Joe: Feds will take reins and crush the pandemic
At least 100 million coronavirus vaccine doses will be administered in the U.S. in the first 100 days of Joe Biden’s presidency, he pledged Friday as he laid out an inoculation plan that centers on federal government intervention instead of Trump-style private-sector subcontracting.
Speaking at his transition team headquarters in Delaware, Biden said his plan will involve ordering the Federal Emergency Management Agency on his first day in office to set up vaccination centers across the country, using spaces like school gyms and sports stadiums, with the goal of having 100 such facilities operating within 100 days.
In addition, FEMA will be tasked with deploying mobile vaccination clinics that can reach rural communities where access to shots may otherwise be sparse.
National Guard platoons will be activated to help with administering shots under the plan, and Biden said he’ll invoke the Defense Production Act — a Cold War-era law that President Trump has been reluctant to use — to ramp up manufacturing of doses and materials needed to supply them, like tubes, syringes and personal protective equipment.
“This will be one of the most challenging operational efforts ever undertaken by our country. You have my word that we will manage the hell out of this operation,” said Biden, who will be inaugurated as the nation’s 46th president on Wednesday.
However, Biden noted that his administration will need a significant injection of cash to carry out the herculean plan. The necessary funding, he said, is earmarked in the $1.9 trillion coronavirus rescue package that he unveiled Thursday.
“As I said last night, we need funding from Congress to make this happen, and I’m optimistic,” he said. “I’m convinced the American people are ready to spare no effort and no expense to get this done.”
Unlike Biden, Trump’s administration sparingly invoked the Defense Production Act, arguing it was better to let private companies compete for manufacturing contracts.
The Trump administration also relied heavily on companies like Walgreens and CVS to administer shots in nursing homes — which has contributed to the slow pace of vaccinations in the U.S., according to reports.
“The vaccine rollout in the United States has been a dismal failure,” Biden said.
Less than 15 million shots have been injected in the U.S. since the vaccination campaign began in mid-December, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Biden said his plan also envisions using pharmacies, but noted that FEMA and the National Guard will serve as critical support systems.
Another aspect of Biden’s plan that has gone largely unaddressed during Trump’s tenure is the disproportionate burden the pandemic has put on African American and Latino communities.
“This is unacceptable and unconscionable. Equity is central to our COVID response,” he said, adding that his stimulus blueprint includes extra funding for expanding access to vaccines in those communities.
As he has for months, Biden stressed it’s integral for Americans to continue to abide by coronavirus restrictions, including wearing face masks.
He lamented that masks have become “a partisan issue,” calling it a “stupid, stupid thing,” and expressed disbelief at some Republican lawmakers refusing to wear them.