President Joe Biden to visit Arizona on Tuesday as part of Southwest tour
Jul 31, 2023, 6:20 AM | Updated: Aug 4, 2023, 6:03 pm
PHOENIX – President Joe Biden will visit Arizona next Tuesday as part of a tour through three western states, the White House announced Monday.
Biden will stop in Arizona, New Mexico and Utah from Aug. 7-10.
His trip to the southwest will begin Monday evening, when he will depart the White House to Arizona. On Tuesday, he will discuss his administration’s efforts to combat climate change as the region endures a brutally hot summer with soaring temperatures.
It will be the second time Biden sets foot on Arizonan soil since becoming president in 2021.
After that, he will set off for Albuquerque, N.M., to discuss the Inflation Reduction Act’s investments in clean energy and manufacturing.
What to expect from President Biden’s Arizona visit
Last week, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego participated in Biden’s rollout worker protections from extreme heat.
Biden is expected to discuss the Inflation Reduction Act, America’s most significant response to climate change, and the push toward more clean energy manufacturing during next week’s trip. The act aims to spur clean energy on a scale that will bend the arc of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.
July has been the hottest month ever recorded. Biden last week announced new steps to protect workers in extreme heat, including measures to improve weather forecasts and make drinking water more accessible.
Members of Biden’s administration also are fanning out over the next few weeks around the anniversary of the landmark climate change and health care legislation to extol the administration’s successes as the Democratic president seeks reelection in 2024.
The Inflation Reduction Act included roughly $375 billion over a decade to combat climate change and capped the cost of a month’s supply of insulin at $35 for older Americans and other Medicare beneficiaries. It also helps an estimated 13 million Americans pay for health care insurance by extending subsidies provided during the coronavirus pandemic.
The measure is paid for by new taxes on large companies and stepped-up IRS enforcement of wealthy individuals and entities, with additional funds going to reduce the federal deficit.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
