President Joe Biden was in Wisconsin on Wednesday to highlight Microsoft’s new $3.3 billion investment in an artificial intelligence data center.
“I’m the most pro-union American president in history,” Biden addressed the audience.
Related posts
“The middle class built unions, but unions built the middle class,” he added, explaining that he was in Racine to “talk about a great comeback story in America” and outlining the city’s pro-union history.
The White House had stated that Biden was scheduled to declare that the data center would produce 2,300 union construction jobs and 2,000 permanent jobs once completed. Microsoft also pledged to train thousands more people to fill the available tech jobs.
“And then came trickle-down economics,” he continued, referring to a “failed” approach that dates back nearly 40 years.
“As a result, we hollowed out the middle class,” the president remarked, highlighting his administration’s infrastructural successes. He claimed that Trump “didn’t build a (expletive) thing” despite promises on infrastructure development in Wisconsin or the United States, and he detailed Trump’s perceived broken promises on building projects over the years.
Biden claimed that “instead of creating jobs,” Trump drove them out of Wisconsin. He stated that his administration had contributed to the creation of almost 178,000 new jobs in Wisconsin, and that “we are going to create more here in Racine, big time.”
The president praised his bipartisan infrastructure law, claiming that “my investing in America agenda” is resulting in a “historic boom.”
Despite this, a July 2023 article stated that local governments are encountering obstacles in federal infrastructure financing due to Biden’s infrastructure plan.
“So far, we’ve created $866 billion in private sector investment nationwide,” Biden stated, describing it as a “historic amount” that “will create hundreds of thousands of new jobs…and so much more…here in America.”
He asserted that the new Microsoft data center will “operate one of the most powerful artificial intelligence systems in the world” and “will result in 2,300 new union construction jobs,” emphasizing the importance of “made with American products, made by American workers.”
In terms of artificial intelligence, Biden claims that his administration has taken the “most significant action taken by a government” on AI rules.
Biden asserted that Trump “made promises that he broke more than he kept,” stating that “under my watch, we make promises, we keep promises, and we leave no one behind.”
“We’re doing what’s always worked: giving people a fair shot,” he added, adding that when that happens, “everybody does well.”
He stated that with the development of a new factor, he hopes to instill “pride in their hometowns, pride that we can still accomplish great things in America.”
He noted that local relationships are helping to develop a “pipeline” for employment training with Microsoft. “It will be transformative worldwide.”
Biden said, “People are training for new high-paid, highly skilled jobs that do not require a college degree.”
Biden referred to his Scranton, Pennsylvania, roots and working-class heritage. “I know what it’s like when your parents have to move in search of a job and what it does to your family’s dignity,” he stated to the audience.
A local International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union representative described the new project as “Microsoft’s crown jewel.”
“Thanks to Joe Biden, manufacturing jobs are returning,” Nick Fick, membership development coordinator for IBEW Local 430 in Racine, told the audience before Biden’s presentation, adding that he is recruiting new union members.
Microsoft also intends to train 1,000 workers for the data center and STEM professions by 2030 through a partnership with Gateway Technical College.
“Microsoft is committed to creating good-paying jobs with growth pathways and comprehensive benefits such as paid family leave,” the White House stated.
The White House announced that a now-defunct $10 billion tech plant, promised by Taiwan’s Foxconn six years ago and heralded as a victory for his “America First” policy, will serve as the site for the new data center.
“President Biden is delivering on that promise to create good jobs that will have a lasting impact on communities and families,” the White House stated.
According to the White House, Biden has added more than 4,000 jobs in Racine and an overall increase of 177,000 jobs throughout Wisconsin since taking office.
However, figures released earlier this month by the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicated that employment growth in the United States slowed in April, with 175,000 new positions created, down from 303,000 in March.
The news follows the White House’s unveiling late last month of governmentwide criteria for AI developers to help AI tech developers manage the risk associated with the technology in the 180 days since Biden issued his executive order on AI.
It also adds to Microsoft’s global commitment to AI, which follows the announcement of a $1.7 billion investment in cloud and AI technology in Indonesia over four years.
