WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – President Biden welcomed bipartisan mayors attending the U.S. Conference of Mayors Winter Meeting to the White House.

“When I came to office, the pandemic was raging, the economy was reeling, cities nationwide faced devastating budget cuts,” Biden said. “And together we turned things around, you turned them around.”

The president highlighted ongoing partnership between federal and local governments to ensure communities across the country realize the full potential of the administration’s “Investing in America” agenda.

“How can we have the best economy in the world if we don’t have the best infrastructure in the world?” Biden posited.

He went on to reference the $350 billion for state and local governments in the American Rescue Plan passed in 2021 and the $82 million going to North Carolina for high-speed internet. “Remember we had infrastructure week? It never happened,” Biden joked. “Well, you got an infrastructure decade.”