Remarks on Jobs and the Economy in Athens, Ohio

Thank you. Thank you so much. Wow. I am so excited to be back in Athens. And it is great to be here at the end of a road trip through one of the most beautiful parts of our country. I thank Sherrod for his friendship, his leadership, his absolutely tenacious voice in the Senate on your behalf and on behalf of the values that made America great and will make us greater. So thank your superb senator. I really appreciate you being here, Sherrod.

I also want to recognize and thank Mayor Steve Patterson from here in Athens as well. All the other state, county and city elected officials. And of course, I have to thank Art. Art Oestrike, who invited us to come here, disrupting his entire brewing schedule. But did it with good cheer, having us here in Jackie O's. And I have made another campaign promise. I know I should stop making campaign promises, but I only make promises that I intend to keep, not promises I cannot make. And I have told Art that if I'm so fortunate enough to be back in the White House, some Jackie O's will be there too. Now, I will let him choose; it might be Razz Wheat, it might be something else, but I will let him choose what we will serve. Okay? So that's one promise I really look forward to keeping.

Over the past two days, I've had some extraordinary conversations -- tough and honest. I've met with coal families who want to be thanked, as they should be, for the work that they and their parents and their grandparents did to build our country. I've met with steelworker families who don't understand how China gets away with undercutting our jobs and businesses. And I've met with railroaders who have watched as the decline of coal and steel in this region has led to cuts in rail service, which cost jobs now and will cut the region off from more jobs later.

So to everyone who took the time to tell me about their lives, both the good and the bad, I am really grateful and thank you. I will not forget that generosity. Thanks to you, I've learned a lot--which is what I came here to do.

We started in Ashland, Kentucky, where I met with dozens of steelworkers who were laid off when the factory where they worked for decades was idled. Then we drove to Williamson, West Virginia, a town deep in the coalfields, where the community is working hard to build a more diverse economy after losing hundreds of jobs. Today, we had a conversation in Charleston, West Virginia, that was both sorrowful and inspiring, with people in recovery for addiction and the doctors, the counselors, the police officers, recovering addicts and others who are helping them get back on their feet.

I'm ending my trip here, in Athens, because small businesses like Jackie O's are what make this such a dynamic, entrepreneurial community--and we need more of that. It shouldn't have to be said, but I will say it: Appalachia is a vital part of the United States and--all of you here today and people across this region are vital to America's future. And I know that too often, people feel like they're not treated that way. But you should be.

Appalachia is home to some of the most resilient, hardworking people anywhere on this planet. And you deserve every chance to get ahead and stay ahead in America. Our country succeeds only when working people everywhere can succeed--not just in big cities, but in the hills of eastern Kentucky, right here in southern Ohio, deep in the coalfields of West Virginia, the small towns that dot this part of America. We need to break down all the barriers holding people back, not just here in Appalachia but across America, so everyone can share in the promise of our country.

Families here, like families everywhere, want the same things: good jobs that pay enough to provide a middle-class life. Good schools for kids and opportunities when they graduate. Safe and welcoming communities to grow up in and grow old in. And something less tangible, but just as essential: faith in the future, and confidence that your kids and grandkids will have all the choices and opportunities they deserve.

That shouldn't be too much to ask--especially for a place that has done so much for America. For generations, Appalachian coal put the lights on in people's homes and schools, kept assembly lines rolling in factories. Steel plants helped build our skyscrapers and win World War II. Appalachian chemical plants made the products that have shaped modern life.

These were tough jobs, but they provided a ticket to the middle class, but it wasn't an easy ride. More than a hundred thousand--let me repeat that: more than a hundred thousand--miners died on the job in the 20th century in America. More than twice that many succumbed to black lung disease. The United Mine Workers put their lives on the line in places like Harlan County and Blair Mountain to secure the right to organize, bargain collectively and protect the wellbeing of miners on the job and in retirement. Their hard-won victories helped strengthen the labor movement nationwide, and countless workers--not just those in unions, but countless workers--have benefited in all kinds of industries.

So there's no question that the workers of Appalachia made America more prosperous and more secure. And that legacy should be honored--not only as a rich chapter in our history, but as a debt we always must strive to repay.

Now, I know that for a lot of people in this region, these words may sound nice, but it's not so easy to believe them. You've had a lot of politicians make a lot of promises to you over the years that they couldn't keep. I'm not going to do that. What I can promise you is this: If I have the honor of serving as your president, I will fight for you and your families every day--whether you vote for me or not. I will be your partner. I will be your partner and I will not for one minute give up on Appalachia--not on your workers, your children, your retirees or your communities.

Now, some of you may be wondering how I can say all this. Because here in Ohio a few weeks ago during the Ohio primary, it sounded like I said something differently about coalminer jobs.

To put it plainly, I misspoke. It's one reason why I took this trip, to say that directly to the people who are affected, to make sure you know where I stand because I would never disrespect the people here. And I know that some may well say I'm talking about coal country, I'm talking about steelworkers, I'm talking about the region because of the election.

But let's be honest: In the broader region, this isn't one where a lot of Democrats running for president tend to win a lot of votes these days. And I know that there are people in this region--I met with some of them yesterday--who find it hard thinking about voting for any Democrat or voting for me particularly. But I am going to keep trying to convince people otherwise, but that's not what this trip is about.

I'm here because I do want to be your president. Because I believe that our best years can still be ahead of us. I am absolutely sure of that. But it's going to require not just what the president does, but what all of us do. It's going to require people once again being inspired by that spirit that has animated American history; that we don't just diagnose our problems and complain about them--we roll up our sleeves and we solve them.

And so for me, learning more about the lives of the people here and about what you want for your futures is critical to what kind of president I would like to be. There's nothing I take more seriously than that.

So I've said to people I'm going to try to earn every vote I can--and even if people don't vote for me in November, I'm going to be with them and with you every single day.

So let me be clear: At a time when our energy sector is changing rapidly, we need to invest in coal communities. We need to figure out how to bring new jobs and industries to them, and we need to stand up to the coal company executives trying to shirk their responsibilities to their workers and retirees.

The facts are clear: The energy market is changing here in America and around the world. But coal is still part of our energy supply, although it produces far less of our electricity than it once did. Even China is starting to burn less coal. That's good for the planet, but it has hurt American coal exports from this region. And no matter what some politicians tell you, these trends are here to stay. You've got solar panels, don't you, Art, on top of this brewery?

We're not going to go back to an energy system that looks like it did in the 20th century. We know we need to protect our children's health and futures by combating climate change and accelerating the transition to a clean energy economy. But that is still a transition. Anyone who pretends we can flip a switch and be in the clean energy future tomorrow isn't being honest with you either.

So we need to try everything we can to cut carbon pollution. That includes supporting cutting-edge work being done right here in Appalachia in institutions working on carbon capture and sequestration technology. This is too important to take any possible solution off the table.

I believe if we're going to go around the country talking about the benefits of a clean energy economy, which I have done for more than a year, then we have a responsibility to come to this region of our country and look people in the eye and talk about what that really means for your lives and livelihoods.

The impact on Appalachia is compounded by other economic challenges. The Chinese are dumping cheap steel in our markets, trying to fix their domestic economic problems on the backs of American workers. And a lot of families still haven't recovered from the Great Recession, which wiped out jobs, homes, and savings.

Yesterday, I met a man named Bo in West Virginia. He was a maintenance planner in a mining operation in Mingo County. He lost his job last fall. He showed me a picture of his three beautiful little children, a son and two daughters, and said he was trying to keep on a brave face for them, so they wouldn't know how worried he and his wife are.

"West Virginians are proud people," Bo said. "We take pride in our faith in God. We take pride in our family. We take pride in our jobs. We take pride in the fact that we're hard workers." So why, he asked, aren't there more programs in place already to help people like him? Why isn't there more help to turn to? How are we going to get new jobs there--not years from now, but right now?"

I'll bet everybody in here knows somebody in the same boat. And Bo was really clear. He's a Republican; he is not voting for me. But I really don't care about that.

We need to do better for Bo and his family and families like his across Appalachia and America, and that means--that means coming together, making a real plan to invest in the foundations of a strong middle class, namely good jobs and quality education for our kids and a level playing field for American workers.

That's what my plan for revitalizing communities here will do.

First, we've got to honor our obligations to miners past and present and stand with the steelworkers who are fighting for their livelihoods right now.

For months, I've been speaking out against the coal companies like Patriot and Peabody and Arch Coal that have tried to shirk their responsibilities to workers and retirees. Miners, power plant workers and railroad employees deserve the benefits they've earned and the respect of all Americans. And among the 100,000 miners who died in the last century, we've lost miners in this century too who are joined with them in sacrifice: the 29 brave men who perished at the Upper Big Branch Mine.

The owner of that mine, Don Blankenship, had neglected workers' safety for years. And because of weak laws, when he was finally caught, finally charged and finally convicted, he only received a one-year prison sentence. One year, for 29 deaths. That is totally unacceptable. We need to strengthen those laws and hold executives who neglect workers' health and safety to account. That is why I support two bills in front of Congress right now that Sherrod referenced: the Miners Protection Act and the Mine Safety Protection Act. They are critical.

They are critical to keeping faith with coal communities and protecting workers' health and safety on the job. I hope the Congress will pass them and the President will sign them as quickly as possible.

And by the way, I heard Mr. Blankenship was outside my event yesterday protesting me. Well, if Donald Trump wants the support of someone like that, he can have it.

And at a time when Chinese cheating is killing American steel jobs, I am not going to leave our steelworkers to fend for themselves. As president, I'll make sure we step up and initiate cases against China before jobs are lost, not after. And I intend to appoint a special trade prosecutor and push for stronger rule-of-origin standards so Chinese steel doesn't have back door to American markets, for example, as part of foreign cars.

And I oppose any effort to grant so-called market economy status to China because it would weaken our ability to stop China from dumping cheap steel on the global market. It's illegal and it's hurting American workers, and we've got to make it stop. I am so proud to be standing up here with your senator because he has been on the front lines of this, and together, Sherrod, we're going to make it happen.

Second, we need to invest in creating more good-paying jobs here in Appalachia. We know this region is rich in assets far beyond coal.

We also know that economic development plans designed in Washington without local input will not deliver results for you and your families.

That's why I want to support locally-driven priorities, not supplanting them. My plan will create a new Coal Communities Challenge Fund to support investments by Appalachians, for Appalachians.

I was in Mingo County yesterday, in Williamson, I heard from members of the community who were talking about how they are trying to generate more small business to create more jobs. They started an incubator to help local entrepreneurs get new ventures off the ground.

They knew that they needed better housing infrastructure, so they put people to work refurbishing homes and businesses.

They realized that many of their neighbors were struggling with opiate addiction and other chronic health issues like diabetes, so they opened a nonprofit health clinic.

Meanwhile, the county is stepping up by repurposing abandoned mine lands for new industrial park land that is bringing in and has the potential to bring in more big employers.

This is the kind of locally-driven development that I think can really work. The federal government should do more to support it.

Across the river from Williamson, in Kentucky, I learned about a company called BitSource. It trains former miners to be computer programmers and matches them to jobs in Eastern Kentucky. Silicon Valley tech companies are learning about these miners' technical chops and hiring them. Now this is not a silver bullet by any means, but it is helping. And we need to grow that kind of creative, entrepreneurial approach. Mix hardworking people skills that are needed. Created those jobs, attract investments.

And I'll tell you what: With more access to fast, affordable and reliable broadband, we could do even more in this region.

I'll tell you, eight years ago I spent a lot of time driving the roads of West Virginia. I spent a lot of time yesterday and today riding the roads of West Virginia. And you are disconnected. You are disconnected, though. I mean West Virginia deserves just as much broadband access of any place else in America and so does southern Ohio and eastern Kentucky and all the rest of the region.

That is one of my goals--just like we had to finish electrifying the country, because you know what happens. You get utilities, they'll go where the business is. They don't want to be climbing mountains and crossing rivers to get to 10 people. They want to go to cities and suburbs where it's easy. They want to come to a great university like this one where you've got a lot of users. We've got to finish the job of connecting up America.

And I'm convinced when we do we're going to see a whole bunch of new small businesses and creative ideas be put into action. And I do want to support what I learned about yesterday. Let's repurpose abandoned minelands and power plants to support new jobs, like the industrial park in Holden, West Virginia, which makes wood products on the site of a former coalmine.

And let's expand the New Markets Tax Credit, something my husband started back in the 1990's, to steer investment and private enterprise more to Appalachia.

Having a good job is about so much more than getting a paycheck. It's about dignity and a sense of purpose. I don't want young people to have to leave home to find those things -- I want them to be able to stay right here in this region, be near their family and friends, and earn a good living. Be able to give their kids a great life. You just shouldn't have to leave home when we're in such a connected world now. Let's connect ourselves up, let's get creative. And I know we can create a really bright future.

And the third part of our plan for revitalizing Appalachian communities is investing in education and training.

More than ever, some form of advanced education--doesn't have to be college or university, it can be technical education, apprenticeships, community colleges--but it makes a real difference. Now, we are going to make community college free and give all young people the chance to graduate debt free from any public college or university, like the University of Ohio. We will make it easier to pay off existing student debt--and, if you're an entrepreneur, we'll let you defer your student loan payments and pay no interest for up to three years while you get your business off the ground, because I want young people to take advantage of those opportunities.

I want to see young people be able to take advantage of incubators like ACENet here in Southeast Ohio. It supports up to 30 startups every year. And if we multiply that, think of what we will create together.

But we have to make sure that people who don't go to college get the education and training they need to get a good job. There are a lot of ways of doing that, but there are a lot of jobs out there. Last number I saw was 1.2 million jobs for people with skills in the trades--welders, tool and dye, machinists, and the like.

Now those jobs are not all in the same place, obviously--they're spread across the country. But when you think about that, the more people who have those skills, they can start their own businesses too. So we've got to really look hard at how we give every young person the chance to chart his or her own future.

Now, that begins earlier with good school and good teachers no matter what ZIP code your child lives in. And that is--that is a particular challenge for a lot of communities in the region, because when mines close, power plants shut down, steel mills go idle, school districts lose tax revenue. Look at what's happening in Waterford, Ohio. After a nearby power plant shut down, the school district lost more than a million dollars--out of a $7 million annual budget. They've had to lay off dozens of teachers. And that is just no way to give our kids the education that they need.

So I've been looking for ways that we can help. And back in the 90s, when the timber industry was in decline in the Pacific Northwest, we started a federal program to keep local schools open as they faced declining tax revenues. Let's make a similar commitment to Appalachian communities by making sure that as coal and steel and other factories have problems, it's not taken out on students and teachers.

And we'll take a hard look at retraining programs, the last thing that anybody needs are more retraining programs for jobs that don't exist. We have a whole bunch of those, let's learn from programs that really work.

Yesterday, in Williamson, I met a young man named Brandon. His dad was a miner, he always thought he would be too. But then his dad lost his job and that got Brandon thinking about his future. So while he was still in high school he learned about the training program offered by the Coalfield Development Corporation. Workers there spend 33 hours a week on the job, getting paid; six hours in the classroom working toward an associate's degrees; three hours learning life skills, like financial management.

So that's the path Brandon is taking, and when he's done, he'll have concrete skills that employers want: A two-year degree, some money in the bank, and he'll be able to build the kind of life that he's wanted--right in his hometown.

Fourth, and finally, we got to invest in families.

Raising a family is hard work anywhere and I think it's harder today than it was not so long ago. I talk to a lot of young parents. I'm really zeroing in on this now as a new grandmother. I pay attention to the struggles that young parents are facing. No matter what level of income and education, there are different challenges. And I think we've got to be more helpful, we make it just about as hard to balance family and work as we can in this country. That's why we need paid family leave that supports families taking care of their loved ones.

And why we've got to continue the work under the Affordable Care Act to provide quality, affordable health insurance, get the cost down, get more competition in the system. And we need to look at specific problems--like, for example, too many miners with black lung disease have been are denied the health care they need because coal company-funded lawyers and doctors withheld evidence or willfully misdiagnose them.

I know a little bit about this because way back in Arkansas when Bill and I were there teaching at the law school. He took on a bunch of black lung disease cases, about a hundred of them as I recall. He and I would travel to meet with the miners and their families to see what could be done to help them. Unfortunately, the problems never stopped.

We also know that this region loses too many young people. They go to college, they go for work and they don't come back. They don't see a way to make a living. Others stay and it's a real struggle. For many people, these problems are too big to bear. So we have drug abuse, alcohol abuse and suicide all on the rise across Appalachia. And, shockingly, for some--especially middle-aged white women--life expectancy is actually on the decline.

Apart from times of war, that's never happened in the United States. My husband and I have been talking about this for months when we saw the statistics. People are dying from opioid abuse, from heroin. They're dying from suicide, but I though Bill really put his finger on it. He said, "You know what they're really dying of? They're dying of a broken heart." This is a problem that should concern every American, we need to make a national effort. We can't go on like this. We've got to commit to treating substance disorders and mental health issues.

We should bring the same urgency and resources to bear as we do for heart disease or cancer. Addiction isn't a moral failing--it's a disease.

And mental health is just as important as physical health.

That's what we've got to commit ourselves to doing. Now these are all complicated problems, they all intersect and here are no easy solutions. But we can't just ignore them and we can't deny them. We need a full-court press--government, business, universities, community groups, advocates, people pulling together, learning from each other and that's exactly what I want to do.

You know the ideas that I'm putting out today are just a start. I'm going to take everything I've heard these last two days, add it to everything else I've heard over a lifetime and work with leaders like […] and others to come up with plans. It is truly not worth running for and serving as President if you do not help struggling and striving Americans get ahead and stay ahead.

And of course it's fair to ask--what is the other side offering? Unfortunately it's the same old trickle-down economics that has failed us before. Donald Trump doesn't talk about it much on the campaign trail, but his tax plan would give $3.2 trillion to millionaires and billionaires. The people in our society who need it the least. You know what we could do with that kind of money. We could make Social Security and Medicare solvent for the next 75 years for example.

We could repair, replace, and expand our entire national infrastructure. I just don't get it. The other side wants to give that money to the rich, what a waste! And they don't even bother to come up with solutions to most of the problems people talk to me about. They say things like, "Let's get out of the EPA. Let's get rid of the Department of Education." You know closing the EPA is not the answer to rebuilding a region as we transition to clean renewable energy. And closing the Department of Education is not going to stop the Chinese from dumping steel or reverse the decline in jobs.

It won't fix the roads or keep schools open. So we've got to stay focused on what we can do together and we know how do this, my friends. I am absolutely committed to working with everybody. I think part of the job of being President is being the convener and chief. Bring people to the White House, sit around a table, talk and listen to each other, maybe have a can of Jackie O's beer to get things going.

Because we don't have time to waste. People are discouraged, people are disheartened. People feel like our government, our politics and our economy have failed them. So let's make the wealthy pay their fair share, instead of giving them more tax breaks, let's invest in Appalachia, give the families here the opportunities you deserve.

Now, I want to close with a letter I recently received from another young man in West Virginia, also by the name of Brandon. There was a period of time that was a very popular name. His Dad is also a retired miner. And here's what he wrote: "The coal industry has always been up and down.

"We always made it through the tough times because of the people around us. We know what it is to be a community here in West Virginia. We come together when someone needs help."

That's not just his story. That's not just a West Virginia or Appalachian story. That's an American story.

At our best, we pull together. We lift each other up. I think it really does take a village to raise a child, to heal a community, to restore people's faith in themselves and in our country and our future.

So we cannot allow ourselves to be divided against one another, to be set against one another, to have scapegoating and shaming and blaming and insulting instead of an honest candid, conversation about what we're going to do together.

And so let's commit ourselves to make sure all of our families can live lives of dignity, security and opportunity and we treat each other with respect even when we disagree. Because we're not always going to agree.

And build that future that I see, a future of confidence and optimism, to break down all the barriers that are holding people back. I'm very excited about this. People ask me all the time, "Well, how are you going to respond to all these attacks, all these names that you're called?"

I said, "Really?" It's not like I haven't been dealing with that for 25 years. Really?

Because it's not about me, it's about us. I'm going to stand up and fight for you. I'm going to be on the front lines for this country that I love, that has given me and my husband so much, that I want to make sure I can look in the eyes of my absolutely adorable, 19 month old grandchild and I can say, "Honestly, you're going to be given every opportunity, but you know what's great about this country, Charlotte?

"Every kid is going to be given every opportunity and we're going to build a future that will take advantage of the talent and the hard work of every single one of our children."

Help me in this mission, Athens. Thank you! God bless you!

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