Biden addresses COVID bill, safety
Yolo congressman calls legislation an ' important first step'
WILMINGTON, DEL. » Presidentelect Joe Biden has expressed empathy with struggling families and applauded Congress for passing the coronavirus relief bill as the nation deals with a COVID- 19 surge that’s casting a shadow over the Christmas holiday.
He called out to frontline workers, scientists, researchers, clinical trial participants and those with deployed family members during the holiday season.
“Our hearts are always with you — keep the faith,” he said in a year- end address from Wilmington, Delaware.
Noting the ways that the pandemic has altered his own holiday celebrations, which typically include up to two dozen relatives, Biden said, “not this year.”
“This season of reflection carries a much deeper meaning than it usually does,” Biden said, encouraging Americans to continue to take precautions to try to stem the spread of the virus, which has now killed more than 320,000 people in the United States. “Jill and I send our prayers, as I’m sure all of you do, to all that are facing this dark winter.”
On the $ 900 billion coronavirus aid bill passed by Congress on Monday, Biden called the bill a “down payment” on a broader relief bill he plans to introduce when he takes office in January.
“Like all compromises, this is far from perfect,” Biden said. “Congress did their job this week, and I can and I must ask them to do it again next year.”
Yolo County Congressman John Garamendi said he voted for the bill because it will “help save the lives and livelihoods of the American people.”
“I’m pleased that this much- needed relief will finally come to American families,” Garamendi
said. “The House offered a strong pathway for additional COVID relief back in May when it passed the Heroes Act. I am relieved that the Senate has finally come to the negotiating table and agreed to a compromise that will advance bipartisan legislation to address every aspect of the COVID- 19 pandemic.
“This bill will accelerate the distribution of the COVID- 19 vaccine and includes funding to help stop the rapid spread of the virus,” Garamendi added. “The House also secured another round of $ 600 direct payments to individuals and successfully fought to extend Unemployment Insurance payments for millions of Americans with an additional $ 300 per week for unemployed Americans. There’s also $ 82 billion in funding to support our education system to help schools mitigate the transmission of the virus so we can safely reopen our classrooms. The critical PPP forgivable loan program that has helped small businesses weather this storm also receives an additional $ 284 billion in funding under this legislation.”
“This emergency relief is an important step forward. However, it must serve as an initial building block that we will expand upon to provide additional COVID- 19 relief under the Biden- Harris Administration. I will continue to work in a bipartisan manner to address the needs of our community while we continue to fight this virus,” Garamendi concluded.
On Tuesday, Biden’s team also announced a new round of White House staff appointments, led by longtime aide Bruce Reed as deputy chief of staff. Reed served as Biden’s chief of staff during his first term as vice president and has long been a close member of Biden’s inner circle of advisers.
But throughout the weeks of speculation over Biden’s Cabinet selections, progressives have expressed concerns about what they see as Reed’s moderate political views and fiscal conservatism.
Progressives notched a win in the latest round of staff announcements, however, with the appointment of Gautam Raghavan as deputy director of the office of presidential personnel. Raghavan served as chief of staff to Rep. Pramila Jayapal, who chairs the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and in his new position he’ll help evaluate applicants for thousands of federal jobs and appointments throughout the administration.
Biden has also appointed Anne Filipic as director of management and administration, Ryan Montoya as director of scheduling and advance, Vinay Reddy as director of speechwriting and Elizabeth Wilkins as a senior adviser to the chief of staff. All are alumni of the Obama- Biden administration, and Montoya and Reddy worked on Biden’s campaign as well.