RALEIGH — U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris visited North Carolina’s capital city on Friday to promote the Biden administration’s infrastructure and COVID-19 relief agenda.
Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff and Buttigieg were in Raleigh to visit a Teamsters’ union hall, laboratories on North Carolina State University’s Centennial Campus and Union Station.
The train station visit, which also featured Gov. Roy Cooper, coincided with the 50th anniversary of the Amtrak rail service on Saturday.
President Joe Biden’s infrastructure proposal, contained within his American Jobs Plan, would allocate $80 billion to help address Amtrak’s repair backlog, improve service along the Northeast Corridor and expand service across the country. Amtrak President Stephen Gardner also was in attendance.
The trip to tour N.C. State University’s Center for Additive Manufacturing and Logistics sought to highlight the research and development investment within Biden’s $2.3 trillion plan. At the Teamsters’ hall, Buttigieg told forum participants that investing in infrastructure is about investing in trade jobs.
“These are not mysterious jobs,” Buttigieg said. “We’re talking about needing carpenters and electrical workers.”
