Joe sees light
TOUTS VAX SURGE, SIGNS STIM
Help is here.
President Biden signed one of the largest stimulus packages in American history into law on Thursday, pouring nearly $2 trillion into a wide-ranging effort to crush the coronavirus and revive the pandemic-ravaged U.S. economy.
In his first prime-time address as president after signing the bill, Biden touted the sweeping $1.9 trillion package as a historic juggernaut of immediate relief that includes direct stimulus checks, beefed-up unemployment benefits and various other forms of aid for businesses, states and COVID-19 vaccination efforts.
“There is hope and light and better days ahead,” Biden said in the East Room of the White House with the 50 state flags behind him as a backdrop. “This country will be vaccinated soon. Our economy will be on the mend. Our kids will be back in school, and we’ll have proven once again that this country can do anything — hard things, big things, important things.”
The so-called American Rescue Plan — which passed both chambers of Congress without any Republican support — marks the first major legislative victory for the president and gives his administration a major boost as it strives to end the pandemic that has killed more than 530,000 Americans.
The relief package’s most popular provision bankrolls $1,400 stimulus checks to individual taxpayers earning less than $75,000 per year, and $2,800 checks to married couples earning less than $150,000 jointly.
With the bill now signed, the Treasury Department is expected to quickly get to work on processing checks. Those who have direct deposits set up with the Internal Revenue Service could likely get their payments within days.
“People can expect to start seeing direct deposits hit their bank accounts as early as this weekend,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters.
But the package also extends far beyond checks.
It includes hundreds of billions of dollars for coronavirus vaccination and testing efforts, school reopenings, budgetary relief for struggling state and local governments, rental assistance, food programs and aid for small and big industries, from restaurants and music venues to airlines and transit agencies.
The legislation also extends a $300-per-week federal unemployment aid bonus through September, and makes the first $10,200 earned in jobless benefits tax-free, providing a critical lifeline for the millions of Americans who remain out of work because of the pandemic.
In his primetime speech, which coincided with the one-year anniversary of coronavirus-related shutdowns in the U.S., Biden said he plans to travel the country in coming weeks to showcase to the American public how his relief package “meets this moment.”
“History, I believe, will record we faced and overcame one of the toughest and darkest periods in this nation’s history. Darkest we’ve ever known,” he said.
Beyond immediate, pandemic-related aid, the bill contains some policy provisions that Democrats see as pilot programs for future legislation.
One component expands eligibility for health insurance under the Obama-era Affordable Care Act, and gives states incentive to cover more low-income adults through Medicaid.
Also tucked into the bill is a beefed-up tax credit that would make low-income parents eligible for $300 stimulus check-styled payments per child per month, starting in July through the rest of the year. Many Democrats have
President Biden directed states on Thursday night to make all adults eligible for coronavirus vaccinations by May, vowing that his administration is so far ahead of schedule on producing shots that Americans could return to something that resembles normal by Independence Day.
Biden set the monumental timeline as part of his first presidential primetime speech, which coincided with the one-year anniversary of coronavirus-related shutdowns in the U.S.
“All adult Americans will be eligible to get a vaccine no later than May 1,” Biden said at the White House. “That’s much earlier than expected.”
But the president cautioned that there’s still a long road ahead and a bevy of logistical challenges in getting shots into every American’s arm.
“Let me be clear: That doesn’t mean everyone’s going to have that shot immediately, but it means you’ll be able to get in line beginning May 1,” he said.
With the caveat that “conditions can change,” Biden said that in turn puts the country on track to get most adults, regardless of age, vaccinated by July 4, meaning some celebration could be in order for the quintessential American holiday.
“By July the Fourth, there’s a good chance, you, your family, and friends will be able to get together in your backyard or your neighborhood and have a cookout and a barbecue and celebrate Independence Day,” he said.
“That doesn’t mean large events with lots of people together, but it does mean small groups will be able to get together after this long hard year that will make this
Independence Day something truly special, where we not only mark our independence as a nation, but we begin to mark our independence from this virus.”
To get the job done, Biden said his administration will use cash provided by Congress in the newly adopted $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan to increase vaccine access by delivering shots directly to an additional 700 health centers serving underserved communities across the country.
The administration will also double the number of federally run vaccination sites, which includes thousands of participating pharmacies, to further expand access.
An additional 4,000 active-duty U.S. soldiers will be deployed nationwide to support the effort, bringing the total number of troops involved in the effort to 6,000.
“It’s truly a national effort. Just like we saw during World War II,” he said.
By May 1, the administration will also launch a website and a phone hotline to provide guidance on how to best find a vaccination site, Biden said.
A White House fact sheet says the administration will pay particular attention to helping teachers get vaccinated, as the government funnels billions of dollars into reopening schools.
Again crediting the relief package signed into law earlier Thursday, Biden said the administration will also put $1.7 billion to use in researching emerging mutations of COVID-19 to mitigate the spread of such variants.
He also pleaded with Americans to continue to adhere by face-mask and social-distancing guidelines.
“We can’t let our guard down,” Biden said. “This fight is far from over.”