Why isn’t Biden visiting the Iron Range today?

President Joe Biden will visit the Dutch Creek farm in Northfield, Minnesota today to tout the “success” of Bidenomics. The President will highlight billions of dollars in additional federal spending on “climate-smart agriculture” and other infrastructure upgrades in Rural America.

According to a Biden press release:

During the visit, President Biden will announce over $5 billion in new investments from his Investing in America agenda – including the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act – to advance rural prosperity, economic development, competition, and sustainability. President Biden will also discuss how Bidenomics and his Investing in America agenda are ensuring rural Americans do not have to leave their hometowns to find opportunity.

Having grown up in a small town in Rural Wisconsin, I know the worry that younger generations will need to leave the small towns they grew up in for better economic opportunities is very real.

Given President Biden’s emphasis on this issue, it is interesting that he is visiting Northfield, an area that has been gaining population over the last three decades, rather than towns on the Iron Range, where towns have seen a steady outflow of people since 1990.

As a candidate, Biden released an economic plan that promised more opportunities on the Iron Range, but since taking office, he has canceled the leases for the proposed Twin Metals Minnesota mining project, his Army Corp of Engineers revoked key approvals needed for the proposed Northmet mine, and his Forest Service even denied the expansion of the Lutsen Ski resort.

Rural Americans exemplify the grit and hard work that made this country the most powerful nation on Earth. They don’t need government handouts to lead happy, fulfilling lives; they need the government to get out of the way. Nowhere is that more clear than in Northeastern Minnesota.