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WATCH: Biden visits quake-resistant runway development in Portland

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — President Joe Biden opened a two-day visit to the Pacific Northwest by focusing on improvements planned for the runway and roof of the airport where he landed Thursday rather than any of the region’s traditional, natural attractions.

Watch Biden’s remarks in the player above.

Portland International Airport lies on a tectonic plate fault line but is working on a series of modernizations, including a new, earthquake-resistant runway capable of accommodating jets coming and going even after a major natural disaster. The design is modeled after the runway of the Sendai airport in Japan, which Biden said he’d visited and which survived the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in that country.

The trip is Biden’s first as president to this part of the country and comes as he has increased travel across the U.S. to tout the $1 trillion, bipartisan infrastructure bill his administration backed and Congress approved last fall. Just since last week, Biden has been to Iowa, North Carolina and New Hampshire, and will travel to Seattle after the Oregon stop.

The president has been trying to promote the idea that he’s successfully advanced key policy goals — including providing badly needed funding for long-neglected public works projects around the country — despite Republicans in Congress opposing many of the White House’s priorities at every turn. The GOP counters that Biden has done little to tackle many of the nation’s most pressing issues, failing to control inflation that has climbed to its highest levels in more than 40 years or slow crime rates that are on the rise in some parts of the country.

AP-NORC poll: Many believe Biden isn’t tough enough on Russia

“We’ve fallen behind. We haven’t invested in ourselves,” Biden said in a speech during which he noted that the public works package includes $25 billion to modernize airports across America. “It bothers the heck out of me that there’s this belief that we can’t do big things anymore. We can.”

He added: “America invented modern aviation, but a lot of our airports are far behind our competitors.”

Portland’s airport is flanked by mountains and hills, yet, before his remarks, Biden was more attentive to the workers as they explained how the improvements would increase resiliency and energy efficiency. Officials are spending $2 billion on the airport revamp, including upgrades to the complex’s roof whose new sections will be primarily made of wood.

The roof is being disassembled into 20 sections and then pieced back together over the terminal, which Democratic Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley called “an incredible investment in mass timber.”

The White House says about 19.8 million passengers traveled through Portland’s airport in 2019, and that air cargo has increased more than 19 percent since 2019 as online commerce has grown amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Among those on-hand was Oregon Democratic Rep. Peter DeFazio, who said, “I’ve been fighting my entire career for investments that will rebuild our nation’s crumbling infrastructure .” He said the U.S. continues to face systemic challenges, including “an economy that rewards wealth instead of work.”

Biden planned to attend two Democratic Party fundraisers Thursday evening before visiting Seattle on Friday. There, he’ll mark Earth Day by speaking about a need to bolster the nation’s resilience in the face of threats like wildfire, and a need to rapidly deploy clean energy, the White House said.

Biden called the infrastructure law “a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build on these actions and accelerate our nation’s ability to confront the environmental and climate challenges we face.”

“For the future of our planet, for our health, and for our children and grandchildren, we must act now,” the president said in a statement.

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President Joe Biden discusses runways and bridges in Portland pit stop

Biden was joined by Gov. Kate Brown, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler and members of Oregon’s congressional delegation in an appearance at Portland’s airport. It was his first visit to the state as president.

President Joe Biden looked around on his first presidential visit to Oregon and saw a lot that needs fixing.

In a very brief stop in Portland on Thursday, the president mentioned hundreds of miles of decrepit roads, bridges in poor condition, and vital infrastructure vulnerable to an inevitable earthquake. All problems, he suggested, that his Republican predecessor Donald Trump had allowed to languish — and that he and other Democrats are poised to solve.

“Portland International Airport is a perfect example of both the need and the opportunity and the ability to make progress,” Biden told a crowd of supporters and elected officials gathered in an Air National Guard hangar at the airport. “I don’t have to tell you it’s an essential economic engine for the entire region, not just Portland. A lot of people don’t know it, but this airport employs 10,000 people — 10,000 people. In addition, 20 million people travel through this airport every year.

“But here’s the deal: It’s been much too long since America invested in our airports, our ports and our rail. We used to have the best infrastructure in the world — this is a fact. We are now ranked as 13th best infrastructure — 13th, the United States. We stopped investing in ourselves.”

President Joe Biden speaks to a crowd of supporters and elected officials gathered in an Air National Guard hangar at Portland’s airport, April 21, 2022.

Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB

Gov. Kate Brown, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler and members of Oregon’s congressional delegation approach Air Force One as President Joe Biden arrives at Portland’s airport, April 21, 2022. It was his first visit to the state as president.

President Joe Biden exits Air Force One at Portland’s airport, April 21, 2022. It was his first visit to the state as president.

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown welcomes President Joe Biden with a big hug after he arrived at Portland’s airport, April 21, 2022.

President Joe Biden is greeted by U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and other members of an Oregon delegation as he arrives at Portland’s airport, April 21, 2022. It was his first visit to the state as president.

President Joe Biden addresses a camera while standing behind a podium on the tarmac at the Portland Airport.

President Joe Biden greets the crowd following his speech at an Air National Guard hangar at Portland’s airport, April 21, 2022.

Air Force One arrives at Portland’s airport, April 21, 2022.

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler takes a photo fo Air Force one as President Joe Biden arrives at Portland’s airport, April 21, 2022. It was his first visit to the state as president.

Spectators wait for a glimpse of Air Force One and President Joe Biden, atop the parking structure at Portland’s airport, April 21, 2022. It was his first visit to the state as president.

Air Force One at Portland’s airport, April 21, 2022. It was President Joe Biden’s first visit to the state as president.

Pres. Joe Biden departs Air Force 1 at Portland International Airport on Thursday, April 21, 2022.

President Joe Biden talks with Gov. Kate Brown at Portland’s airport, April 21, 2022. It was his first visit to the state as president.

President Joe Biden’s motorcade at Portland’s airport, April 21, 2022. It was his first visit to the state as president.

U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden greets the media as he waits for President Joe Biden to arrive at Portland’s airport, April 21, 2022. It was his first visit to the state as president.

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown speaks to the crowd before President Joe Biden took the stage at an Air National Guard hangar at Portland’s airport, April 21, 2022.

(Left to right) U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley hugs Congressman Peter DeFazio, as Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici, and Congressman Kurt Schrader look on, before President Joe Biden took the stage at an Air National Guard hangar at Portland’s airport, April 21, 2022.

Congressman Earl Blumenauer speaks to the crowd before President Joe Biden took the stage at an Air National Guard hangar at Portland’s airport, April 21, 2022.

U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden speaks to the crowd before President Joe Biden took the stage at an Air National Guard hangar at Portland’s airport, April 21, 2022.

President Joe Biden smiles while speaking to a small crowd during a brief visit to Portland, Oregon.

President Joe Biden stands in front of a small group of people and a massive American flag during a brief visit to Portland.

President Joe Biden addresses a small crowd of supporters at Portland International Airport.

Joe Biden can be seen smiling in the Portland International Airport, during a brief visit to Portland.

Security detail stands atop the Portland Yacht Club as President Joe Biden’s motorcade leaves, April 21, 2022.

In a dash-in, dash-out visit in which he also made time to raise money for Democratic candidates, the president touted billions in spending that he said would bolster aging infrastructure in the Pacific Northwest.

Among those improvements, the president highlighted an earthquake-proof runway at PDX, which could be a major asset when the expected Cascadia Subduction Zone hits the region. Nearly $4 million in federal aid will assist in that project, the White House said. Another $20 million in federal aid will pay for maintenance at the airport, which is in the midst of a major redesign. Biden toured part of the airport, including the new roof on the main terminal being built with mass-produced timber.

“People forget America invented modern aviation,” Biden said. “But we’ve allowed our airports to lag far behind our competitors.”

The Portland pit-stop was part of a two-coast presidential tour in which Biden is selling the benefits of a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill that Congress passed in November , and a separate $1.5 trillion spending bill passed last month . Biden landed at PDX at 12:41 p.m. and took off for Seattle around four hours later.

The tour comes as Democrats face a worrying midterm election cycle. Historically, the party in power has suffered big losses in the midterms, and Republicans are widely expected to gain ground in November. Poll after poll has shown voters, in Oregon and across the country, to be frustrated and tired after more than two years living with COVID-19 and its many impacts on daily life and the economy.

Biden on Thursday lauded millions of jobs created by the American Rescue Plan and the infrastructure bill and told a highly partisan audience that Democrats are succeeding in efforts to rebuild. He argued that he’d taken meaningful steps to slow the record inflation that has posed a major challenge to his leadership — including by releasing strategic oil reserves to combat rising gas prices.

Joining Biden at PDX were Gov. Kate Brown, who received a big hug from the president as he walked off Air Force One, U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler and the state’s Democratic members of the U.S. House. They all got shout-outs from the president before he spoke, potential fodder for campaign ads in the midterm elections to come.

Biden also addressed voter concerns over inflation — and attempts by Republicans to blame him. He told the audience that rising prices and inflation are largely due to two factors: COVID-related closures and supply chain snarls and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

After his public remarks at the airport, the president planned to attend an exclusive Democratic fundraiser at the nearby Portland Yacht Club. Tickets to the sold-out event went for between $500 and $36,500.

The location of that fundraiser appeared designed to minimize disruptions from the presidential motorcade. Portland police tweeted on Wednesday that motorists could expect some road closures near the airport, but that major freeways and the main access road to the airport should remain open. The airport warned travelers that they might experience delays because of Biden’s visit, and some flights were delayed Thursday afternoon.

The visit did not go unremarked on by local Republicans, who used the presidential proximity to highlight problems in the Pacific Northwest.

U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, a Republican from Southwest Washington, sent Biden an open letter inviting him to speak with local law enforcement about drugs making their way to the region from Mexico.

“I am certain that a 30-minute meeting with one of these narcotics task forces would be an illuminating experience for you, and may well inform a change in your administration’s policies at our borders,” Herrera Beutler wrote.

Meanwhile, Republican congressional candidate Lori Chavez-DeRemer, the former mayor of Happy Valley, derided the bill Biden had come to brag about.

“Joe Biden is making his first visit to Oregon as President to tout a trillion-dollar spending bill that has skyrocketed inflation, will increase the national debt, and do very little to improve our infrastructure,” Chavez-DeRemer said in a statement. “But the real reason Biden is here is to attend a fundraiser at a Yacht Club with Liberal multi-millionaires amidst record inflation, a southern border crisis, and crime in our streets.”

Oregon transportation officials have said the infrastructure bill will send an extra $1.2 billion to the state over five years. Roughly a third of that money came in the form of flexible funds, and in late March the Oregon Transportation Commission voted on a plan to spend that money . The plan includes $50 million for highway projects, $80 million for safety enhancements on main streets and routes to school, $75 million for maintenance projects and $40 million to bolster the Oregon Department of Transportation’s budget, among other things.

Biden departed from PDX for Seattle shortly before 5 p.m.

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News updates as President Biden visits Portland and Seattle Thursday

Editor’s note:  This is a live account of updates from President Biden’s visit to Portland and Seattle on Thursday, April 21, as the day unfolded. It is no longer being updated. Click  here  to read more about the first day of his two-day visit. Click here to follow live updates for Friday, April 22.

President Joe Biden is making a two-day visit to Portland and Seattle , during which he is expected to highlight his administration’s infrastructure spending and efforts to fight climate change and lower prescription-drug costs.

Biden’s Pacific Northwest visit began in Portland Thursday, where he touted benefits from the $1 trillion infrastructure measure signed into law late last year. The bill will allocate $1.2 billion in Oregon and  $8.6 billion for Washington state .

Biden’s Earth Day appearance in Seattle on Friday — his first since becoming president — will come at an important time for his climate agenda as his administration makes a renewed push to try to gain Senate approval of a $550 billion package to cut carbon emissions.

We’re updating this page with the latest news about the presidential visit.

Biden speaks at fundraiser in Seattle

At a fundraising event in Seattle, President Joe Biden spoke about China, his worries for the upcoming midterm elections and investments in the U.S.

Biden said Chinese President Xi Jinping “doesn’t have a democratic bone in his body,” according to a pool report. He said he told Xi he wouldn’t stop being critical on human rights issues.

Remarking on the midterms, he said to the group, which included Gov. Jay Inslee, that Democrats can’t afford to lose the House of Representatives, or the Senate, per the report.

"We have not invested in ourselves. America has not invested in America," Biden said about education and infrastructure.

He called Ukrainians "incredibly brave, incredibly resolved," per the pool report.

The motorcade left the home around 7:45 p.m.

Biden attends fundraiser in Seattle

President Joe Biden arrived shortly before 6 p.m. at a Democratic National Convention fundraiser, hosted by Microsoft’s Brad Smith and Kathy Surace-Smith at a Seattle home that overlooks Lake Washington, according to a pool report.

The reception was held at the home of Mary Snapp, corporate vice president of Microsoft Philanthropies, and artist Spencer Frazer.

Traffic snarled as roads and highways close

As Air Force One landed at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport at about 5:15 p.m. Thursday, roads and highways began closing in anticipation of Biden’s motorcade, snarling traffic on Interstate 5, Interstate 90 and Highway 520.

The Washington Department of Transportation would not confirm the precise timing and location of the closures.

“For security reasons put in place by the Secret Service we can’t share those specifics,” the agency said on Twitter. Nevertheless, traffic maps showed long streaks of red heading into and out of Seattle.

Travel times are especially bad for those trying to travel north and south through Seattle. Where it normally take drivers 43 minutes to go from Alderwood to Southcenter, it was double that, at 87 minutes, Thursday evening.

Read more about traffic and transit impacts here.

Biden leaves Sea-Tac in motorcade

Biden shook Bruce Harrell‘s hand after landing pic.twitter.com/BuCeSzICXU — Amanda Zhou (@AmondoZhou) April 22, 2022

President Joe Biden landed at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport around 5:15 p.m. on Thursday, after departing Portland around 4:45 p.m. Biden was greeted by Gov. Jay Inslee, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell and SeaTac Mayor Jake Simpson.

The plane touched down just as the sky began to drizzle and turned to rain after the motorcade drove away.

Biden lands at Sea-Tac

pic.twitter.com/3IJ8NJm1UY — Amanda Zhou (@AmondoZhou) April 22, 2022

Air Force One flies over Seattle pic.twitter.com/iMTZODlMAf — Paige Cornwell (@pgcornwell) April 22, 2022

Biden departs Portland en route to Seattle

Wheels are up according to flight info from @ADSBexchange pic.twitter.com/7kDxtUqEQB — Amanda Zhou (@AmondoZhou) April 21, 2022

I’m at Sea-Tac international airport w @dkimreports covering President Joe Biden’s arrival for @seattletimes . We’ve just been ushered into a press pen. pic.twitter.com/upU5z9juSG — Amanda Zhou (@AmondoZhou) April 21, 2022

Biden: Nation has unlimited future

President Joe Biden devoted most of his remarks at the Portland airport hangar to promoting the benefits of the infrastructure bill, which includes $25 billion in airport improvements. He toured the Portland airport previous to this appearance, and praised a mass timber roof that is part of a construction project.

He also spoke to inflation, which he blamed in part on supply disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic, and also cited rising oil prices in the aftermath of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He ended his roughly half-hour appearance with a look at what he called the nation’s unlimited future.

But he said we “have to stop feeling sorry for ourselves” and earlier noted that “We just got to get the hell out of our own way.”

Biden speaks in Portland

Biden talks about an “infrastructure decade” in aftermath of 2021 passage of $1.2 trillion infrastructure legislation, which includes money for airport improvements in Portland and elsewhere pic.twitter.com/NiLLA4Tse2 — Hal Bernton (@hbernton) April 21, 2022

Drivers should expect intermittent heavy traffic congestion during Biden visit

The Washington Department of Transportation advised drivers to expect intermittent heavy congestion in the Seattle area Thursday evening and Friday due to temporary closures of the freeway system due to his visit.

Ahead of his arrival, Seattle police and King County Metro blocked off partial access to downtown, with cruisers and buses spanning roadways to prevent motorists from driving on streets near the Westin hotel.

From Thursday to Friday at 4 p.m., bus stops between Jackson and Blanchard streets and Third and Ninth avenues could see temporary closures or relocations. Both Sound Transit and King County Metro announced changes to several routes Thursday.

Closures on parts of Westlake Avenue North, Denny Way, Fourth Avenue, and Lenora, Virginia and Pine streets will affect 12 Metro bus routes: 7, 40, 62, 64, 70, 216, 218, 257, 268, 311, 320 and the RapidRide C Line.

Riders can see how their route is affected by visiting Metro’s  service advisories page .

Oregon's congressional delegation waits for Biden

President Joe Biden, as of 2:20 p.m., had yet to appear at the Portland airport hangar. Members of Oregon’s congressional delegation have been taking turns speaking on a podium about the benefits the 2021 infrastructure legislation may bring to Oregon.

Sen. Ron Wyden and others talked about the potential to fund a new rail link to develop a new cargo port at Coos Bay on the south coast of Oregon.

Biden arrives in Portland

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown and Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler speak in advance of appearance by President Biden pic.twitter.com/O23PsKwxcu — Hal Bernton (@hbernton) April 21, 2022

Seattle roads blocked before Biden's arrival

Sea-tac flights may be delayed thursday evening.

Passengers arriving at or departing from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport should expect delays early Thursday evening, when President Joe Biden is scheduled to fly to the airport.

Biden is scheduled to arrive at Sea-Tac at 5:15 p.m., according to the White House. Security protocols require all air traffic to stop for at least 30 minutes before arrival and shortly afterward, Sea-Tac tweeted Thursday afternoon. Flights, as well as traffic into and out of the airport, will also be affected.

Travelers can check their flight status here .

Biden to visit Green River College in Auburn on Friday

President Joe Biden will visit Green River College in Auburn on Friday to meet with elected officials and students, the college's president said in an open letter Thursday.

Biden will speak in the Mel Lindbloom Student Union, Green River President Suzanne M. Johnson wrote.

"Green River was selected as a site in large part because of the vital career and technical programs we offer that support workforce development for the region and the state," Johnson wrote. "The nursing program is of particular interest."

The college, in Auburn, is also in Washington's 8th Congressional District, represented by Democratic Rep. Kim Schrier. Schrier, who is in her second term, is the most politically vulnerable of any of Washington's Democratic members of Congress in this year's midterm elections.

Seating for the event is limited and by invitation only, Johnson wrote. She said they were contacted by the White House earlier this week.

"As a college, we do not endorse a specific campaign or political agenda. We make our facilities available when they are not being used for educational or athletic purposes," Johnson wrote.

In Seattle, Biden to issue Earth Day order to safeguard old-growth forests

President Joe Biden will sign an executive order on Friday in Seattle laying the groundwork for protecting some of the biggest and oldest trees in America’s forests, according to five individuals briefed on the plan who spoke on the condition of anonymity because it was not yet finalized.

Biden will direct the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to inventory mature and old-growth forests nationwide, three of the individuals said. He will also require the agencies to identify threats to these trees and to use that information to write policies that protect them.

The president’s order, however, will not ban logging of mature and old-growth trees, they added, and the administration is not considering a nationwide prohibition. It will include initiatives aimed at curbing deforestation overseas, promoting economic development in regions with major timber industries and calculating the economic value of other natural resources such as wetlands.

Read the full story here.

Biden to land at Portland Air National Guard Base

Biden’s Thursday visit to Portland will largely unfold at the airport on the city's eastern flank, close by the Columbia River that separates Oregon from Washington.

He is scheduled to land at Portland Air National Guard Base, and will visit Portland International Airport, a hub for most of the state’s air passenger and cargo movements. He is expected to talk about an investment in improving an airport runway to make it more able to withstand an earthquake. The investment is part of a broader pitch he has been making about the importance of federal funding of projects made possible by the congressional passage last year of $1.2 trillion infrastructure legislation.

Democratic strength in Portland and other urban areas helped Biden easily win the state in the 2020 election with 57 percent of the vote. His visit comes during a resurgent Oregon economy but in a difficult time in Portland, where homicides have surged, hitting the city’s people of color hardest, and a homelessness crisis continues to grow, becoming a focal point of much of the city’s political debate.

The racial injustice protests that thrust Portland into national headlines in 2020 are less frequent but ongoing. In February, the city was buffeted by a shooting, which unfolded just prior to a protest in northeast Portland, that resulted in the death of one woman and the wounding of four others. Benjamin Smith, also wounded, was charged in these shootings.

A look at past presidents’ visits to Seattle

President Joe Biden's visit to Seattle comes 141 years after Washington’s first visit by a president, when President Rutherford B. Hayes arrived by steamship at the Yesler wharf in 1880 — 27 years after Washington Territory was founded, according to  HistoryLink .

After that,  presidents have regularly visited  the Puget Sound area to give speeches and go on fishing trips, with Air Force One landing at Boeing Field or Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

Read the full story here .

What we know so far about President Biden's visit to Portland and Seattle

President Joe Biden will arrive at Portland Air National Guard Base at 12:40 p.m. Thursday, according to the White House. He’ll visit nearby Portland International Airport to highlight infrastructure investments such as an earthquake-resistant runway at the airport and deliver a speech promoting the benefits of such spending.

After attending a political fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee, Biden is scheduled to fly to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, arriving at 5:15 p.m. He’ll attend another DNC fundraiser in Seattle Thursday night, according to the White House.

On Friday, Biden is scheduled to attend two Seattle-area events. One will highlight Democrats’ efforts to lower prescription drug costs.

A second, Earth Day-focused event will include Biden signing a climate-related executive order, according to a Democratic aide with knowledge of the president’s Seattle schedule, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the event publicly.

Such visits typically bring some traffic disruptions as stretches of roadway are temporarily blocked to make way for the presidential motorcade.

As of Wednesday afternoon, details about Biden’s schedule were limited and no public events had been announced. But past  visits from the White House  led to road closures and increased traffic because of presidential motorcades. Typically, the U.S. Secret Service does not reveal the exact route in advance, which can make it tough to predict which roads will be closed.

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President Biden arrives in Portland to campaign ahead of midterms

by KATU Staff

PORTLAND, Ore. — President Joe Biden arrived in Portland on Friday for a visit ahead of the midterm elections next month.

Air Force One touched down at Portland International Airport at 6:13 p.m.

His stop in Oregon caps off a three-day West Coast tour which included visits to Colorado and California.

His plane was the 757 version, not the 747 he usually flies in for trips. It was because the airport in Colorado could not accommodate the 747 for his trip there.

Watch KATU's Coverage of President Biden's Arrival:

The president stepped off the plane holding a white paper Air Force One bag. Upon greeting U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, at the bottom of the steps, Biden pulled a cupcake out of the bag and handed it to her. Friday was her birthday.

Biden also greeted U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, Brigadier General Donna Prigmore, commander, Oregon Air National Guard, and Colonel Todd A. Hofford, commander, 142nd Air Wing.

Biden's first stop was at about 7:10 p.m. for a grassroots volunteer event with Oregon Democrats at the SEIU Local 49 office in Southeast Portland. President Biden will stay in Portland overnight.

Democratic candidate for governor, Tina Kotek, was seen going into the union office about a half hour before the president's motorcade arrived there.

At noon on Saturday , the president will deliver remarks on lowering costs for American families from the East Portland Community Center. KATU News confirmed that Biden is joining U.S. Senator Ron Wyden for the town hall event.

At 1:45 p.m. , Biden is set to attend a reception for gubernatorial candidate Tina Kotek.

By 2:50 p.m. , Air Force One is expected to be "wheels-up" from PDX.

RELATED | Oregon governor candidates weigh in on race ahead of Biden visit

Biden will be heading to Wilmington, Delaware for the rest of the weekend.

Fencing went up downtown on Thursday in the area around Pioneer Courthouse Square. KATU reached out to the city to confirm that it's related to the president's overnight visit, but we have yet to hear back.

Biden’s visit will impact traffic and public transportation routes across the city throughout Friday and Saturday.

TriMet said MAX and bus lines will be impacted downtown and in parts of east Portland through 6 p.m. Saturday.

Police warned of traffic delays on major freeways, access roads around the airport, and areas around Southeast, Northeast and in downtown Portland.

Law enforcement agencies said they would increase staffing to accommodate the visit.

One main focus of President Biden’s visit is lowering costs for American families.

The Biden administration announced Friday morning that the president would sign an executive order directing Health and Human Services to explore taking action on lowering prescription drug costs.

READ MORE | During Portland visit, Biden to push lower prescription drug costs in midterm press

The Oregon Republican Caucus questioned his planned speech on lowering costs at a time of rising inflation and high gas prices. They added that Oregon has the third highest gas prices in the nation, followed by California and Alaska.

"The real question is whether Oregon Democrats, who have enacted similar failed policies here at home, will stand by Biden during his visit and whether his trip helps or hurts Democrats this November,” the Oregon Republican Caucus said in a statement.

It will be the second time this year the president has visited Oregon. In April, he touted the passage of his infrastructure bill at Portland Air National Guard Base next to Portland International Airport, and then he attended a fundraiser at the Portland Yacht Club.

This time around, his visit is happening just weeks before November’s midterm election, and Pacific University political science professor Jim Moore said last week in an interview with KATU that the purpose for his visit this time is clear.

"There are four congressional races here within about 120 miles, three of them in Oregon, and one in Washington that could help determine who controls the House of Representatives in Washington, D.C. and the second thing is, we have a very competitive governor's race, and he wants to come in and sway voters and raise some money and get it towards Tina Kotek," he said.

President Biden to visit Oregon next week

PORTLAND, Ore. (KPTV) - President Joe Biden is scheduled to visit Oregon next week, the White House announced Friday morning.

Biden will be visiting the state on Friday, Oct. 14, and Saturday, Oct. 15. He will also be visiting California during his travels to the West Coast.

NEW: @WhiteHouse says @POTUS will be traveling to Oregon next Friday and Saturday. Additional details on why he is coming will be released later pic.twitter.com/sTPvyvMzCv — Adrian Thomas (@adrianbthomas) October 7, 2022

This is not Biden’s first visit to Oregon. He traveled to Portland in April to discuss his $1 trillion infrastructure bill which passed in the fall of 2021.

RELATED: President Biden arrives at Portland International Airport to discuss infrastructure package

It’s not known at this time why he’s traveling to the West Coast next week. The White House said more details will be released soon.

Copyright 2022 KPTV-KPDX. All rights reserved.

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President Joe Biden Will Visit Portland Next Week

The president will tout the results of his mammoth infrastructure bill..

President Joe Biden will visit Portland on April 21, the White House said today.

Biden campaigned here while running for president but hasn’t visited since winning election. In a statement, the White House said Biden would talk about the benefits of the $1 trillion infrastructure bill he signed into law last year.

Few details about the visit, such as where Biden will be and who will be allowed to attend, have been released.

Biden will travel to Seattle after his Portland stop, celebrating Earth Day there on April 22.

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TriMet starts to close routes for President Biden’s Portland visit

• Updated: Oct. 14, 2022, 12:50 p.m.
• | Published: Oct. 14, 2022, 12:49 p.m.
• The Oregonian/OregonLive

TriMet has issued the following service alerts as the city prepares for President Joe Biden’s visit Friday and Saturday to Portland.

Go to trimet.org/alerts for updates.

-- Beginning 12 p.m. Friday through 6 p.m. Saturday, no service southbound from SW 5th & Washington to SW 5th & Columbia due to security for the presidential visit. And no service northbound from SW 6th & Jefferson to SW 6th & Harvey Milk.

-- Beginning 12 p.m. Friday through 6 p.m. Saturday, no service Line 4 southbound at SW 6th & Washington and at SW 5th & Salmon due to security for the presidential visit. Southbound buses will serve Portland Streetcar stops on 11th Ave at Alder, Taylor and Jefferson. No service northbound at SW 6th & Salmon and at SW 6th & Washington. Northbound buses will serve Portland Streetcar stops on 10th Ave at Jefferson, Yamhill and Alder.

Green Line:

-- MAX Green Line service disrupted between Portland City Center/PSU and Rose Quarter TC through as late as 6 p.m. Saturday, due to security for the presidential visit. Use Line 8 bus for service between PSU/Orange Line and Rose Quarter or use MAX Blue/Red shuttle bus for trips between Pioneer Square area and Rose Quarter. For trips to Portland City Center/PSU, board Line 8 to Marquam Hill at Rose Quarter. For trips to Clackamas Town Center, board Line 8 to NE M L King Jr Blvd at SW 6th and Mill and transfer to MAX Green Line trains at Rose Quarter. For trips through Downtown, consider regular bus service. Expect delays.

-- The Oregonian/OregonLive

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President Biden arrives in Portland to campaign for Democrats in tight governor's race

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PORTLAND, Ore. — It's unusual for the president to visit Oregon. It's not typically a battle ground state, and it's 2,800 miles away from Washington, D.C. 

Oregon has had only had a handful of presidential visits over the years--President Obama visited only five times during eight years in office, President Trump never bothered. But 2022 has now clocked two visits from President Biden .

The president arrived at Portland International Airport just after 6 p.m. Friday, descending the steps of Air Force One with a white bag in his hand. Inside was a cupcake for Representative Suzanne Bonamici, for her birthday. 

It's the president's second visit to Portland in six months . With only a little over three weeks before Election Day,  Biden is trying to drum up Democratic support for Tina Kotek's campaign for governor , as she faces the toughest struggle Democrats have seen in reliably-blue Oregon in decades.

The sky above Portland International Airport glowed pink as the sun set amid some of the worst air quality in the nation from nearby wildfires. Elsewhere in the city, Portland Police were responding to two shootings—one of them a person killed near Holladay Park in Northeast Portland, the other a police shooting in downtown Portland at Southwest 12th Avenue and Jefferson Street.

A smaller group greeted the president than the Democratic fanfare that met him during his trip in April. Governor Kate Brown was on a trip to Asia. Only Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley and Birthday Girl Representative Suzanne Bonamici greeted the president at the airport, along with commanders from Oregon's Air National Guard.

Merkley and Bonamici got to ride in style with Biden in "The Beast," the president's official car, a veritable fortress of a Cadillac limousine. The motorcade cruised down a closed I-205 to Southeast Powell Boulevard, and arrived just after 7 p.m. to the SEIU Local 49, where volunteers were phone-banking for Tina Kotek. He arrived carrying a box from Sesame Donuts.

PHOTOS: Biden's visit in Portland

RELATED: What does President Biden's visit say about Tina Kotek's campaign for governor?

"This is the most important off-year election since Roosevelt," Biden told the crowd. "What happens in the next 4-6 years is going to determine what happens for the next three or four generations. Not just America, but across the world."

Hand-in-hand with Kotek, Biden rallied volunteers to continue the push for votes, saying, "What a governor does matters. It matters. It matters, it matters, it matters!"

The governor's race has drawn national attention — Kotek and Republican Christine Drazan are nearly neck-and-neck in the polls, with unaffiliated candidate Betsy Johnson the wild card. Democrats are mustering all the support they can get for Kotek in the home stretch, and Biden is scheduled to appear at another event on Saturday afternoon.

Before that, Biden is scheduled to deliver a speech at the East Portland Community Center on lowering costs for American families. He reminded supporters at the phone-banking event Friday night of the work his administration has done toward that end—attempts to lower prescription drug prices and cap insulin prices.

RELATED: President Biden in Portland: His plans and the traffic impacts expected this weekend

"So much is at stake if we are able to keep the House and keep the Senate," he said. "We can continue to do the things that we've been doing, which are really going to change the country."

Kotek's opponents didn't let Biden's visit go by without getting a word in. On Twitter, Christine Drazan wrote, "Oregonians are tired of status quo politicians like Tina Kotek and Kate Brown, who have made life worse for families across this state. Bringing in a failing president isn’t going to save a failing candidate."

Oregonians are tired of status quo politicians like Tina Kotek and Kate Brown, who have made life worse for families across this state. Bringing in a failing president isn’t going to save a failing candidate. Our new direction begins on Nov 8. https://t.co/n6TNxr2e3k #orpol — Christine Drazan (@ChristineDrazan) October 14, 2022

Betsy Johnson posted a video, thanking Biden for his visit because, she said, "Every time you do, Tina's tent cities get cleaned up a little bit more." She also urged Biden to talk with Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt about prosecuting people who are breaking the law. 

President Biden, welcome to Oregon. #orpol pic.twitter.com/L1KyR2GVe5 — Betsy Johnson (@senbetsyjohnson) October 14, 2022

Biden will spend the night at a hotel in downtown Portland. The event at the East Portland Community Center is set for noon on Saturday, followed by a reception for Kotek at 1:45. The president is scheduled to leave Portland at 2:50 p.m. to return to Delaware.

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