Vice President Kamala Harris touts new infrastructure law during visit to Columbus

Vice President Kamala Harris made a stop in the Buckeye State on Friday where she toured Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 189 in Columbus and spoke on how the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal will benefit Ohioans.

President Joe Biden signed the $1 trillion infrastructure deal into law Monday, which puts money into roads, broadband and pipelines as well as funding for universal pre-K and child care benefits.

Harris and Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh toured the union's facility where they met with apprentices who are training to work in the plumbing and mechanical piping industry.

In her remarks, Harris discussed how Ohio will benefit from the infrastructure deal, citing the 5,000 miles of highways in the state that need to be replaced, giving special mention to Interstates 70 and 71.

"Infrastructure gives people what they need to get them where they need to go," Harris said. "That's what infrastructure is all about. It's about getting our nation moving."

The vice president emphasized her and Biden's support of union jobs and their importance in maintaining a strong workforce.

"This law will put more people to work in good union jobs," she said.

Harris said that the infrastructure law is one part of a larger plan to aid America's working class.

"We are determined to lower the cost of living for working people in America," Harris said.

This was the vice president's first trip to Ohio’s capital city since being inaugurated. This trip came just hours after Harris briefly held presidential authority on Friday while Biden underwent a colonoscopy. She became the first woman and first Asian American to hold the powers of the office in U.S. history.

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