Vice President Kamala Harris spoke in Seattle Tuesday, marking a year since the signing of the Inflation Reduction Act. The act included more than $300 billion in federal spending over the next decade to fight the effects of climate change.
The vice president spoke in Seattle's Georgetown neighborhood at McKinstry, a manufacturing firm that has benefited from the new law. It was her second visit since taking office.
Harris called the climate crisis "stark and vivid" and said it's playing out in real time. Harris' visit coincided with a heat wave in the region. Seattle and the surrounding area are under an "Excessive Heat Warning" through Wednesday evening.
"Here, of course, in Washington state you have endured deadly heat waves, and devastating wildfires. And across our nation we see communities choked by drought, washed out by flood and decimated by hurricanes," Harris said.
Speaking in a packed gym, Harris touted the clean energy achievements of the Inflation Reduction Act. Of climate change, she told the crowd "the clock is not just ticking, it's banging." And this law, along with other recent policies, is the Biden administration's answer to it.
Harris said the Biden administration's nearly $1 trillion investment in a "clean energy economy" will not only benefit the environment but create new, well-paying jobs.
She was joined at McKinstry by Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, Senator Maria Cantwell, Governor Jay Inslee and Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell.
After touring McKinstry and talking with some of its workers, the vice president's motorcade headed to a fundraising luncheon at a private home in Medina where donors gave a minimum of $5,000 to attend.
Her comments there focused on social issues.
She said the nation is facing attacks on civil liberties and hard won rights, and that the next presidential election will have global impact.
