In speaking to America's mayors on Friday, President Joe Biden touted his two major legislative wins — the last round of COVID-19 stimulus and a bipartisan infrastructure package — which have provided cities with billions of dollars in federal funding.
During his remarks in Washington, D.C., Biden encouraged mayors to use the funds provided to them in two bills, saying that they were "intended not just to stave off the pandemic" but to "invest in the future."
Biden noted that the legislation's goal was to "make things more affordable and accessible to people" while focusing on the lower and middle class.
"I'm so tired of the middle and lower class of carrying the burden. It's time to build the economy from the bottom up and the middle out," Biden said.
Biden delivered his address to the U.S. Conference of Mayors, an annual gathering of city leaders from across the country. The 2022 meeting marks the 90th edition of the conference.
Earlier this week, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen also called on mayors to spend their relief funds. She said the American Rescue Act "prevented communities from suffering the most severe economic effects of omicron and delta."
According to the AP, the Treasury has distributed about $245 billion to localities so they can better distribute vaccines, provide better child care options and promote job growth for their citizens.
Biden's remarks come just days after conducting a rare press conference with the White House press corps. During that presser, Biden discussed the COVID-19 pandemic and omicron surge and the current economic outlook facing the country.