First lady Jill Biden visits Allentown to tout federal education and workforce investments, as questions about Biden campaign loom

First lady Jill Biden visited Allentown Tuesday for a White House event focused on federal educational and workforce opportunities for Latino residents.

Biden’s visit was part of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus’ “On the Road” tour, in which federal officials have traveled the country to meet with Hispanic residents and tout legislative accomplishments. She did not take questions or address recent comments from prominent Democrats about whether President Joe Biden is fit to run for reelection, following his shaky performance in his first presidential debate last week against Donald Trump.

Biden was joined by U.S. Rep. Susan Wild, D-7th District, and two members of the Hispanic Caucus: Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragan, D-Calif., and Rep. Nydia Velazquez, D-N.Y.

Barragan said “On the Road” is targeting areas with growing Latino populations for hosting events. Allentown’s population is more than 54% Latino, according to census data.

“We need to make sure we’re communicating, we’re engaging, and most of all, we are talking to folks about what we’re doing in Congress,” Barragan said of working with the Latino population. “There is no greater honor than to have the first lady with us. … who better to talk about education?”

Biden, who has taught English at Northern Virginia Community College for 15 years, said “a lot of my colleagues are here” in the audience at Lehigh Carbon Community College’s Allentown campus, where the event took place.

“Teaching isn’t just what I do. It’s who I am,” she said.

She touted several of President Biden’s recent initiatives on education and immigration reform, including a recent executive order that would allow participants in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program to more quickly receive work visas, and a federal grant that helps fund high school career readiness programs.

In remarks before a moderated roundtable discussion, Biden called the Lehigh Valley a “place of transformation where iron ore turns to steel, and steel to prosperity,” referencing the shuttered Bethlehem Steel plant that once fueled the local economy.

“You are still transforming today, industries like manufacturing and distribution are thriving, and you are creating pathways to great careers in those fields,” Biden said.

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