WEBVTT 00:00.009 --> 00:02.120 All right , good morning , ladies and 00:02.120 --> 00:04.231 gentlemen , and welcome to the launch 00:04.231 --> 00:06.287 of Build Freedom . We're so happy to 00:06.287 --> 00:08.287 have each and every one of you here 00:08.287 --> 00:10.342 today . I want to specifically thank 00:10.342 --> 00:12.009 our partners from across many 00:12.009 --> 00:13.842 government agencies , industry , 00:13.842 --> 00:16.950 education , labor , workforce , and 00:16.950 --> 00:18.950 across the board , and anywhere and 00:18.950 --> 00:21.006 everywhere in between for joining us 00:21.006 --> 00:22.783 and making this a priority . We 00:22.783 --> 00:25.629 appreciate you here today . Your 00:25.629 --> 00:27.851 presence here reflects an understanding 00:27.851 --> 00:29.629 of just how important America's 00:29.629 --> 00:31.510 military advantage is , and how 00:31.510 --> 00:34.020 important not only the platforms that 00:34.020 --> 00:36.229 we use , but the people that operate 00:36.229 --> 00:39.439 them are . We're living in an era of 00:39.439 --> 00:41.599 strategic competition unlike anything 00:41.599 --> 00:44.000 we've seen in decades . Our ability to 00:44.000 --> 00:46.056 deter conflict , sustain readiness , 00:46.056 --> 00:48.680 and prevail , prevail overall depends 00:48.680 --> 00:50.958 on resilience from the industrial base . 00:52.860 --> 00:55.590 And like many of you understand that 00:55.590 --> 00:58.369 base is powered by American workers . 00:59.560 --> 01:01.782 Every ship that sails , every submarine 01:01.782 --> 01:03.727 that patrols , every aircraft that 01:03.727 --> 01:05.727 takes the skies , every microchip , 01:05.800 --> 01:07.860 munition , and critical technology . 01:08.569 --> 01:10.569 that our warfighters rely on begins 01:10.569 --> 01:12.860 with a skilled workforce . Today , we 01:12.860 --> 01:15.050 face a significant challenge , making 01:15.050 --> 01:17.272 sure our workforce is able to meet that 01:17.272 --> 01:19.439 demand . Across the defense industrial 01:19.439 --> 01:21.606 base , employers , like many of you in 01:21.606 --> 01:23.661 here and the conversations we've had 01:23.661 --> 01:25.328 over the past several years , 01:25.328 --> 01:27.494 understand that that demand is growing 01:27.500 --> 01:31.230 and growing every day . But that's why 01:31.230 --> 01:33.589 Build Freedom matters . That's why this 01:33.589 --> 01:36.510 initiative is so much more than a 01:36.510 --> 01:40.199 website or jobs . It's a movement . 01:40.720 --> 01:42.664 It's a movement that's listened to 01:42.664 --> 01:44.887 everyone who's mentioned and has spoken 01:44.887 --> 01:46.776 over the past several decades how 01:46.776 --> 01:46.620 important the industrial base is . 01:47.610 --> 01:49.554 Build Freedom serves as a national 01:49.554 --> 01:51.777 platform to elevate these opportunities 01:51.777 --> 01:53.832 to amplify success stories and bring 01:53.832 --> 01:56.110 together partners for a shared mission . 01:57.089 --> 01:59.930 Build Freedom US is an IBAS funded 01:59.930 --> 02:01.486 workforce initiative that's 02:01.486 --> 02:03.430 specifically designed to inspire , 02:03.430 --> 02:05.597 connect , and grow the talent pipeline 02:05.860 --> 02:07.638 needed for the American defense 02:07.638 --> 02:10.559 industrial base . Through IBAS and the 02:10.559 --> 02:12.781 Department of War , we've invested more 02:12.781 --> 02:14.337 than half a billion dollars 02:14.337 --> 02:16.503 specifically in workforce programs and 02:16.503 --> 02:18.559 initiatives specifically designed to 02:18.559 --> 02:20.670 close these gaps . Build Freedom will 02:20.670 --> 02:22.837 continue to grow and continue to close 02:22.837 --> 02:25.039 those gaps . And gentlemen , can I 02:25.039 --> 02:29.000 please have our video ? I wanna show 02:29.000 --> 02:31.229 you something . I don't wanna overstate 02:31.229 --> 02:34.759 it , but it's kind of a big deal . Yeah , 02:35.559 --> 02:39.000 It's Buildfreedom.us , but you could 02:39.000 --> 02:42.119 just as easily call it Buildfreedom.us 02:42.479 --> 02:44.646 because this website is for everyone . 02:44.880 --> 02:46.991 When you visit , you'll find hundreds 02:46.991 --> 02:49.320 of thousands of essential jobs waiting 02:49.320 --> 02:51.399 to be filled . I'm talking about AI 02:51.399 --> 02:53.600 proof six-figure jobs , building the 02:53.600 --> 02:56.119 next generation of critical tools and 02:56.119 --> 02:58.240 essential infrastructure that every 02:58.240 --> 03:00.407 American relies on . These jobs are in 03:00.407 --> 03:02.407 demand like never before . And they 03:02.407 --> 03:04.462 don't require a college degree , but 03:04.462 --> 03:06.684 they do require training and work ethic 03:06.684 --> 03:08.851 and the desire to build something that 03:08.851 --> 03:10.962 truly matters . My foundation has the 03:10.962 --> 03:13.129 money to help you get the training you 03:13.129 --> 03:15.589 need . It's all waiting at that website , 03:15.770 --> 03:17.881 along with the genuine opportunity to 03:17.881 --> 03:20.048 build a secure future for you and your 03:20.048 --> 03:22.960 family . Buildfreedom.us . It's not 03:22.960 --> 03:25.240 about you . It's not about me , it's 03:25.240 --> 03:25.889 about us . 03:29.570 --> 03:31.681 These fireworks are brought to you by 03:31.681 --> 03:33.792 the hardworking men and women who are 03:33.792 --> 03:35.792 building freedom every single day . 03:35.899 --> 03:37.399 Happy birthday , America . 03:40.229 --> 03:41.229 Build freedom . 03:49.139 --> 03:51.306 Mr . Rowe talks about a very important 03:51.306 --> 03:53.306 line anytime he's talked about this 03:53.306 --> 03:55.979 program . You know , US to many of us 03:55.979 --> 03:57.590 symbolizes the work that our 03:57.590 --> 03:59.812 warfighters do across the country , but 03:59.812 --> 04:01.812 what we are is we're America's home 04:01.812 --> 04:03.646 team back here with the American 04:03.646 --> 04:05.868 industrial base . Most importantly is , 04:05.868 --> 04:08.146 it's not about you , it's not about me , 04:08.146 --> 04:09.923 it's about us . And someone who 04:10.419 --> 04:12.530 absolutely understands that challenge 04:12.530 --> 04:14.808 more than most and has been a champion . 04:14.899 --> 04:18.339 Fighting for the industrial base is our 04:18.339 --> 04:20.228 Assistant Secretary of War , Mr . 04:20.228 --> 04:22.450 Michael Kadinasi , who I would love for 04:22.450 --> 04:24.506 you to join me to welcome him to the 04:24.506 --> 04:24.399 stage now . 04:32.859 --> 04:35.329 Wow this is amazing . What a start to 04:35.329 --> 04:37.551 the day into July and I'm honored to be 04:37.551 --> 04:39.662 here with so many incredible industry 04:39.662 --> 04:41.829 leaders workforce leaders , government 04:41.829 --> 04:43.996 officials , partners and friends , and 04:43.996 --> 04:46.273 I'd like to special thank you too . Uh , 04:46.273 --> 04:48.329 Undersecretary Mike Duffy for taking 04:48.329 --> 04:47.929 the time to participate in his 04:47.929 --> 04:50.040 sponsorship of me in this program and 04:50.040 --> 04:52.151 this team and what we're building and 04:52.151 --> 04:54.207 Mr . Mike Rowe for his partnership . 04:54.207 --> 04:56.540 You're a little difficult to track down , 04:56.540 --> 04:56.100 but once I did , it's been a , it's 04:56.100 --> 04:58.433 been a great discussion since then . Um , 04:58.500 --> 05:00.500 it's outstanding to be here and I'm 05:00.500 --> 05:02.611 excited to be a part of this . I also 05:02.611 --> 05:04.333 got told today that , uh , the 05:04.333 --> 05:04.329 presidential prayer team has me on 05:04.329 --> 05:06.440 their list for the day . So like this 05:06.440 --> 05:08.662 is , we are winning July , um , so this 05:08.662 --> 05:09.662 is a good thing . 05:12.730 --> 05:14.397 Uh , we've been talking about 05:14.397 --> 05:16.452 demographic crisis in skilled trades 05:16.452 --> 05:18.674 for a long time that's been exacerbated 05:18.674 --> 05:20.452 by events , changes in economic 05:20.452 --> 05:22.508 behavior , the COVID crisis , things 05:22.508 --> 05:24.730 and incentives in the society that have 05:24.730 --> 05:26.952 changed and moved , uh , generations of 05:26.952 --> 05:29.174 workers away from , uh , the embrace of 05:29.174 --> 05:30.952 the skilled trades , and that's 05:30.952 --> 05:30.480 something we're here to go ahead not 05:30.480 --> 05:32.313 only to talk about , but I think 05:32.313 --> 05:34.536 there's a lot of talk about it . People 05:34.536 --> 05:36.702 know about this crisis . We're here to 05:36.702 --> 05:36.369 do something about it . And under the 05:36.369 --> 05:38.258 leadership of Secretary Hegseth , 05:38.258 --> 05:40.258 Deputy Feinberg , Honorable Duffy , 05:40.290 --> 05:42.457 we're taking . Action in that regard , 05:42.457 --> 05:44.679 the secretary talked often about , um , 05:44.679 --> 05:46.679 the working from the factory to the 05:46.679 --> 05:48.901 foxhole . In my own talks I've tried to 05:48.901 --> 05:50.790 talk about the wizards behind the 05:50.790 --> 05:52.512 warriors , that is the skilled 05:52.512 --> 05:52.460 tradespeople , the scientists and 05:52.460 --> 05:54.460 engineers that make all this work . 05:54.460 --> 05:56.682 Today we're gonna focus on the critical 05:56.682 --> 05:59.016 need for additional skilled trades . Um , 05:59.016 --> 06:00.960 I was at this idea of trying to go 06:00.960 --> 06:03.127 ahead and take the amazing work of the 06:03.127 --> 06:04.793 industrial based analysis and 06:04.793 --> 06:06.849 sustainment program and unifying and 06:06.849 --> 06:09.127 leveling it up 40+ programs , hundreds . 06:09.127 --> 06:11.349 Millions a year and spend and taking it 06:11.349 --> 06:13.460 to the next level that is to go ahead 06:13.460 --> 06:15.349 and provide a framework for us to 06:15.349 --> 06:17.404 expand that to invest further and to 06:17.404 --> 06:19.404 accelerate and scale and we've done 06:19.404 --> 06:21.571 that with sponsorship and funding from 06:21.571 --> 06:23.571 uh the Congress which brings a very 06:23.571 --> 06:25.793 bipartisan approach to this and I thank 06:25.793 --> 06:25.471 them for the resources and the support 06:25.471 --> 06:27.638 to move ahead . We're launching , uh , 06:27.638 --> 06:29.860 Build Freedom , which is already scaled 06:29.860 --> 06:32.027 to 70+ programs , hundreds of millions 06:32.027 --> 06:34.082 of dollars of additional spend , and 06:34.082 --> 06:35.915 incredible visibility across the 06:35.915 --> 06:37.971 country , um , these projects . That 06:37.971 --> 06:40.193 we're uniting and that we're supporting 06:40.193 --> 06:40.162 with Build Freedom do the heavy lifting 06:40.162 --> 06:42.329 from Honolulu Common Community College 06:42.403 --> 06:44.553 to , uh , Danville , Virginia , from 06:44.553 --> 06:46.275 the Gulf Coast of Michigan and 06:46.275 --> 06:48.442 everywhere in between with more things 06:48.442 --> 06:50.331 happening every single week , the 06:50.331 --> 06:52.386 team's got an amazing set of ideas , 06:52.386 --> 06:54.609 and I think it's been incredible to see 06:54.609 --> 06:56.720 the the support for communities to go 06:56.720 --> 06:58.942 ahead and bring these ideas forward and 06:58.942 --> 07:01.109 turn them into action . Um , the , the 07:01.109 --> 07:00.882 purpose of today's launch , Alicia 07:00.882 --> 07:03.049 covered it really well , and I have to 07:03.049 --> 07:05.160 go ahead and make a specific point of 07:05.160 --> 07:07.160 thanking Alicia . And Matt , John , 07:07.160 --> 07:09.215 Jeff , the entire Build Freedom team 07:09.215 --> 07:11.382 for what they've done in an incredibly 07:11.382 --> 07:13.493 short period of time . I've been here 07:13.493 --> 07:15.493 for 8 or 9 months . Uh , we started 07:15.493 --> 07:14.933 talking about this the very first 07:14.933 --> 07:16.933 couple weeks on board , and they've 07:16.933 --> 07:18.877 made this vision happen incredibly 07:18.877 --> 07:21.044 quickly . So thank you to you for your 07:21.044 --> 07:23.155 leadership , Chris , Rick , um , your 07:23.155 --> 07:25.322 leadership and support for this . This 07:25.322 --> 07:27.377 does not happen without them dogging 07:27.377 --> 07:27.014 this every day , and I apologize for 07:27.014 --> 07:29.181 harassing you constantly for details . 07:29.181 --> 07:31.292 Um , so we're gonna go ahead and take 07:31.292 --> 07:33.347 this , um , forward here . We're not 07:33.347 --> 07:35.570 just building careers for today as Mike 07:35.570 --> 07:37.681 laid out in the video . We're talking 07:37.681 --> 07:39.903 about building careers for the future , 07:39.903 --> 07:41.792 AI approved six-figure jobs , the 07:41.792 --> 07:41.765 ability to work across the country , 07:41.904 --> 07:43.904 and to really meet a demand for the 07:43.904 --> 07:45.626 future that is at the heart of 07:45.626 --> 07:47.571 everything we're trying to do with 07:47.571 --> 07:49.515 re-industrializing the country and 07:49.515 --> 07:51.515 scaling the industrial base for the 07:51.515 --> 07:53.737 future . Um , it takes a profound level 07:53.737 --> 07:53.345 of leadership and commitment to go 07:53.345 --> 07:55.401 ahead and drive that and someone who 07:55.401 --> 07:57.567 has that in deep , um , and holds this 07:57.567 --> 07:59.789 these requirements in deep regard is my 07:59.789 --> 08:01.678 boss , the Honorable Mike Duffy . 08:01.678 --> 08:02.678 Please . 08:08.010 --> 08:10.232 Well , good morning . Thank you all for 08:10.232 --> 08:12.399 being here today . Welcome to the Hall 08:12.399 --> 08:14.343 of Heroes here in the Pentagon . I 08:14.343 --> 08:16.566 can't think of a better location for us 08:16.566 --> 08:18.899 to celebrate this great initiative , uh , 08:18.899 --> 08:21.010 surrounded by , uh , the names of men 08:21.010 --> 08:23.250 and women who've made . Great personal 08:23.250 --> 08:25.194 sacrifice , sometimes the ultimate 08:25.194 --> 08:27.589 sacrifice in the defense of our country 08:27.589 --> 08:29.645 and the freedoms that we hold dear . 08:30.730 --> 08:33.469 Take for example , Major James Howard . 08:34.669 --> 08:36.891 Congressional Medal of Honor winner , a 08:36.891 --> 08:38.947 P-51 Mustang pilot from the Army Air 08:38.947 --> 08:41.919 Corps back in World War II . January 11 , 08:42.070 --> 08:46.020 1944 He was escorting bombers back 08:46.020 --> 08:49.719 from a German raid . When 30 German 08:49.719 --> 08:53.340 fighters ambushed the bomber 08:53.340 --> 08:56.320 fleet and , uh , separated from his 08:56.320 --> 08:58.919 squadron , spent 30 minutes as a 08:58.919 --> 09:01.799 one-man air force taking down 2 dozen 09:01.799 --> 09:05.369 German fighters . The bomber pilots 09:05.369 --> 09:07.969 after the , uh , uh , after they 09:07.969 --> 09:09.969 returned home safely , put in their 09:09.969 --> 09:12.025 mission report . It was the greatest 09:12.025 --> 09:12.010 demonstration of sheer guts they'd ever 09:12.010 --> 09:14.780 seen . And so we rightly recognize 09:14.780 --> 09:17.020 these heroes in this room , uh , but 09:17.020 --> 09:19.187 there's an unsung hero in that story . 09:19.539 --> 09:23.099 The P-51 Mustang was an aircraft that 09:23.099 --> 09:25.820 was built from contract to prototype in 09:25.820 --> 09:29.500 117 days . Taking , taking a British 09:29.500 --> 09:31.611 engine and an American aircraft , the 09:31.611 --> 09:33.722 North American Aviation Company and , 09:33.722 --> 09:35.722 and Rolls-Royce , and they , they , 09:35.820 --> 09:38.042 they reduced the time to produce that , 09:38.059 --> 09:40.299 uh , aircraft from thousands of hours 09:40.299 --> 09:42.299 to a fraction of that so they could 09:42.299 --> 09:44.466 produce 15,000 aircraft in the span of 09:44.466 --> 09:46.549 the war and ensure that we had the 09:46.690 --> 09:48.912 arsenal that we needed , the arsenal of 09:48.912 --> 09:51.079 democracy that we needed to defeat the 09:51.079 --> 09:52.301 axis , uh , of evil . 09:55.590 --> 09:58.549 throughout our history , the industrial 09:58.549 --> 10:01.030 strength of the uh of of the United 10:01.030 --> 10:03.669 States has proven to be decisive in our . 10:04.419 --> 10:06.460 Uh , ability to maintain military 10:06.460 --> 10:08.919 advantage . Uh , whether it's the Ford 10:08.919 --> 10:11.400 Motor Company that , uh , was producing 10:11.400 --> 10:14.080 a bomber , a B-24 bomber every 63 10:14.080 --> 10:16.539 minutes from off a mile-long assembly 10:16.539 --> 10:18.960 line to the precision weapons of today , 10:19.900 --> 10:22.122 American industry and the workforce and 10:22.122 --> 10:24.929 the personnel . That go in every day 10:24.929 --> 10:27.489 and take their share of defending the 10:27.489 --> 10:30.400 nation uh is critical to our uh to the 10:30.400 --> 10:32.233 defense of our of our freedoms . 10:33.869 --> 10:35.980 President Trump and Secretary Hegseth 10:35.980 --> 10:38.091 recognize the need for us to not only 10:38.091 --> 10:40.091 maintain peace through strength but 10:40.091 --> 10:42.313 peace through industrial strength , and 10:42.313 --> 10:41.859 so they've charged us with the mission . 10:42.570 --> 10:45.169 Of reinvigorating the industrial base , 10:45.250 --> 10:48.369 rebuilding the military , and uh 10:48.369 --> 10:50.369 reindustrializing our manufacturing 10:50.369 --> 10:53.179 base . Mike Carnazzi's somebody who 10:53.179 --> 10:55.789 recognized it . When his first kid came 10:55.789 --> 10:57.900 on the job , Mike took the initiative 10:57.900 --> 11:00.549 to assemble his team and create not 11:00.549 --> 11:03.380 just another training program , but an 11:03.380 --> 11:06.349 initiative and build freedom that will 11:06.349 --> 11:09.690 inspire the next generation . To take 11:09.690 --> 11:13.570 that , uh , career path to build that 11:13.570 --> 11:15.969 skill set that's essential to ensuring 11:15.969 --> 11:18.489 that we maintain that decisive 11:18.489 --> 11:21.039 battlefield advantage and , and Mike 11:21.039 --> 11:23.609 Kanazzi had that vision to seek out 11:23.609 --> 11:25.720 Mike Rowe . I can't think of a better 11:25.720 --> 11:29.309 spokesman , a better . Cultural 11:29.309 --> 11:31.950 icon who can be here to deliver this 11:31.950 --> 11:34.117 message to be a spokesman for our need 11:34.710 --> 11:37.510 to inspire the next generation of men 11:37.510 --> 11:41.130 and women to uh . Take on the skills 11:41.130 --> 11:43.074 and the trades that's required the 11:43.074 --> 11:45.130 machinists , the welders , uh , that 11:45.130 --> 11:47.186 will form the next generation of our 11:47.186 --> 11:49.241 defense industrial base . So without 11:49.241 --> 11:51.241 further ado , Mike Rowe , thank you 11:51.241 --> 11:50.559 very much . 11:59.880 --> 12:02.510 Well , hell , this is a . This is the 12:02.510 --> 12:04.677 greatest day of my , uh , professional 12:04.677 --> 12:07.280 life . I'm humbled , which doesn't 12:07.280 --> 12:10.640 happen a lot , um , and grateful , 12:10.760 --> 12:13.400 which , which happens all the time on a 12:13.400 --> 12:15.719 macro level , um , everything you just 12:15.719 --> 12:18.309 said resonates so perfectly and so 12:18.309 --> 12:21.229 metaphorically that P-51 without the 12:21.229 --> 12:23.440 maintenance , without , without the 12:23.440 --> 12:25.607 concerted effort , without the will to 12:25.607 --> 12:27.718 build the thing and maintain it along 12:27.718 --> 12:29.919 the way , we don't have any heroes in 12:29.919 --> 12:32.252 this hall without the guys who did that , 12:32.390 --> 12:35.440 uh , so on a macro level , I am . Just 12:35.440 --> 12:37.551 blown away to be here in front of all 12:37.551 --> 12:39.640 you guys . Everything in my world is 12:39.640 --> 12:43.570 macro or micro , um , and so I'll talk 12:43.570 --> 12:45.820 to you briefly on a micro level about , 12:46.210 --> 12:48.321 about how this happened . My business 12:48.321 --> 12:50.377 partner Mary Sullivan is in the back 12:50.377 --> 12:52.488 there checking emails probably , uh , 12:52.488 --> 12:54.789 illegally . Mary , I , um . I only 12:54.789 --> 12:57.880 mention her because about a year ago 12:57.880 --> 13:01.520 before he was even uh appointed back 13:01.520 --> 13:04.960 when he was nominated uh Mike Kadnazzi 13:04.960 --> 13:07.016 reached out to my partner to say hey 13:07.016 --> 13:08.849 I've been following your work at 13:08.849 --> 13:10.904 Microworks and I think maybe there's 13:10.904 --> 13:12.904 something over at the Pentagon that 13:12.904 --> 13:15.127 might rhyme with your mission blah blah 13:15.127 --> 13:17.293 blah and Mary was like , yeah , yeah , 13:17.293 --> 13:19.127 yeah , boom and um that was that 13:19.127 --> 13:20.904 because it's a true story . She 13:20.904 --> 13:22.849 literally blew him off . I , I , I 13:22.849 --> 13:26.289 think twice . And then he actually rose 13:26.289 --> 13:29.789 to this , uh , to this level and he 13:29.789 --> 13:32.900 said maybe this guy's serious and , uh , 13:33.270 --> 13:35.492 and Mary and I had a good laugh when we 13:35.492 --> 13:37.548 finally came here to meet one of the 13:37.548 --> 13:39.450 most serious and good natured and 13:39.510 --> 13:41.288 committed patriots I've had the 13:41.288 --> 13:43.343 pleasure to shake hands with . Thank 13:43.343 --> 13:45.330 you for being persistent because , 13:46.070 --> 13:48.349 because Mary's skepticism was , was 13:48.349 --> 13:51.390 well rooted 15 years earlier when Jobs 13:51.390 --> 13:54.900 was at its zenith . And our country was 13:54.900 --> 13:58.640 slipping into a recession . The 13:58.640 --> 14:00.751 unemployment rate in this country was 14:00.751 --> 14:04.479 creeping up to around 12% . And uh back 14:04.479 --> 14:08.320 in those days , 2008 , 2009 . We were 14:08.320 --> 14:11.070 just discussing out in the lobby how 14:11.650 --> 14:14.549 the . The thing that dominated every 14:14.549 --> 14:16.580 headline were the number of men and 14:16.580 --> 14:18.469 women in this country who weren't 14:18.469 --> 14:21.390 working . Unemployment was the story of 14:21.390 --> 14:23.950 the day , but on jobs everywhere we 14:23.950 --> 14:27.510 went , we saw help wanted signs . It 14:27.510 --> 14:29.399 was one of the most extraordinary 14:29.399 --> 14:31.590 disconnects that I've ever seen . How 14:31.590 --> 14:33.368 could there be 2.5 million open 14:33.368 --> 14:35.830 positions in this country that didn't 14:35.830 --> 14:38.190 require a 4 year degree , but training 14:38.549 --> 14:40.716 where 12 million men and women weren't 14:40.716 --> 14:43.090 working . It seemed like somebody ought 14:43.090 --> 14:45.201 to be talking about the skills gap or 14:45.201 --> 14:47.619 maybe the will gap or if nothing else 14:47.619 --> 14:49.859 just the opportunities that existed in 14:49.859 --> 14:51.915 our economy that weren't getting any 14:51.915 --> 14:55.460 love so my foundation began as a PR 14:55.460 --> 14:57.619 campaign to reinvigorate the skilled 14:57.619 --> 14:59.940 trades by making a more persuasive case 14:59.940 --> 15:02.162 for a lot of those jobs and for the men 15:02.162 --> 15:04.162 and women who had been doing them . 15:04.830 --> 15:08.479 Anyhow , it was , it was fun . To 15:08.479 --> 15:11.039 talk at the grown up table about an 15:11.039 --> 15:13.840 issue that wasn't so firmly associated 15:13.840 --> 15:16.239 with jobs , right ? I mean , I promoted 15:16.239 --> 15:18.295 that show for many years through the 15:18.295 --> 15:20.039 lens of exploding toilets and 15:20.039 --> 15:22.679 misadventures and animal husbandry and 15:23.049 --> 15:25.049 all of those things I remember with 15:25.049 --> 15:27.299 great fondness , but , uh , the idea 15:27.880 --> 15:29.824 that we could talk about that show 15:30.270 --> 15:32.159 through the dignity of work , the 15:32.159 --> 15:34.659 nobility of the skilled trades . That 15:34.659 --> 15:36.826 was something the country was eager to 15:36.826 --> 15:38.770 hear , and I was delighted to keep 15:38.770 --> 15:41.700 mouthing off about it , in fact . I 15:41.700 --> 15:44.260 went to Congress 15 years ago and 15:44.260 --> 15:47.219 testified before some committee . It 15:47.219 --> 15:49.275 was , uh , Rockefeller , I believe , 15:49.275 --> 15:51.386 was chairing it , and I said , look , 15:51.386 --> 15:53.552 fellas , I'm not an expert and I don't 15:53.552 --> 15:55.608 have a crystal ball , but I'm pretty 15:55.608 --> 15:57.663 sure . If we don't close this skills 15:57.663 --> 15:59.830 gap , if we don't get in front of this 15:59.830 --> 16:02.052 now and make a more persuasive case for 16:02.052 --> 16:04.108 all these open jobs , if we don't do 16:04.108 --> 16:06.219 something to counteract the narrative 16:06.219 --> 16:08.419 that the best path for the most people 16:08.419 --> 16:10.363 is a 4 year degree and anybody who 16:10.363 --> 16:12.820 doesn't take that path is somehow gonna 16:12.820 --> 16:15.500 get a vocational consolation prize , if 16:15.500 --> 16:17.500 we don't challenge all of that in a 16:17.500 --> 16:19.556 meaningful way , the gap is going to 16:19.556 --> 16:21.900 continue to widen , Student debt is 16:21.900 --> 16:25.900 going to continue . To grow and we are 16:25.900 --> 16:27.789 going to wind up with a workforce 16:27.789 --> 16:31.619 that's dangerously out of balance . We 16:31.619 --> 16:33.952 also took shop class out of high school . 16:33.952 --> 16:36.119 Many of you are old enough to remember 16:36.119 --> 16:38.230 that , which I believe will be looked 16:38.230 --> 16:40.286 back upon as the greatest misstep in 16:40.286 --> 16:42.508 the history of modern education . A lot 16:42.508 --> 16:45.760 of things conspired to make the , uh , 16:45.789 --> 16:47.789 attempt to reinvigorate the skilled 16:47.789 --> 16:51.059 trades mission critical in my view . 16:51.260 --> 16:53.419 And today , of course , we have $1.7 16:53.419 --> 16:55.475 trillion in outstanding student debt 16:55.619 --> 16:59.020 and we have 7.1 million open jobs , 16:59.179 --> 17:02.719 many in the dip . And we have nearly 7 17:02.719 --> 17:04.886 million able-bodied men for reasons no 17:04.886 --> 17:07.439 one can quite explain who are not only 17:07.439 --> 17:09.606 not working but not looking for work , 17:09.606 --> 17:11.717 which has never happened in peacetime 17:11.717 --> 17:13.939 before , not in this country . So there 17:13.939 --> 17:15.995 are a lot of interesting things that 17:15.995 --> 17:18.050 have conspired to make an attempt to 17:18.050 --> 17:20.099 reinvigorate the trades , something 17:20.099 --> 17:22.910 that should be taken seriously , and 17:22.910 --> 17:25.077 when I left Congress 15 years ago , no 17:25.077 --> 17:27.188 one disagreed with me . Men and women 17:27.188 --> 17:29.299 on both sides of the aisle thanked me 17:29.299 --> 17:31.466 and assured me we'd look into it . And 17:31.466 --> 17:33.466 2 years later I hadn't really heard 17:33.466 --> 17:35.577 anything back so I went to the Senate 17:35.577 --> 17:37.410 and I testified there . I didn't 17:37.410 --> 17:39.632 exactly pitch Build Freedom , but I did 17:39.632 --> 17:43.390 pitch a targeted deliberate attempt to 17:43.390 --> 17:47.310 change the perception of the jobs in 17:47.310 --> 17:49.366 question , and they all agreed too , 17:49.366 --> 17:51.477 and people on both sides of the aisle 17:51.477 --> 17:53.588 called Mary , said , uh , we ought to 17:53.588 --> 17:55.699 do something . We said we're standing 17:55.699 --> 17:57.866 by and you know how it goes . 15 years 17:57.866 --> 18:00.160 later you called and . That's why we 18:00.160 --> 18:03.569 blew you off the first time . I , I , I 18:03.569 --> 18:06.400 didn't know . But you meant it . 18:07.619 --> 18:09.786 Honorable Duffy , you meant it , and , 18:09.786 --> 18:12.910 uh , your team is extraordinary , Mike . 18:13.020 --> 18:15.242 I feel like I can call you Mike because 18:15.242 --> 18:17.409 I interviewed you on my podcast , so , 18:17.409 --> 18:19.520 so you're Mike , um , but look , this 18:19.520 --> 18:21.660 is basically what I pitched a decade 18:21.660 --> 18:24.579 and a half ago and on a micro level to 18:24.579 --> 18:27.849 stand here in this hall and watch the 18:27.849 --> 18:31.680 circle square . Uh , it's 18:31.680 --> 18:33.680 difficult to know what to say other 18:33.680 --> 18:35.791 than thanks . Back to macro . It is a 18:35.791 --> 18:37.902 matter of national security . I can't 18:37.902 --> 18:41.250 overstate it . Not a day goes by where 18:41.250 --> 18:43.969 Mary doesn't get a call from some 18:43.969 --> 18:46.250 leader of some consequential industry 18:46.250 --> 18:50.130 in our country who is freaking out . 18:50.500 --> 18:52.810 They've done the math . They know that 18:52.810 --> 18:54.977 for every 5 tradespeople that retire , 18:54.977 --> 18:56.921 2 come in , it's been that way for 18:56.921 --> 18:59.349 nearly 12 years . The math is not on 18:59.349 --> 19:01.599 our side . The stigmas , stereotypes , 19:01.680 --> 19:03.959 myths and misperceptions that we deal 19:03.959 --> 19:05.920 with every day , those can be 19:05.920 --> 19:07.920 confronted . Those can be changed . 19:07.920 --> 19:10.400 This campaign is an attempt to do that . 19:10.760 --> 19:12.927 That was an introductory spot that you 19:12.927 --> 19:15.640 saw as time goes on , you'll see much 19:15.640 --> 19:17.959 more personal spots . You'll hear 19:17.959 --> 19:20.079 directly from men and women who have 19:20.079 --> 19:23.420 prospered in the db as a direct result 19:23.719 --> 19:25.941 of mastering a skill that's in demand . 19:25.979 --> 19:28.090 If I could go back in time , I'd find 19:28.090 --> 19:30.160 the people who worked on that P-51 , 19:30.550 --> 19:32.717 and I would interview them and I would 19:32.717 --> 19:34.979 ask them how they felt when they read 19:34.979 --> 19:37.739 the story of the man who displayed more 19:37.739 --> 19:40.250 guts . Than anybody had ever seen . 19:41.510 --> 19:43.510 We're gonna drag all that forward . 19:43.979 --> 19:46.201 make a persuasive case . We're going to 19:46.201 --> 19:48.368 make a patriotic case , but we're also 19:48.368 --> 19:50.479 going to make a personal case . We're 19:50.479 --> 19:52.530 going to show people that they can 19:53.150 --> 19:57.109 support a family and revel in 19:57.109 --> 20:00.989 the joy of meaningful work by building 20:00.989 --> 20:03.520 freedom . That's the micro and the 20:03.520 --> 20:07.040 macro of this campaign . Again , I'm , 20:07.319 --> 20:09.920 I'm humbled and grateful and a little 20:09.920 --> 20:12.510 weirded out to be here , but . But 20:12.510 --> 20:14.399 mostly I'm just so glad to have a 20:14.399 --> 20:16.343 chance to stand and , uh , and say 20:16.343 --> 20:18.454 thanks in front of you all and in and 20:18.454 --> 20:20.621 in front of the cameras . I will not , 20:20.621 --> 20:22.399 uh , I will not squander this . 20:33.680 --> 20:35.736 I had a Sergeant Major in the Marine 20:35.736 --> 20:37.880 Corps tell me a long time ago that a 20:37.880 --> 20:40.047 lot of people like to run their mouths 20:40.047 --> 20:42.047 and like to talk , but not a lot of 20:42.047 --> 20:44.269 people like to have action . I'm one of 20:44.269 --> 20:46.380 the very few people in this world , I 20:46.380 --> 20:45.790 think that can truly look at the 20:45.790 --> 20:47.790 leaders that are ahead of me and be 20:47.790 --> 20:50.170 thankful for their action . And today , 20:50.380 --> 20:53.550 we are putting true action forward . So 20:53.550 --> 20:55.772 without further ado , can I please have 20:55.772 --> 20:57.939 you gentlemen come step forward . uh , 20:57.939 --> 21:00.106 Doctor Schaff , can you step forward ? 21:00.106 --> 21:02.439 Um , we are going to be presenting , uh , 21:02.439 --> 21:05.109 the Micro Foundation with a check . Mr . 21:05.229 --> 21:09.229 Kadinazzi . On behalf of Build 21:09.229 --> 21:13.040 Freedom . This check is for the 21:13.040 --> 21:15.640 Micro Foundation for $10 million for us 21:15.640 --> 21:18.869 to truly put action forward . 21:19.650 --> 21:21.900 To sponsor scholarships for men and 21:21.900 --> 21:24.067 women in the defense industrial base . 21:32.209 --> 21:33.209 Not bad . 21:40.810 --> 21:43.143 Good Lord , should I say something else ? 21:43.143 --> 21:45.310 I , I feel like I should say something 21:45.310 --> 21:47.310 else . I don't know , but look , as 21:47.310 --> 21:49.643 long as we're standing here , it's , uh , 21:49.643 --> 21:51.810 every penny of this check goes to work 21:51.810 --> 21:53.921 ethics scholarships for men and women 21:53.921 --> 21:55.977 in the d . But since the cameras are 21:55.977 --> 21:58.143 pointed at us , I should also say that 21:58.143 --> 22:00.199 if we're smart , we'll use this as a 22:00.199 --> 22:02.366 catalyst , and we will spread the word 22:02.366 --> 22:04.532 and we're gonna disseminate this exact 22:04.532 --> 22:06.699 photo that's being taken right now and 22:06.699 --> 22:08.643 I'm gonna ask the leaders of every 22:08.643 --> 22:10.810 consequential company in our country . 22:10.939 --> 22:13.260 Maybe not to quite match it , but you 22:13.260 --> 22:15.859 get the idea . If we can get a 22:15.859 --> 22:18.081 significant amount of money standing by 22:18.081 --> 22:20.780 guaranteed to trade men and women in a 22:20.780 --> 22:24.329 trade . Then the rest I believe will 22:24.329 --> 22:26.910 fall into place . You started it . Mary , 22:26.969 --> 22:29.209 thanks for taking this call . Good move .