Vice President Harris visits St. Cloud to highlight investments in electric vehicles
ST. CLOUD, Minn. – Vice President Kamala Harris visited St. Cloud Thursday to tout a clean energy economy.
The visit was part of a blitz by the White House to send President Biden, Harris and cabinet members to different parts of the country in the aftermath of the president's State of the Union address.
Harris was in Minnesota for just 2.5 hours, and toured the New Flyer electric bus company in St. Cloud. The Canadian-based company supplies 25 of the top transit systems in the country with electric buses. Metro Transit in the Twin Cities currently has eight of the buses.
Biden administration regulations have led to an increase in demand for the zero- emission vehicles. And at the St. Cloud site, there's also an increase in union jobs, with 500 members of the Communication Workers of America work at the plant.
"I am here to say we are still counting on you, because here in St. Cloud, you are not just building better buses, you are building a better America," Harris said.
The Minnesota GOP released a statement, calling the vice president's visit "more political theater." Republicans say President Biden's recent decision on mining in Minnesota will restrict "substantial portions" of the materials needed for electric vehicle production, and increase reliance on imported resources.
The president was in Wisconsin Wednesday and Florida Thursday. And while the Biden/Harris team has not announced a bid for re-election, these visits across the country are being widely seen as setting the groundwork for a soon-to-be-announced 2024 run.
Earlier this week, Biden opened his State of the Union address with a celebration of bipartisan achievements and a call for unity, as he faces a divided Congress with a new Republican majority in the House.