David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden will sign an executive order on Sunday aimed at prioritizing government resources to help economically disadvantaged American communities – a day before he leaves the White House.
Biden’s order targets so-called “underserved communities” and aims to help President-elect Donald Trump, who will oversee significant spending on infrastructure, semiconductors, energy, broadband and other programs approved during Biden’s presidency.
By one estimate, 15% of the U.S. population—or about 50 million Americans—live in a distressed ZIP code, as measured by poverty, unemployment, education, abandoned homes, median income, and job and job decline.
The White House touted a number of programs funded over the past four years, including $54 billion in investments in energy communities — coal, oil and gas and power plant areas — as well as $210 million announced last week for six new technology hubs, $525 million for job training in disadvantaged areas and billions in infrastructure for disadvantaged areas.
Biden’s order prioritizes disadvantaged communities for economic development funding, including those “facing economic hardship, undergoing industrial transition, emerging as centers of innovation and rebuilding after natural disasters.”
“It’s not a rant. It’s just a fulfillment of his determination to help left behind communities, especially in the center of the country, to come back,” White House economic adviser Lael Brainard said in an interview.
The Biden-led Commerce Department has allocated $700 million for “tech hubs” that seek to extend the benefits of the tech sector’s growth beyond traditional hubs from California’s Silicon Valley to Boston and made other major investments.
Biden said in a statement that his administration “has made historic investments to help backward communities, such as distressed areas, factory towns and coal communities, turn setbacks into comebacks.”
His order directs “statewide coordination of federal investments in underserved communities and creates a No Wrong Door” to help disadvantaged areas identify resources in the federal government.
It also tells federal employees in areas that have recently suffered natural disasters to identify funding opportunities to address long-term economic development and infrastructure needs.
“This locks in the things we’ve learned about how to do this job well and what gives these communities the best chance to succeed,” Brainard said.
In 2018, Trump signed his own executive order creating the White House Opportunity (SO:) and the Revitalization Council to address concerns about disadvantaged communities, saying “despite a growing national economy, these communities are plagued by high levels of poverty, failing schools and a lack of jobs.”
The Republican president has promised to cut regulations and raise tariffs during his second term as part of a plan to boost the US economy.
