MARIA: WELCOME BACK.
WELL, MORE THAN 70,000 POUNDS OF
BABY FORMULA ARRIVING IN INDIANA
FROM EUROPE YESTERDAY, IT IS THE
FIRST FLIGHT OF BIDEN’S
OPERATION FLY FORMULA, HIS PLAN
TO SHIP BABY FORMULA TO THE
UNITED STATES FROM OVERSEAS.
THIS AS THE CEO OF ABBOTT LABS
IS APOLOGIZING IN AN OP-ED,
WRITING AN OP-ED IN THE
WASHINGTON POST, QUOTE, WE ARE
SORRY TO EVERY FAMILY WE’VE LET
DOWN SINCE OUR VOLUNTARY RECALL
EXACERBATED OUR NATION’S BABY
FORMULA SHORTAGE.
BIDEN SAYS A SECOND FORMULA
FLIGHT WILL SOON BE ON THE WAY
TO PENNSYLVANIA.
JOINING ME TO TALK ABOUT THE
IMPACT ON INDIANA IS THE
GOVERNOR OF INDIANA, ERIC
HOLCOMB.
HE IS LIVE ON THE GROUND IN
DAVOS THIS WEEK.
GOVERNOR, IT’S GOOD TO SEE YOU.
THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE
THIS MORNING.
I WANT TO GET YOUR TAKE ON ALL
THAT YOU’RE SEEING IN DAVOS BUT
FIRST, LET’S START WITH THE BABY
FORMULA ISSUE.
WHAT HAS BEEN THE IMPACT ON
INDIANA?
>> WELL, WE’RE PROUD TO BE A
PART OF HELPING NEIGHBORS IN
NEED.
OBVIOUSLY, THIS FIRST FLIGHT IS
ABOUT 15%, MAKES UP ABOUT 15% OF
THE REAL NEED SO WHILE SOME OF
IT WILL GET TO HOOSIER FAMILIES,
WE’RE PROUD OF THAT, THIS
ACCENTS HOW KEY THE INDIANAPOLIS
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT IS TO OUR
NATION’S GRID, QUITE FRANKLY.
THIS IS AN AIRPORT THAT’S BEEN
RATED NUMBER ONE THE LAST 10
YEARS IN NORTH AMERICA IN TERMS
OF INTERNATIONAL AIR PORTS.
SO WE CAN’T GET THIS FORMULA OUT
TO FAMILIES FAST ENOUGH AND
HAPPY TO TAKE THE LEAD.
MARIA: WELL, THANK YOU FOR
TAKING THE LEAD.
THIS IS A A MAJOR ISSUE
OBVIOUSLY FOR AMERICAN FAMILIES.
I KNOW THAT THE HIGHEST
CONCENTRATION OF MANUFACTURING
JOBS IS IN THE STATE OF INDIANA.
25% OF THE STATE’S ECONOMIC
OUTPUT BASED IN THIS INDUSTRY.
GOVERNOR, TALK TO US ABOUT
PRODUCING IN AMERICA AS WE WORRY
ABOUT SO MANY CRITICAL ITEMS
THAT ARE MADE OVERSEAS.
I KNOW YOU’RE ON A PAN A HE’LL
TODAY -- PANEL TODAY IN DAVOS
ABOUT ADVANCED MANUFACTURING.
WHAT CAN YOU TELL US?
>> WELL, MANUFACTURING, ADVANCED
MANUFACTURING IS IN OUR DNA, IT
HAS BEEN SINCE WE STARTED AS A
STATE BACK IN 1816.
SO NOTHING NEW TO US.
OBVIOUSLY, WHEN YOU SEE THE
SUPPLY CHAIN DISRUPTIONS THAT
ARE OCCURRING, WHETHER IT’S BABY
FORMULA OR WHEAT OR GAS, YOU
NAME IT, IT JUST REALLY REMINDS
US AND ACCENT THE IMPORTANCE OF
MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE NOT
JUST IN TIME, BUT JUST IN CASE
SUPPLY CHAINS THAT ARE UP AND
ABOUT.
OBVIOUSLY, THE STATE OF INDIANA,
OUR ECONOMY BECAUSE OF OUR
INTERNATIONAL CONNECTIONS AND
OUR DOMESTIC MANUFACTURING
THAT’S OCCURING IN OUR STATE,
OUR STATE ECONOMY IS HUMMING
LIKE AN INDY CAR ENGINE WHICH
WILL RACE THIS SUNDAY WE’RE
OVER-PERFORMING RIGHT NOW,
BEATING ALL EXPECTATIONS.
WE HAD $500 MILLION LAST MONTH
OVER THE PROSPECTS AND
PROJECTIONS FOR ONE MONTH.
SO OBVIOUSLY THE STATE OF
INDIANA’S GROWING AND IN PART
IT’S BECAUSE OF OUR
RELATIONSHIPS ALL OVER THE
WORLD.
MARIA: WELL, THAT’S JUST
TERRIFIC NEWS AND WE NEED THAT
BECAUSE THERE ARE A LOT OF
WORRIES ABOUT A RECESSION.
WE’VE GOT A CENSUS BUREAU
SURVEY, FINDING MORE THAN
ONE-THIRD OF HOUSEHOLDS ARE
REPORTING DIFFICULTIES IN PAYING
BILLS, GOVERNOR.
INFLATION IS CREATING DEMAND
DESTRUCTION.
WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE
ECONOMIC BACKDROP IN INDIANA?
>> WELL, IT’S A HEADWIND FOR
SURE.
AND WE’RE GOING TO -- HAVE YOU
TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAVE A
LONG-TERM VIEW OF THIS,
UNDERSTANDING ALL OF THE
HOPEFULLY SHORT-TERM CRISISES
THAT ARE POPPING UP ALL OVER THE
WORLD AND FOR INDIANA, WHAT WE
HAVE DONE IS WE’VE LIVED WITHIN
OUR MEANS.
WE’VE PAID DOWN DEBT.
WE JUST CUT TAXES, PERSONAL
INCOME TAXES AND WE SENT CHECKS
BACK TO EVERY TAXPAYER, JUST A
FEW MONTHS AGO BECAUSE WE HAVE
BUILT UP A CASH RESERVE AND WE
CAN WEATHER THIS STORM.
NOW, HAVING SAID THAT, OBVIOUSLY
INFLATION IS A HEADWIND AND
POTENTIALLY GOING INTO
RECESSION.
HOWEVER, WE’VE ADDED ABOUT
$100 BILLION TO OUR GDP OVER THE
LAST FIVE YEARS.
WE HAD A RECORD YEAR THROUGH OUR
INDIANA ECONOMIC DEVELOP
CORPORATION LAST YEAR OF
8.7 BILLION, WE’RE AT 10 BILLION
RIGHT NOW AND WE’RE STILL IN THE
MONTH OF MAY.
WE HAVE TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT
WHAT’S HAPPENING ALL OVER THE
WORLD.
WE CAN’T REMAIN IN DENIAL ABOUT
THOSE THINGS BUT STATES HAVE TO
TAKE THE LEAD AND MAKE SURE WE
WEATHER OUR WAY THROUGH THIS.
MARIA: YEAH, FOR SURE.
GOVERN NORTHERN, WE’LL BE
WATCHING -- GOVERNOR, WE’LL BE
WATCHING.
GREAT STORY TO TELL.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE THIS
MORNING.
>> YOU’RE INVITED TO THE INDY
500.
WE’LL LEAVE THE LIGHT ON NOR
YOU.
MARIA: I APPRECIATE THAT VERY
MUCH.
I’LL GET BACK TO YOU.
GOVERNOR ERIC HOLCOMB JOINING US