Out West, Biden Points to Wildfires to Push for $3.5 Trillion Rebuild

MATHER, CALIFORNIA - President Joe Biden on Monday used his first Western swing since taking office to hold out the wildfires burning across the region as an argument for his $3.5 trillion rebuilding plans, calling year-round fires and other extreme weather a climate change reality the nation can no longer ignore. 

"Even some of my less believing friends are all of a sudden having an altar call," Biden said of those who have sought to minimize the risks posed by climate change. "They're seeing the Lord."   With stops in Idaho and California, Biden sought to boost support for his big rebuilding plans, saying every dollar spent on "resilience" would save $6 in future costs. And he said the rebuilding must go beyond simply restoring damaged systems and instead ensure communities can withstand catastrophic weather, which doesn't strike based on partisan ideology.  "It's not a Democrat thing. It's not a Republican thing. It's a weather thing," he said in Boise, Idaho. "It's a reality. It's serious and we can do this."