.  
  • Issue a proclamation. Issue a proclamation in your community to honor the 21st Anniversary. A sample proclamation is available in our 9/11 Day of Service Toolkit.

For more information or support getting involved, visit the September 11th Day of Service site or contact AmeriCorps Government Relations team at GovernmentRelations@cns.gov
White House Monkeypox Response Team Announces New Plans to Support Large LGBTQI+ Events and Equity Interventions to Reach Communities at Highest Risk of Contracting the Virus

This week, the White House National Monkeypox Response team announced new actions the Biden-Harris Administration is taking to combat the monkeypox (MPV) outbreak and protect individuals most at risk of contracting the virus. The Administration is providing additional vaccines and support to states and cities holding events that convene large groups of LGBTQI+ individuals.

White House announces plans to provide additional vaccine and support to Louisiana, Georgia, and California in advance of events attracting large numbers of LGBTQI+ individuals.The White House, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have been working closely with state and local governments and health leaders to prepare for upcoming events attracting large numbers of LGBTQI+ individuals, including Southern Decadence in New Orleans, Louisiana; Atlanta Black Pride in Atlanta, Georgia; and Pridefest in Oakland, California. As part of a pilot program announced earlier this month, the Biden-Harris Administration is making additional vaccines available to these jurisdictions and providing additional support on the ground, including increased access to testing and other prevention resources. Details on these plans include:

Southern Decadence, New Orleans, Louisiana: September 1-5, 2022The Administration will supply Louisiana with up to 6,000 additional doses of vaccine by replenishing their stock of vaccine with the number of doses administered leading up to and during Southern Decadence events. These additional vaccines are supporting 12 community vaccination events being held at a variety of locations across New Orleans and the surrounding area leading up to Southern Decadence. In addition to these events, CDC is supporting the Louisiana and New Orleans health departments on a large-scale vaccination event on site during the festival. The site will provide COVID-19 and MPV vaccinations as well as HIV and STI testing.

Atlanta Black Pride, Atlanta, Georgia: September 2-4, 2022The Administration will supply Georgia with up to 5,500 additional doses of vaccine by replenishing their stock of vaccine with the number of doses administered leading up to and during Black Pride events in Atlanta. In anticipation of Black Pride, Atlanta and the surrounding counties, including Fulton County, DeKalb County, Cobb County, and Gwinnett County, have been holding routine vaccination clinics over the last week. Starting this week and continuing through the weekend, the Georgia Department of Health in conjunction with the surrounding county health departments and community partners, will continue routine vaccination in clinics and support 12 additional vaccination events across Atlanta and the broader metro area.

Oakland Pride and Pridefest, Oakland, California: September 4 and 11, 2022The Administration will also supply additional vaccine and support to Oakland and California as part of the Special Events vaccine pilot program.

Oakland, California will receive an additional 2,400 doses of vaccine to prepare for Pride and Pridefest events on September 4th and 11th by replenishing California’s stock of vaccine with the number of doses administered around Oakland Pride and Pridefest events.

Please see the full Fact Sheet here
The DOT Navigator 
The DOT Navigator is a new resource from the U.S. Department of Transportation to help communities understand the best ways to apply for grants, and to plan for and deliver transformative infrastructure projects and services. Whether it’s the first time you’re applying for a DOT grant or you’re looking for more technical details and guidance, the DOT Navigator can help get you started.Learn more here:  DOT Navigator
Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program
The U.S. Department of Education has implemented temporary changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program rules that make it easier for federal student loan borrowers to receive credit for past periods of repayment that would otherwise not qualify for forgiveness. These changes end on Oct. 31, 2022. Millions of government and private, non-profit employees have federal student loans and may now be eligible for loan forgiveness or additional credit toward forgiveness under these time-limited PSLF changes. We need your help to spread the word about PSLF and ensure all those who are eligible have access to this loan forgiveness and know what they need to do to apply.  Please continue to encourage participation by:

  1. Amplifying the PSLF program on social media.
  1. Sharing the new White House PSLF site at www.pslf.gov with your networks, and employees.
  1. Sending a personal email to your staff/networks  to promote the PSLF program.

The PSLF website includes a simple 3-Step Eligibility Tool that borrowers can use to determine eligibility, a one-page explainer document for borrowers, and social media graphics that you can use. Help us promote this opportunity leading up to the October 31 deadline. Please share any actions you plan to take with us.
Biden-⁠Harris Administration Announces the Application Period for Spring Session of the White House Internship Program
President Biden and Vice President Harris are announcing this week that the application period for the Spring session of the White House Internship Program opened on Monday, August 29th. The session will begin in January 2023.

The White House Internship Program is a public service leadership and development program that provides emerging leaders with an opportunity to gain valuable skills while supporting the work of the White House and furthering the priorities of the Biden-Harris Administration. This program provides paid internships across the Executive Office of the President. Interns participating in the White House Internship Program will support the White House Office and the Office of the Vice President.

Program participants must be U.S. citizens, at least 18 years or older before the first day of the Program, and meet at least one of the three following criteria:

  1. Currently enrolled in an accredited undergraduate or graduate degree program at a college, community college, or university (two- to four-year institution)
  2. Graduated from an accredited undergraduate or graduate program at a college, community college, or university (two- to four-year institution) no more than two years prior to the first day of the Program
  3. A veteran of the United States Armed Forces who possesses a high school diploma or its equivalent and has served on active duty, for any length of time, no more than two years prior to the first day of the Program

The application period for the Spring 2023 session will open on Monday, August 29th and close on Friday, September 23rd.

Interested candidates can find the Program’s online application at WH.gov/intern. The website also features additional information about the Program, including a “Frequently Asked Questions” section.

Prospective candidates with questions about the Program, as well as college/university administrators, faculty, campus leadership, and others interested in more information to share with their communities can reach out to the White House Internship Program team at internship@who.eop.gov.
Weekly IGA Call
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When: Every Thursday at 4 PM ETRegister here:https://pitc.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_2fN1C5oHQ0Wuz06br1PbVw
See you next week!
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