WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden began Monday’s attempt by the White House to highlight the benefits of its massive COVID contingency plan, stating that “hope is here in real and tangible ways” as his administration began moving across the country fanning out to the new releases.
Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and their husbands embarked on an ambitious tour across the country this week to promote the $ 1.9 trillion plan as a way to fight the coronavirus and boost the economy. The roadshow – dubbed the “Help Is Here” tour by the White House – began Monday as Harris was on his way to a COVID-19 vaccination site and culinary academy in Las Vegas and First Lady Jill Biden at a New Jersey elementary school.
The president will hit the road later in the week – Pennsylvania on Tuesday, Georgia and Harris on Friday – but he stayed at the White House on Monday to declare the bill will help “throw guns into the fray and put money in the pockets. ”. This is important.”
Hours earlier, Air Force Two departed from Andrews Joint Base westward to Nevada, and Harris will also make a stop in Denver the next day to meet with small business owners. Wednesday sees Jill Biden in Concord, New Hampshire, and Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The stops at vaccination sites, businesses, schools, and more are designed to educate the public on various aspects of the giant US rescue plan and how the government says it will help people get on the other side of the coronavirus pandemic
Biden has said that President Barack Obama’s administration, in which Biden was vice president, did not adequately educate the public about the benefits of his economic recovery plan. The president wants to do a better sales order this time on the details of his first major legislative victory, and he started making high-profile speeches last week, one in prime time, the other from the Rose Garden.
Biden has chosen Gene Sperling, a longtime expert on democratic economic policy, to oversee the massive stimulus package, his own role in the 2009 economic bailout package, to lead the efforts “to be informed. stay of every dollar spent. “
“I learned from my experience implementing the Recovery Act the importance of having someone who can manage all moving parts efficiently, quickly, with integrity and responsibly,” said the president.
Biden said on Monday that his administration will release two key benchmarks within the next 10 days: dividing 100 million stimulus payments and administering 100 million doses of vaccine since he took office.
The main features of the plan are $ 1,400 instant payments for most individual taxpayers, or $ 2,800 for married couples filing jointly, plus $ 1,400 per dependent – for a total of $ 5,600 for a married couple with two children. Benefits are gradually being phased out for people with higher incomes.
An extension of federal unemployment benefits will continue through September 6 at $ 300 a week. There’s $ 350 billion for state, local, and tribal governments, $ 130 billion for elementary schools, and about $ 50 billion to expand COVID-19 testing, among other amenities.
Restaurants and bars that have been forced to close or restrict can benefit from a new multi-billion dollar grant program, and the plan also includes tens of billions of dollars to help those who have fallen behind paying rent and mortgage.
The bill passed Congress without any support from Republicans, despite polls that found widespread public support. Republicans argued the bill was too expensive and contained too many provisions not directly related to the virus.
The “Help is here” tour takes Harris on her first domestic journey as vice president. Her husband, the country’s first “ second lord, ” broke off Monday for separate events in Las Vegas and Wednesday in New Mexico.
Since taking office, Harris has chaired swearing-in ceremonies for members of Biden’s cabinet. She has assisted the president in his speeches, made her own remarks, spoke by phone with several world leaders and performed in the Washington area, including at the funeral services for power broker Vernon Jordan in Washington.
Harris also cast three casting votes in the 50-50 Senate in her role as Senate President.
The White House has worked out a theme for each day, with an emphasis on small businesses, schools, evictions, and direct controls. Jill Biden was joined by New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on a Monday tour of the Samuel Smith Elementary School in Burlington, where she talked about how the plan will help families and communities and highlighted the steps the school was taking to reopen.
But her tour revealed the challenges: In one classroom she visited, only two students were present to learn in person, while the other 17 were virtual. Biden sat in front of a computer to say goodbye to the students from a distance.
“I just love being here at a school again: educators, parents and students, the whole school has come together to bring children back to class,” she said. “But even if you do your best, students can’t come, they can’t come in every day, which means their parents still have to take time off from work or come up with childcare solutions. And this school, like schools in this country, cannot fully reopen without assistance. “
Emhoff, an entertainment attorney, has also performed a few times in the Washington area in between teaching at Georgetown Law School. He planned to visit a food aid organization in Las Vegas on Monday and participate in a listening session with the organization’s partners.
In addition to the president, vice president and their husbands, cabinet secretaries will also be on tour. Hundreds of mayors and governors, including Republicans, line up to give interviews to discuss what the plan means for their communities.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg first toured a UPS distribution center in Landover, Maryland, which also supplies vaccines in the Washington area on Monday.
Superville reported from Las Vegas. Lemire reported from New York. Associated Press writer Hope Yen contributed to this report.