What Did Joe Biden Do Today?
December 4, 2024 Recap
First Lady Dr. Jill Biden expressed her gratitude during her remarks at NAS Sigonella in Catania, Italy, acknowledging base leadership, the band’s performance, and the support of U.S. and Italian officials. She reflected on her family’s military ties, including her father’s service as a Navy Signalman in World War II and her late son Beau Biden’s deployment to Iraq, underscoring her connection to the military community. Through her White House initiative, Joining Forces, she has spent years listening to military families, caregivers, and survivors to understand and address their unique challenges.
Dr. Biden celebrated NAS Sigonella’s 65th anniversary, highlighting its achievements as the "Hub of the Med," including community engagement, operational excellence, and athletic victories. She also acknowledged the sacrifices inherent to military life, such as extended deployments, frequent relocations, and the challenges of maintaining careers and educational continuity.
She outlined key initiatives by the Biden Administration to support military families. These include lowering childcare costs, introducing universal pre-kindergarten programs on bases, ensuring seamless transitions for children with disabilities, and facilitating career opportunities for military spouses, such as allowing remote work agreements with the Italian government.
In her reflections, the First Lady praised the resilience of military families, acknowledging their sacrifices to ensure freedom and security for others. She expressed her deep appreciation for their service, calling it the honor of her life as a military mom and grandmother to serve them as First Lady. She concluded by thanking them wholeheartedly and offering blessings for their families, bringing warmth and gratitude to her final overseas trip in this role.
The First Lady also delivered remarks in Gesso, Italy, her ancestral hometown. She reflected on her family’s history and the enduring bond between Italy and the United States. She expressed gratitude for the warm welcome and highlighted the contributions of local and U.S. officials, including those who researched her family's history.
Dr. Biden shared anecdotes about her great-grandparents, Gaetano and Conchetta Giacoppa, who emigrated from Gesso to America over a century ago. They carried Italian values of loyalty, hard work, and generosity. She described how their journey of hope and resilience led to her standing there as the first Italian-American First Lady.
She emphasized the importance of preserving Italian culture and traditions, which she celebrates in her role as First Lady, even serving Italian dishes in the White House. Biden concluded with a symbolic gesture, gifting the town a European Holly tree to represent the lasting connection between Gesso and its descendants in the U.S., affirming shared roots and growth.
President Biden met with President Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to discuss the Lobito Trans-Africa Corridor, their economic partnership, and U.S.-DRC bilateral relations. The leaders emphasized the importance of fostering good governance, transparency, and sovereignty to attract private sector investments and ensure the DRC's resources benefit all its citizens. President Biden also encouraged continued dedication to the Luanda Process to peacefully resolve the conflict in eastern DRC.
President Biden met with President Hakainde Hichilema of Zambia to strengthen U.S.-Zambian relations, focusing on economic and democratic progress. They discussed significant infrastructure projects, including the Lobito Trans-Africa Corridor and a new rail line from the Angola border into Zambia, to reduce transportation costs, boost regional and global trade, and foster sustainable economic growth. The leaders highlighted the $491 million Millennium Challenge Corporation compact, with the United States contributing $458 million and Zambia committing $33 million as a cornerstone of this effort. Both presidents emphasized the importance of creating conditions to attract private sector investments, asserting that strong, resilient democracies are essential for fostering inclusive economic growth and quality job creation. Additionally, they underscored the need for reform to ensure that countries are not constrained by unsustainably high debt, enabling them to prioritize investments in development.
President Biden and Angolan President João Lourenço co-hosted a meeting with African leaders, private sector CEOs, and financial institutions to celebrate progress on the Lobito Trans-Africa Corridor, a major infrastructure initiative launched under the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGI) at the 2023 G7 Summit.
President Biden announced over $560 million in new funding for projects along the Corridor, bringing U.S. investments to over $4 billion, alongside commitments to attract at least $200 million in private capital. The initiative has mobilized over $6 billion in public and private investments globally. Discussions focused on the Corridor's impact on critical mineral access, the clean energy transition, food security, regional trade, and digital connectivity, highlighting its role in empowering communities across the region.
President Biden participated in the Lobito Corridor Trans-Africa Summit in Benguela, Angola, where he emphasized the transformative potential of the Lobito Corridor, Africa’s first transcontinental railroad. The project, which connects the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, is designed to bolster regional integration, trade, and global economic connectivity. Highlighting U.S. leadership, Biden announced an additional $600 million investment to enhance agriculture infrastructure, high-speed mobile networks, and upgrades to the Lobito Atlantic Railway. This commitment is part of the broader Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGI), which focuses on building high-impact, environmentally responsible infrastructure.
The Lobito Corridor is a collaborative effort involving Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Zambia, and Tanzania, alongside international partners, including the G7, EU, and private sector entities like KoBold Metals and the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC). The U.S. has mobilized over $6 billion in private and public investments to support this initiative. Biden stressed the importance of adhering to high standards in labor, environmental sustainability, and community impact, noting that the project is expected to reduce transit times significantly, enhance competitiveness, and create thousands of jobs. Additionally, the corridor will play a key role in Africa’s energy transition and decarbonization, contributing to global supply chains for critical minerals like copper and cobalt essential for clean energy and technology.
President Biden underscored the long-term vision of the project, highlighting its potential to transform Africa’s economic landscape by connecting its vast resources and markets to the global economy. The initiative is set to reduce trade costs and improve efficiency while fostering industrial value chains and food security. Biden described the Lobito Corridor as a cornerstone of his presidency’s PGI initiative, which aims to foster innovation, opportunity, and pride. He reaffirmed U.S. commitment to Africa, emphasizing the continent’s critical role in shaping the global future and ensuring sustainable development.