Biden hails infrastructure law in US state of Pennsylvania

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - US President Joe Biden on Thursday promoted the benefits of his signature infrastructure law in a bid to boost his fellow Democrats as they head into November's midterm elections.

Speaking next to the Fern Hollow Bridge, which collapsed in January this year in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania due to long-running neglect, Biden said the law has helped the US "finally" improve its badly aging infrastructure.

"We’re finally deciding that instead of being ranked number 13 in the world in infrastructure, we should be ranked number one," he said to applause.

"When you see these projects in your neighborhoods, cranes going up, shovels in the ground, I want you to feel the way I feel: pride, pride in what we can do when we work together. And that’s what I mean when I say we’re building a better America," he added.

Biden, whose own polling numbers have been ticking up in recent months, is seeking to aid Democrats as they seek to maintain their holds on both chambers of Congress in the Nov. 8 midterm elections.

A critical part of that effort is the Senate race in Pennsylvania, where Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman is vying against celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz.

Fetterman, who has been recovering from a stroke he suffered in May, was on the scene as Biden delivered remarks, and the president thanked the senior Pennsylvania official for pursuing his Senate candidacy.

"I really do appreciate it," said Biden before turning to Fetterman's wife, Jill, saying she will be "a great lady in the Senate.”

Polls show Fetterman and Oz in a neck-and-neck race in Pennsylvania, with Oz making ground in recent weeks against his opponent.

The candidates were tied at 46% in a poll released Thursday by Fox 29, a Fox affiliate in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.