President Biden’s top economic adviser argued on Monday that the administration is engineering a revival of economically disadvantaged communities across the nation, citing patterns of new federal spending and signs of economic progress in places like Eastern Pennsylvania and Milwaukee, Wis.
Lael Brainard, who heads Mr. Biden’s National Economic Council, used a speech to the Brookings Institution in Washington to lay out a detailed blueprint of the administration’s efforts to bring jobs, investment and innovation to areas hobbled by the loss of jobs and industries.
Those “place-based” policies are often directed at former industrial strongholds that were battered by automation and foreign competition. They are a cornerstone of Mr. Biden’s economic agenda across several major pieces of legislation he has signed and a big part of his re-election pitch. Whether voters perceive them as successful could affect Mr. Biden’s chances in November, particularly in industrial swing states like Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
Mr. Biden “came to office determined to invest in all of America, to leave no community behind. So far, we believe it’s working,” Ms. Brainard said. “New jobs and new small businesses are creating hope. Communities that had been left behind are making a comeback.”
