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PRESIDENT-ELECTED JOE BIDEN will present a $ 1.9 trillion plan for the coronavirus in a bid to turn the tide of the pandemic.
He wants to accelerate the launch of the vaccine and provide more financial assistance to individuals, state and local governments, and businesses struggling with the prolonged economic fallout.
Called the American Rescue Plan, the legislative proposal would meet Biden’s goal of administering 100 million vaccines by the 100th day of his administration, while advancing his goal of reopening most schools by spring.
In a parallel track, it would deliver another round of aid to stabilize the economy as the public health effort seeks the upper hand over the pandemic, aides who outlined the plan said before a speech from Biden Thursday night.
It includes checks for $ 1,400 for most Americans, which in addition to the $ 600 provided in the most recent Covid-19 bill, would bring the total to the $ 2,000 requested by Biden.
President-elect Joe Biden has pledged to invest billions in launching vaccines
The plan would also extend a temporary increase in unemployment benefits and a moratorium on evictions and foreclosures until September.
And it fits the long-term Democratic policy goal of raising the minimum wage to $ 15 an hour and extending paid holidays for workers throughout the economy.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York has said that Biden’s proposal will be his first order of business this year.
The emergency legislation would be paid for with borrowed money, adding trillions of debt the government has already incurred to deal with the pandemic.
Attendees said Biden will argue that the additional spending and borrowing are necessary to prevent the economy from sliding into an even deeper hole.
Interest rates are low, which makes debt more manageable.
Biden has long argued that economic recovery is inextricably linked to controlling the coronavirus. “Our work begins with controlling Covid,” he declared in his victory speech. “We cannot repair the economy, restore our vitality, or enjoy life’s most precious moments.”
The plan comes as a divided nation finds itself in the grip of the most dangerous wave of the pandemic yet.
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So far, more than 385,000 people have died from Covid-19 in the United States. And government figures on Thursday reported a rise in weekly jobless claims to 965,000, a sign that rising infections are forcing companies to cut and lay off workers.
Under Biden’s multi-pronged strategy, about $ 400 billion would go directly to fighting the pandemic, while the rest will focus on economic relief and aid to states and localities.
About $ 20 billion would be allocated for a more disciplined approach to vaccination, in addition to the $ 8 billion already approved by Congress. Biden has called for the creation of mass vaccination centers and the dispatch of mobile units to areas with difficult access.
The plan provides $ 50 billion to expand testing, which is seen as key to reopening most schools by the end of the first 100 days of the new administration. About $ 130 billion would be allocated to help schools reopen without risking further contagion.
The plan would fund the hiring of 100,000 public health workers, to focus on encouraging people to get vaccinated and tracing the contacts of people infected with the coronavirus.
There is also a proposal to boost investment in genetic sequencing, to help track new virus strains, including the most contagious variants identified in the UK and South Africa.
Throughout the plan, there is a focus on ensuring that minority communities that have endured the brunt of the pandemic are not disappointed in vaccines and treatments, attendees said.
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