By Kevin McCarty
July 2, 2012

Vice President Joe Biden touted his record in working with mayors and the Administration's commitment to infrastructure and other local priorities, reciting often that these investments are "not a luxury but a necessity." Biden delivered his remarks at a June 15 morning session during the Conference's 80th Annual Meeting in Orlando.

Often referencing his working relationship with mayors in recovering from the recession, Biden discussed the need to address economic challenges with targeted investments that are responsive to the priorities of mayors and cities. "You, more than any other group of elected officials, have seen up close and personal the incredible negative impact of this God awful recession we inherited, all of us inherited — Democrats and Republicans, President, Congress, governors and mayors," Biden said.

Economic conditions in early 2009, he said, were like "…walking into a meat grinder. It was the most devastating economic impact, short of a depression." He told the mayors that, "With nine million jobs lost, you see firsthand the job loss."

"You knew what we knew in January 2009, and we have to act. You know we have to act. Having cops and fireman on the streets is not a luxury, it is a necessity. For all of you, having a business base is not a luxury, it is a necessity. For all of you, repairing infrastructure is not a luxury. It is the stuff that makes business competitive," Biden said.

Biden also used his remarks to reflect on how the political discourse has changed since he first came to Congress. "Over the past 40 years, it was not about whether we do these things, but it has been about how we do them. We used to debate the means by which the aid would be provided, not if it should be."

"Democrats and Republicans, mayors, governors and county executives, would call me because I was the one you called. And, we acted to help you grow your economies," Biden said in talking about the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. "The vast majority of economists acknowledge the Recovery Act kept us from going off the cliff, saving or creating 3,600,000 jobs," he said, as he explained his role in implementing this economic program.

Biden discussed his record in being responsive to mayors and their recommendations throughout the recovery process, adding that, "One place where we agreed is we should have had a lot of this money go directly to cities."

Looking forward, Biden thanked Republican mayors especially for their work with the Administration. "You put aside partisanship and we acted together. This is how we used to do it for most of my career. And, we have to get back to that."

Talking about the need for Congress to give more emphasis to the priorities of mayors and cities, he said, "We have got to get both parties in Congress to pay closer attention to your needs. You can not have a healthy country without healthy, thriving cities."