Biden in Pittsburgh: 'A Trillion 200 Billion Dollars,' an 'All-American' Grandfather and a Vow to 'Codify Roe' (October 20, 2022)

President Joe Biden came to Pittsburgh’s Fern Hollow Bridge, nine months after it collapsed, to sell his infrastructure law. His microphone went out first. “Microphone’s out now. Is this working?” he asked [1].

When a working microphone was found, Biden joked: “Well, I tell you what—I knew he’d come here and do this. [ Laughter ] No, I’m joking.” Rep. Mike Doyle, D-Pa., answered: “Just as you were saying something nice about me” [1].

The video above shows Biden at the bridge on Oct. 20, 2022. Quotes are from the official transcripts published by the American Presidency Project [1][2][3][6].

”A Trillion 200 Billion Dollars”

Then Biden tried to read the price of the law. “I signed into law a once-in-a-generation investment in roads, highways, bridges, railroads, ports, airports, and so much more—over a billion two hundred—a trillion 200 billion dollars,” he said [1].

He recalled the morning of the collapse. “At 6:45 on a snowy day, the bridge behind me collapsed, a hundred feet straight down to Fern Hollow,” Biden said. “But it never should have come to this” [1].

”I’m Not Joking”

Near the end, Biden turned to his family. “My grandfather Finnegan from Scranton would really be proud of me right now. No, you—I’m not joking. [ Laughter ] He would. By the way, he was an All-American football player, John, in Santa Clara,” he said, addressing Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman [1].

Ambrose Finnegan did attend Santa Clara. A 1957 obituary described him as “a star athlete” who won recognition “while quarterback of the Santa Clara football team,” Check Your Fact reported [4].

The same obituary undercut another Biden line. In April 2024, Biden said, “I, like an awful lot of people in this audience, was the first in my family to go to college.” “The claim is inaccurate,” Check Your Fact found, because the obituary shows that Finnegan “went to Santa Clara College and graduated from there” [4].

“700,000 Manufacturing Jobs Since Then”

Biden opened with a jobs number. “Just 9 months ago—January 28 in 2022—I was about to leave the White House on my way to Mill 19 here in Pittsburgh to talk about the resurgence of American manufacturing. And by the way, we’ve created 700,000 manufacturing jobs since then,” he said [1].

Two weeks earlier, at a Volvo plant in Maryland, Biden had given a smaller figure for his entire presidency: “over 628—or 38,000 manufacturing jobs just since I’ve been President” [5]. For that speech, see HYGO News’ page on the Volvo plant.

”Casey’s Lock”

Biden talked up “$850 million to replace and expand a 100-year-old Montgomery Locks and Dam” outside Pittsburgh. Then he turned to Sen. Bob Casey. “And, Bobby, I promised you—he’d been on my back to get this done for—since I got elected President. ‘Don’t forget the locks, Joey.’ [ Laughter ]” Biden said [1].

“So if we get the money for the locks projects done, and I think we should call it ‘Casey’s Lock.’ I don’t know. [ Laughter ] But, Bobby, you have been—for a Scranton guy to worry about the locks on this side—anyway. [ Laughter ]” [1]

“Read It, Man”

Before leaving the White House that morning, Biden took a few questions. “Mr. President, should there be any restrictions—should there be any restrictions on abortion at all?” a reporter asked. “Yes. Yes, there should be,” Biden said [2].

“What should they be?” the reporter asked. “In Roe v. Wade,” Biden answered. “Read it, man. You’ll get educated” [2].

Another reporter noted that few candidates had campaigned with him. “That’s not true. There’ve been 15. Count. Take count,” Biden said [2]. By the afternoon, at a Primanti Bros. restaurant in Moon Township, the count was “about 16” [3].

“Mr. President, is your party going to hold the Senate?” a reporter asked there. “I think so. [ Laughter ] But it ain’t over until it’s over,” Biden said [3].

”Not Many Real Republicans Left”

That evening, at a fundraiser for Fetterman in Philadelphia, Biden went after the GOP. “And we’re at a point where there’s not many real Republicans left. No, I mean that sincerely. I’m not joking,” he said. “The folks running this party are the MAGA Republicans” [6].

He mocked Fetterman’s opponent, Dr. Mehmet Oz. “I didn’t even realize it; I couldn’t believe it—but he went to high school in Delaware. [ Laughter ] But Delaware was smart enough to send him to New Jersey,” Biden said [6].

He also claimed secret support across the aisle. “I’ve had six Republican Senators that I’ve worked with—I was there a long time—that are still there. And I promised I would never say their names, and I will never reveal who they are,” Biden said. He said they had told him, “Joe, I know you’re right. But if I vote with you, I’ll get primaried by the Trumpites and I’ll lose. I can’t do it” [6].

”We’re Going to Codify Roe v. Wade”

Biden laid out the math. “We need 51. We need 51. We actually need 53 votes,” he said of the Senate [6].

Then he made a promise. “I made a promise that if we win the Senate and keep the Senate and keep the House, we’re going to pass—we’re going to codify Roe v. Wade,” Biden said. “No, no, I mean it” [6].

By the Numbers

100 feet: how far the bridge fell, per Biden and the NTSB [1][7].
700,000: manufacturing jobs Biden claimed “since” January 2022 [1].
15, then 16: Biden’s count that day of candidates who had campaigned with him [2][3].
6: Republican senators Biden said agreed with him in private [6].
51: Senate seats Democrats ended up with, short of the 53 votes Biden said they needed [6][9].

What Happened Next

Government inaction was blamed for the collapse. In February 2024, the National Transportation Safety Board found that although repairs had been recommended in many inspection reports, “the City of Pittsburgh failed to act on them.” It added: “Overall, the NTSB found insufficient oversight at the city, state, and federal level” [7].

Fetterman won, but Biden’s party lost the House. Fox News’ Decision Desk projected that Fetterman “will defeat the Republican and former daytime TV host Mehmet Oz” [8]. A week later, “the GOP has now won 218 seats,” Fox reported, giving Republicans the House [10]. Sen. Raphael Warnock’s December runoff win left Democrats with “a 51-49 margin” in the Senate [9]. Without the House, Biden’s condition for codifying Roe was not met, and Roe was not codified.

Oz landed in Washington anyway. In April 2025, the Senate confirmed Oz to run the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, where he oversees “nearly $1.5 trillion in federal healthcare spending,” Fox News reported [11].

For Biden’s reaction after the election, see HYGO News’ page on his Nov. 9, 2022, news conference.