Biden in Baltimore: Lost on Frederick Douglass, Then 'No' on F-16s and 'Show Me Your Budget' (January 30, 2023)

In Baltimore to launch a new rail tunnel, President Joe Biden reached the line about its namesake and lost his place. “And we’re naming the new tunnel after Frederick Douglass, who boarded this train to freedom right here in Baltimore. You know, and it’s especially—and he escaped slavery, he traveled the country by rail, fighting for abolition and civil rights,” Biden said [1].

“So that it’s fitting we honor him in this way—the Frederick Douglass—look, we have a lot to do,” he said [1].

The tunnel he was replacing, Biden said, dated to the Civil War. “This tunnel is nearly, as I said, 150 years old. This is Civil War era. Ulysses S. Grant was President,” he said. “This is the United States of America, for God’s sake.” [1]

The video above shows Biden’s Jan. 30, 2023, remarks in Baltimore. Quotes are from the official transcripts published by the American Presidency Project [1][2].

”A Key to Get in the Back”

Biden opened with Amtrak stories. “Anytime I see a train door open, I head for it,” he said. “I used to, about 15 percent of the time, ride with the engineers.” [1]

“And I’m the only guy that I’m aware of, when I stopped riding Amtrak, that had a key to get in the back,” Biden said [1].

He had a joke for the House Democrats’ longtime leader from Maryland. “I’ve kidded Steny for years. He represents the western shore of Delaware,” Biden said of Rep. Steny Hoyer, to laughter [1].

On delays, Biden said: “Ninety-nine percent of the weekdays, there’s been a delay here somewhere. Trust me, I know.” [1]

Biden also called out to the crowd, “Is there any organized labor, any unions in the house? You’re making it run, man,” and he promised “500,000 charging stations you’re going to build in America so you can go from coast to coast to coast” [1].

He closed with a promise: “There is nothing—nothing, nothing, —beyond our capacity if we work together.” [1]

“Approximately $6 Billion”

The White House put a price on it. “The total cost of the program is expected to be approximately $6 billion, of which Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding could contribute up to $4.7 billion,” the White House fact sheet said. It predicted the project would “generate 30,000 jobs” [3].

”No”

Back at the White House that afternoon, Biden took shouted questions on the South Lawn. “Will the United States provide F-16s to Ukraine?” a reporter asked. “No,” Biden said [2].

Asked about the new special counsel in his classified documents case, he said: “Oh, I don’t even know about the Special Counsel.” The question had been whether he would give testimony “If the—if the—Special Counsel, who’s starting this week, asks for your testimony” [2].

”Show Me Your Budget, I’ll Show You Mine”

On the debt fight with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Biden had one line, and he used it twice. “What are you going to tell Speaker McCarthy? When he said he wants to negotiate, what do you say?” a reporter asked. “Show me your budget, I’ll show you mine,” Biden said [2].

”Nor Is the Pope Doing That”

A reporter raised abortion funding. “Catholic bishops are demanding that Federal tax dollars not fund abortions.” Biden answered: “No, they are not all doing that.” Then: “Nor is the Pope doing that.” [2]

Asked whether his views on policing were changing, Biden said: “Everybody else’s views got—getting towards mine.” [2]

By the Numbers

150 years: the age of the old tunnel, per Biden [1].
$6 billion: the expected cost, per the White House [3].
110 mph: the speed Biden said new trains would reach in the tunnel, instead of 30 [1].
30 minutes: the trip from Baltimore to Washington on MARC trains, per Biden [1].
109 days: from “No” on F-16s to Biden’s G7 move on F-16 training [2][4].
217-215: the House vote on the Republican debt-limit plan three months later [5].

What Happened Next

“No” became training. In Hiroshima on May 20, 2023, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said: “Just yesterday, as you all know, President Biden informed his G7 counterparts that the United States will support a joint effort to train Ukrainian pilots on fourth-generation fighter aircraft, including F-16s.” [4]

He went to Kyiv. Asked about a trip to Poland, Biden had said, “I’m going to be going to Poland. I don’t know when though” [2]. Three weeks later, he made a surprise trip to Ukraine. “As the world prepares to mark the 1-year anniversary of Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, I am in Kyiv today to meet with President Zelenskyy,” he said in a statement on Feb. 20, 2023 [6].

House Republicans showed their plan. On April 26, 2023, the House passed the Limit, Save, Grow Act, 217 to 215, according to the House Clerk [5]. For the White House’s line on talks a month before that, see HYGO News’ page on the March 30, 2023, briefing.