Vice President Harris Visits Milwaukee to Tout Expanded Economic Opportunity in Wisconsin

Milwaukee, WI — Vice President Kamala Harris visited Milwaukee today as part of her Economic Opportunity Tour to discuss the Biden-Harris administration’s wins for American economic prosperity. During the visit, Vice President Harris highlighted the role of the passage of the clean energy plan, stating, “We are dropping trillions of dollars on the streets of America right now to rebuild our roads, bridges, and sidewalks, invest in a clean energy economy [and] deal with the climate crisis in a way that is about building up adaptation and resilience.”

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, a Wisconsin Advisory Board Member with Climate Power, attended today’s event and shared the following reflections: “With the clean energy transition, we have the opportunity to create the first inclusive economic boom in our nation’s history. It’s clear that the Biden-Harris Administration is capitalizing on this momentum by supporting the creation of a clean energy economy that is producing new job opportunities, fostering small business development, and benefiting all Americans.”

The passage of President Biden’s clean energy plan alone has supercharged a nationwide clean energy economic boom. Over 271,000 new clean energy jobs and more than $352 billion in investments have been created nationwide. Wisconsin has seen $920 million in investments for clean energy projects and over 1,100 new clean energy jobs. The clean energy plan is putting the United States on a path to seeing more than 9 million clean energy jobs by 2030. 

Good-paying, union jobs are at the forefront of the country’s new clean energy boom, thanks to the plan incentivizing workforce development and apprenticeship programs that help drive up wages. Jobs created by the clean energy plan are unionized at higher rates and have prevailing wage requirements. The American Climate Corps (ACC) will help train and prepare over 20,000 young people for jobs in clean energy, conservation, and climate resilience—with plans to triple that number in the next decade. 

The Vice President’s visit comes one week after President Biden visited Wisconsin to announce the construction of a $3.3 billion Microsoft data hub, the exact location of Foxconn’s planned factory that never materialized but Trump touted. Microsoft President Brad Smith credited the Biden-Harris administration and Democratic Governor Tony Evers with economic policies that helped spur Microsoft’s investment in the state. The hub will create 2,300 union construction jobs and 2,000 permanent jobs. 

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